Youth Peer & Outreach
"The little program with a big heart"
To sum up in a sentence what can truly only be experienced, Youth Peer provides a supportive place for at-risk youth, ages 8 – 18, to be tutored and mentored by volunteers who are close to their age. It is this relationship—youth and peer mentor—that sparks the magic that happens here.
After an hour of one-on-one tutoring, the magic continues into the second hour with social mentoring, guitar instruction, creative art projects, and educational games.
Youth Peer & Outreach is a project that hums. Visiting one of the centres is like stepping into a beautifully functioning family. For youth clients, volunteers, university and college students, junior and senior staff, management partners and administrators, it is simply an enriching place to be.
What is now called Youth Peer began in 1998 when EPIC adapted the program
from Island Community Justice. It has survived and thrived to become a community
institution serving hundreds of families every year.
In 2016, with on-going funding from Nova Scotia Education and Early Childhood,
and in partnership with Schools Plus, Outreach became a reality with Youth Peer
now able to serve additional communities: New Waterford, Glace Bay and Northside.
Socializing with university and high school mentors, staff, and other youth is a big part of the learning process for clients. Young people want to come back because they know they are welcomed and accepted unconditionally as “part of the family.”
WHAT
An award-winning, free, after-school program with peer tutoring/mentoring by high school, college or university volunteers for the first hour and educational games, workshops, art, or music instruction in the second hour.
WHO
Kids 8-18 who have been referred
by a partner agency
WHERE and WHEN
All programs run from
late September to early June
YPP CENTRE
Sydney
290 Whitney Ave.
downstairs from the Adult High School
3-6 PM Monday - Friday
OUTREACH
New Waterford
Breton Education Center
3-5 Tuesdays
Northside
Memorial High School, Sydney Mines
3-5 PM, Wednesdays
Glace Bay
Oceanview Education Centre
3-5 Thursdays
For Information:
Delores Feltmate, Program Director
Kendrick Miller, Volunteers Coordinator
902 539-8228
902 539-7407 (fax)
youthpeerprogram@live.com
THE STAFF
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Barry Waldman
PROGRAM DIRECTOR: Delores Feltmate
VOLUNTEERS COORDINATOR: Kendrick Miller
OUTREACH COORDINATOR: Anna George
EDUCATOR: Ann Pentecost
ARTS INSTRUCTOR: Susanne Donovan
MUSIC INSTRUCTOR Emile Conn
PROGRAM ASSISTANTS: Jennifer Nicholson, Adam Thorn, Kaitlyn O'Neill, Michelle McGean
credits:
original ‘bird/book’ Youth Peer logo by Blake MacLean, former volunteer.
“The little program with a big heart” is a quote from a Volunteer Canada article (no longer available online) about the Youth Peer Transformation project; written Spring, 2004; Volunteer Canada was one of the funders during the 2003-2004 year.