Youth are a central part of Colin Slack’s life. He loves working with them and has their best interests at heart. His passion for youth has led him to Gananoque Youth Services, where he sits on their Board of Directors. In this role, he deals with financial submissions, long range planning and external affairs.

Colin brings extensive experience to his position. His current employment is at the Canadian Mental Health Association, where he runs the ‘Off The Wall’ youth program. He has also worked with youth in the court system and youth intervention in downtown Toronto. As a result, he has dealt with a variety of youth issues and understands that to overcome these issues, youth need a positive, supervised environment where they are safe and can receive the support they need.

Gananoque Youth Services provides this environment for youth. The centre is run by a very capable staff, who have been provided with an intense training regiment for first aid, CPR and teen issue counselling. Their programs are open to everyone, and available at no cost to the participants. Many of these programs teach valuable life skills. For example, in the past they brought in St. John Ambulance to the centre to teach a babysitting course. In the future, they hope to develop is a self-defence course for girls.

The youth of Gananoque have come to appreciate all that the centre has to offer and now the centre is thriving. Colin’s favourite story is evidence of the centre’s success. He remembers one afternoon when he was at the centre before hours. He thought he heard a knock on the back door, so he went to see who was there. When he opened the door, a small boy was standing there with a piece of paper in hand. He handed the paper, a signed waiver form, to Colin. This boy had just had his ninth birthday, which made him eligible to attend the centre. He wanted to start as soon as possible because he had heard such great comments from his older brother who had been attending the centre regularly.

The greatest roadblock for the centre has been the public perception of youth and youth programs. He has spent a great deal of time approaching various members of the community to sell the idea of youth services. This has included lobbying town council. Much of the community does not understand the importance of youth services and has been hesitant to invest. Fortunately, his efforts have made progress and as a result, they are receiving much more community support.

The financial support from United Way has helped keep Gananoque Youth Services in operation. Youth are an integral part of our community and any program that provides opportunities for our youth is crucial. Colin is thankful for all the support, but he knows that if the doors of the youth centre are going to stay open, continued financial support is needed. You can make this happen – all it takes is a gift to United Way.