Lethbridge Herald

5th on 5th recording input on investing in youth

- Greg Bobinec LETHBRIDGE HERALD

The Lethbridge Youth Foundation and 5th on 5th Youth Services is offering an opportunit­y for community members, including MLAs, city council and various business owners, to offer their input on why it is important to invest in youth in our community.

The video project is part of the Youth Foundation and Youth Services Investing in Youth Campaign, which will help showcase how organizati­ons invest in youth through their programmin­g. The video created on this day will be an opportunit­y for community members to talk about their investment in the community’s future.

“The 2019 campaign theme, ‘Taking #YQL Padawans to Jedi Masters,’ reflects the effort behind the programmin­g that is available at 5th on 5th to support youth in fulfilling their goals,” says Trevor Brown, 5th on 5th executive director. “This year’s campaign recognizes what it takes to meet those goals — determinat­ion, focus, selfdiscip­line and enhancing knowledge. Of course, the collective force of our community support ensures we can provide training to help youth gain a stronger foothold on a positive journey.”

They currently have three programs to help youth in the community, including: the Reach-Up program which helps people attain and retain employment; the Forward Life Impact which follows a six-week program to teach youth employment life skills; and the Work Experience program which offers graduate students a 12-week work experience opportunit­y.

Youth Services also supports two community projects including the Coalitions Creating Equality project that focuses on supporting communitie­s in addressing equality related concerns, hate crimes and human rights issues. The other project, Get out and Vote, focuses on engaging the youth demographi­c to be more active in the democratic process.

“We were successful to receive another opportunit­y to offer our Forward Life Impact, Reach-Up and Work Experience programs which will serve over 150 youth, 15 to 30 years old, annually to enhance their employabil­ity,” says Brown. “We as an organizati­on would not have been able to achieve success with our clients without the investment the business owners in the city of Lethbridge and area put into our youth.”

The Investing in Youth Campaign is running until May 3, and will highlight many of the businesses that partner with 5th on 5th. If you would like to share your youth investment story, Youth Services will be filming today from 9 a.m. until noon at London Road Media, 321A 5 St. S.

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