1. TheatreStreetYouthSocietyStreetkidsimprovetheirlives
hanksto a $5,000donationfrom
VanCity to the Theatre Street
YouthSociety,streetkidsarenow
taking stepsto improvetheir lives.Fund-
ing enablesthe societytoprovidea safe
haven for youth at risk and street-in-
volvedyouth.Throughthe lO-weekthe-
atreandemplo5rmentreadinessprogram,
an emplo5rmentcounsellor and an art
therapisthelp participantsgain self-es-
teem,addressemotionalissues,develop
lifeskills,andaccessjob opportunities.
Says VanCity Chair Franca
Zttmpano, "This program encourages
what VanCity values - self-reliance.
And it's a community-basedapproach
to solving the challenges that street
youth unfortunately face."
Program General Manager Sherry
McGarvie points to the program's
severalsuccessstoriessuch as an L8-
year-old who arrived asa tough loner.
Initially, hestoodstill andsaidnothing.
Butbythe endofhis arttherapy,hehad
madea mask, cut out a wood backing
for it, paintedit and offeredit asagift to
McGarvie. "He went from not even
being ableto communicateto sharing
somethingfromthedepthsof hissoul,"
shesays."Thatwasahugesuccess."
The eight-year-old theatre society
runs the programout of sharedspace
with the Tradeworks youth training
program,locatedat 524 Powell Street
in Vancouver. Twelve young people,
aged14to 19,attendweeklyseminars
to learn r6sum6writing, job interview
techniques,and basiccomputerskills
to increasetheir employment candi-
dacy. All of the participants from last
year's program are working at least
part-time,saysMcGarvie.And the pro-
gram encouragesyouth who have left
schoolto re-enrol.
The kids get breakfastand one hot
meala daywith educationabout nutri-
tion andfood budgetingformingpartof
theprogram.
The grand finale is a public theatre
production, performedand produced
solelybythe streetkids.After attending
VanCityCredit Union
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Society Co-ordinator Katharine Caroll utith Andy Matouich, former program graduate and
now a director for the society.
classeson everythingfrom actingskills
to setdesign,participantswrite and de-
liver their own material or perform dra-
matic works of other playwrights. "I be-
lievein the power of the creative,"says
SocietyCo-ordinator KatharineCaroll.
"I've seen it transform people's lives
evenwhen they didn't think it would.
The youth geta chanceto tell their own
story,which isan important part of the
healingprocess."
Andy Matovich, now 26, is one of
the many theatrical successstoriesto
emergefrom the program. Enrolled in
the program at 19, he learned acting,
threet5rpesofdance,specialeffects,and
later took a director's course.He then
volunteered as assistant director for
two years,worked asavolunteer coun-
sellor,and now sitson the society's
boardofdirectors."Theprogramhada
strongimpacton me,"saysthe long-
timedramalover."They'reaverysup-
portivecommunit5randthey'reflexible.
Itwasapositiveexperience."
With anartisticfocusandrulessetby
theparticipants,not adults,the Soci-
ety's program provides a different
framework than most community
youthactivities,saysCaroll.
Socialworkers,probationofficers
and teacherspraisethe powerfulim-
pactoftheprogram,saysCaroll."Alot
ofyouthhavebeenthroughthesystem
with counsellors.But our program
doesn'tgive them the samekind of
rules.Theychoosetobehere."
HEATHERCONN
WorkingDollars . August 7995