A taste home-cooked meal by Outreach and Youth Engagement’s chef!
The Outreach and Youth Engagement (OYE) Program at Choices for Youth (CFY) is often the first point of contact with the most vulnerable young people in our community. Every day, the CFY staff support youth through a hot meal to a meaningful conversation, from having a hot shower to access to a phone, from medical care to legal assistance – in all of this, OYE staff are consistently working to support youth with meeting their basic needs, inclusive of access to safe and supportive housing, clinical supports, and navigating other support systems.
In the first 2 quarters of this current fiscal year, 2023-2024, the OYE program has supported 532 young people, served 5366 meals, facilitated 279 healthcare appointments, facilitated 382 SWAP (safer works access program) engagements, and referred 97 young people to external and internal programs. To effectively support at-risk young people, it's crucial to provide targeted and strategic assistance in an accessible, low-barrier environment. OYE addresses this need by offering a drop-in program five days a week, where young people can receive a meal, interact with on-site staff, and connect with resources provided by partner organizations.
The money raised from the Dining Club NL Ticket Lottery will support the OYE program, including the drop-in meal service, which helps provide youth with access to the nutritious food they need. At CFY, we believe a meal is more than just food on a plate – it is the start of a relationship to build trust and provide youth the support they need to achieve their self-identified goals.