Various programs have been humming along at Penticton Foundry for quite some time now. But today, the one-stop health and wellness resource centre for youths aged 12 to 24, situated in a beautifully renovated red brick building at 501 Main Street, finally became official.
The announcement came this morning when Provincial Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Judy Darcy, surrounded by VIPs and folks integral in the creation and/or operation of the facility, exclaimed with some gusto that, "Today, we are here to celebrate the official opening of Foundry Penticton."
The applause was long and it was loud. As it should have been. Foundry Penticton is operated by OneSky Community Resources, but it's the product of a concerted effort that brought together input and funding from a wide variety of sources - from grassroots to government.
One of the speakers today was Hussain Sattar, a recent Princess Margaret grad and a co-founder of that's school's Youth Advisory Committee. Sattar announced today that they'd raised $17,000 for the centre.
And he talked about his own journey - about the suicides of the young people he'd known and how those events had pushed him to get involved. But he tempered that with the excitement he and his peers feel about Foundry.
"This building was - I'm not going to lie - designed by the youth. Like, I chose that piece of furniture right there! Every time we came together for a meeting, it was to discuss what was going to be in this building."
"We are youth, and yes we make mistakes and we've got a whole bunch going on, but if we can build a building, we can do anything."
Another speaker was Penticton Mayor John Vassilaki. Vassilaki told PentictonNow moments before the event that, "It's one of the best things we've ever put forward in Penticton for youth. A safe place for our youth to go to if they need advice or information. The city was one of the first to step forward with a $400,000 donation. The city really came forward on this."
Vassilaki acknowledged that there was very little in place for the 12 to 24 demographic prior to Foundry. "There's the Boys and Girls Clubs, but that's for younger youth. Here, they can be in their twenties and they can come for help. The high school is right next door too. It's all right here, within one building."
Minister Darcy echoed those thoughts during her time at the microphone. "It's a made in British Columbia innovation that makes me as a British Columbian very proud. Because when you walk through that door at Foundry, you're at the right place. You're at the right door. Period."
"I have no doubt that the work that is done here, the support that is given here, is going to save lives, and change lives. Absolutely no question about it."
Darcy also noted that the provincial Foundry network is expanding as part of the government's new "Pathway to Hope" initiative. "I'm so happy to let you know that in the Pathway to Hope we announced last week, we'll be expanding the Foundry network with an additional eight new Foundry centres across British Columbia, for a total of 19 Foundries."
Dacry closed by saying, "I know you're going to work so hard to make the Foundry Penticton an enormous success. I congratulate you and I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Penticton Indian Band councilor Joan Phillip was up-front about her own battles. Her line that, "I've been 30 years sober this July," was greeted with the loudest reaction of the day.
"I often see mental health like you're peeling back the layers of an onion. You have to get to the core. So any help we can offer our young people is a blessing."
After everyone had spoken - including Pamela Liversidge of Foundry Vancouver, MP Richard Cannings, and OneSky executive director Tanya Behardien - a tour of the main floor commenced that revealed a spacious facility with numerous etched glass walls and modern colour schemes. The kitchen alone is particularly spectacular, with gleaming stainless steel appliances and a futuristic look that young people will love.
Later, peer support worker Melisa Edgerly, who's been running a non-judgmental after-school program called RADAR at Foundry for several months, said, "I think this has been a long time coming. It means that all the outreach I've been doing in the community, trying to keep kids engaged, is now coming to light. Now they actually have a space to come to and get the services they need."
She also advised that Foundry will have another opening in September, when school is back in session. "That'll be a big grand opening because school is out right now. We'll do it in September when they're all back."
Foundry Penticton manager Kim Conroy, meanwhile, was succinct. "This means a lot to me, but mostly it means we'll be able to help the youth and their families in our community with this amazing space."
Conroy added that Foundry Penticton is now open for walk-in services two days a week - Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. "We're just getting geared up. Over the summer, we'll be assessing the demand for service, the types of service, and towards the end of summer we'll probably be increasing the numbers of days we're open."
And of course there are the youth groups such as Edgerly's. "As people begin to know about the space and want to do more groups and services, we think groups will be a big part of what we offer here."
"If you're a youth between the ages of 12 and 24, just show up at our door on Tuesday or Thursday between 1 and 5. We also have a Facebook page and we have a website, and people can find more information there."
