(File photo/northeastNOW Staff)

By Angie Rolheiser

Safe Spaces for youth

Melfort Youth Evolution hosting safe spaces coffee house

Feb 21, 2020 | 2:00 PM

The Melfort Youth Evolution has teamed up with MindBody Balance Therapies to provide a safe spaces youth coffee house this Sunday.

The event will provide an open and safe platform for youth in the area to connect and support each other.

Facilitator Laura Lawrence said the event is for all youth over 13 years old.

“Regardless of physical, mental ability, gender, race, sexuality, and to get together to collaborate for positive change,” Lawrence said. “It’s also about that sense of belonging.”

The event is free of charge but those wanting to attend must register beforehand with space for between 20 and 25 youth.

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Lawrence told northeastNOW she was honoured to be part of the day.

“I truly believe that the core of who we are, whether we are children, youth, or adults, we all want to feel loved and appreciated and feel like we belong in our community,” Lawrence said.

Back in October, Lawrence hosted over 300 youth from 10 different school in the northeast for a youth matter mental health symposium. That day consisted of wellness speakers and presenters that gained requests to hold the symposium again.

“Youth wanted to go back and create the same idea in their own communities and be able to connect and actually have a platform to use their voices,” Lawrence said.

Lawrence plans to host the symposium yet again on mental health day in October.

The Melfort Youth Evolution is a youth council striving to bring activities and connection for the youth in the area from Grade 7 and up. The organization has organized a panel of three youths for their afternoon event.

“All three of them grew up in Melfort and will share their stories of growth and working through challenges of feeling included and through diversity,” Lawrence said. “It’s youth talking to youth which we hope will be very effective.”

Youth Coordinator Kathryn Carswell said that response has been positive so far.

“Back in April of 2017, before the Melfort Youth Evolution was even organized, the youth compiled a list of activities and events that they would like to see here in Melfort,” Carswell said. “Hosting a safe spaces discussion cafe -style was actually one of those items so this event is actually crossing off another item from the list.”

The Youth Evolution has been under the North East Outreach Support Services umbrella since the end of November in an effort to directly serve youth.

Youth can register for the coffee house through the Melfort Youth Evolution or through MindBody Balance Therapies.

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angie.rolheiser@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Angie_Rolheiser