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Business Items Item #: 10.a.

Regular Council Meeting

Tri-Municipal Drug Strategy Team Proposal - Araujo

Date:	08/17/2009
Presenter:	Jackie Araujo	Submitted By:	Community & Protective Services
Department:	Community & Protective Services

Information

Recommendation

That Council endorse the Tri-Municipal Drug Strategy Team's grant application to the Health Canada Drug Strategy Community Initiative Fund for financial support to hire a coordinator to work with youth in care within the region;

and

That Council provide the Tri-Municipal Drug Strategy Team with a letter of municipal support to accompany their application to the Federal Government for this purpose.

Purpose

To review the proposal put forward by the Tri-Municipal Drug Strategy Team (TMDST) and to provide a municipal letter of support to accompany their grant application.

Background

The Tri-Municipal Drug Strategy Team is applying to Health Canada's Drug Strategy Community Initiative Fund for financial support for a program that focuses on youth in foster care.

The TMDST is already offering a youth mentorship program at Columbus Academy (Bosco), in Stony Plain. In speaking to Children's Services they learned there are over 750 foster families in the Parkland Region. Members of the TMDST received a very favorable response from the Supervisor of Foster Care and Adoptions when the proposed program outline was explained to her.

The proposed program would host weekly or biweekly sessions targeting youth living in the foster care system. These sessions would be facilitated by a mentor and would stress healthy life choices, the 40 assets of healthy living, self-confidence, empowerment, etc. The program is not intended to focus exclusively on drug education, but it would focus positively on a range of issues influencing local and area youth. Community involvement would be encouraged by involving the young people in planning and organizing 'fun' activities. They would be given opportunities to explore new interests and develop new skills within the community.

The target age group would be 10 -17 years, but different sessions would be offered for 10 - 13 year olds and 14 - 17 year olds. The sessions would be open to youth outside the system, who would also like to be involved.

The program would entail the hiring of a full-time coordinator/facilitator and a part-time facilitator/mentor. Mileage costs may be re-imbursed to foster parents who drive their children to the sessions.

Options

n/a

Impacts/Consultation

The proposed program would provide increased support to a segment of the population that is at higher-than-average risk of becoming involved in criminal activity and drug abuse. It has the potential to be very beneficial to a large number of youth living in care.

Implementation/Communication

n/a

Core Strategies

* Building Community
This program has the potential to play a part in developing healthy, engaged citizens of the City of Spruce Grove.

* Providing Affordable Choices
This program has the potential to play a part in reducing the demand on emergency services in the City of Spruce Grove.

Fiscal Impact

Attachments

No file(s) attached.

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