Listen here:
After completing its rebrand Homebase YK is looking to expand its services and start anew into the future.
Keira-Leigh Kameemalik who works with the youth center says giving kids someone who can listen to them and someone that can form a connection with will always be the most important part about her work.
But for the people who work there, much of what they do will remain the same.
“It’s really nice that they have someone that can speak to you about personal stuff. Because like, I guess I didn’t really have that growing up. So it’s kind of neat. Now that I see kids come to me for anything.”
Keira-Leigh Kameemalik
Anne-Marie Byzuk, who’s the staff lead at the Youth Centre, says having that personal experience can often make all the difference,
“It’s pay it forward. With those things, someone helped you out. Now it’s time to pass it on. So I know me and my partner specifically, we both work here together. And we both come from lived experience and that’s how we got the job.”
Anne-Marie Byzuk
Now the rebrand is done. Anne-Marie says she’s going to look to tackling some bigger projects, like securing regular food funding.
“We don’t have food to feed them, and a lot of them are dependent on it. So it’s definitely quite hard when you’ve got to tell kids like Hey, I know you eat here. You ate here for two months straight. But now I gotta cut that off. Because now we’re starting to dip into personal pocket for money.”
Anne-Marie Byzuk
