The Centre For Social Justice and Good Works launched Let’s Move today at Holy Family School. Let’s Move is the second in a series of youth recreation programs initiated by the Centre’s Youth Leadership Training Program, and is a collaborative effort with the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service and Kuk Sool Won Family Martial Arts Centre.
“We’re addressing (the issue of youth health) by bringing recreation programming to some of the hot spots in our community,” said Christina Coutu, executive director of the Centre for Social Justice and Good Works.
“Every group of youth leaders that we train will take on a community mobilization project. We have focused on recreation,” she explained. “Our ultimate goal is to make these programs self-sustaining so that they can then be handed off from the centre to a community group that will keep it running so that we can start new projects.”
“Our officers have been working with the Centre for Social Justice for quite some time in the recreation program,” said Constable Sonny Spina. “Our goal was to be involved with this program so that we could engage local youth and teach them that contact with Police does not have to be negative. Our officers are out in the community every day doing great things. We wanted to come to specific areas within our community where we knew there was a need for kids to have those positive contacts with Police.”
The aim is crime prevention through social development, said Spina, and present positive role models, offering the children something to aspire to.
The Centre For Social Justice specifically chose areas where children could walk to participate in programming – the lack of available transportation was identified as a participation roadblock, Coutu said.
Today’s Let’s Move launch was a pilot day. The four-week program begins Tuesday, May 9, is free to attend and is open to any youth between 6 and 13 years of age. The program is operated by a dedicated group of volunteers and funded by community sponsors and fundraising events.
To learn more about the Centre For Social Justice and Good Works and the Let’s Move recreation program, please click here.