April 13, 2015

 

Mayor John Tory, Councillor James Pasternak (Ward 10 York Centre), Chair of the Community Development and Recreation Committee, City staff and local youth from the community joined members of the City's advisory committee for youth spaces and local youth organizations today to officially launch the enhanced youth space at Antibes Community Centre.

 

“Young people represent the future of Toronto, and it's important that we provide them with programs and services that enable them to thrive," said Mayor John Tory. "This enhanced youth space is a place where youth can come to create, learn and connect with one another."  

 

The model for the enhanced youth spaces was approved in 2014 and focuses on dedicated space for youth to create, connect and learn, and provides dedicated staff and programming tailored to the interest and needs of community youth. The enhanced youth space at Antibes Community Centre will be the first of seven to officially launch this year. 

 

"Engaging youth in recreation is an essential part of developing healthy communities," said Councillor James Pasternak (Ward 10 York Centre), Chair of the Community Development and Recreation Committee.

"Youth spaces are an effective way to get young people engaged in their communities and just one of the ways the City is working to increase access to recreation programs."

 

Youth remain a priority service area for the City's Parks, Forestry and Recreation division. In addition to youth spaces, Parks, Forestry and Recreation offers registered and drop-in programming for youth at over

130 locations across the city and operates the Youth Outreach Worker Program. Youth Outreach Workers support youth facing barriers to participation by connecting them with recreation programs, social services and referral agencies that provide housing, employment, health and harm reduction services.  

 

This release is also available on the City website at http://bitly.com/1OsH2KA. 

 

Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. Toronto is proud to be the Host City for the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us @TorontoComms.

 

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Media contact: Cheryl MacDonald, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, 416-873-6086, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.