Fall - Inner City Youth Alive

Editor : Laurie Kozak
Director of Development
A QUIET VOICE HEARD
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We awaken our compassion
when our heart is present and
our ears are truly listening. I
saw it happen one day right
before my eyes.
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Rochelle for her change and for taking responsibility in her life. Rochelle absorbed the woman’s
comments like she had been desperate to hear it.
On that day, Rochelle spoke and people listened. She
felt bad about what she had done, especially now
having a car herself. What can she do when she can’t
turn back time? Redeeming it is what she wants to
do now. As a community, we made progress that
day. Whenever you shut up and listen, whenever you
sit close enough to a person to feel something bigger, that is when something shifts inside of us.
Richard Cloutier from CJOB 68
AM, a local radio station, called
me at home a few weeks ago.
“I need a recovered car thief who is over 18 and is
articulate for tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM.” “That
is a tall order Richard”, I replied. “Much better than
the 15 minutes notice I gave you last time”, was his Because we heard Rochelle as a community we endresponse. An upgrade, indeed!
ed up loving someone we meant to hate. Richard
gave her a hug as we left the studio. “That’ll be in my
For those of you who don’t listen to Richard on the top ten this year”, he said. As we walked out of the
air, it is a call in talk show noted for its’ tough-on- building, Rochelle spoke as if only a small war had
crime stance. I was worried that the callers, who been won that day, “Well, I guess the whole world
love to hate car thieves, would run roughshod over isn’t out to get me.” All because someone listened
Rochelle. The fact that she was a girl seemed to dis- and connected to a quiet girl with a strong voice.
arm the callers, plus she hadn’t stolen a car in two
years, which helped as well. I could feel an awkward On October 3rd , ICYA is hosting the Calling to Contension with every call. Callers were used to second nect: Voices of the Unheard banquet. Come and lishand accounts about crime, which works better if ten to life as it is in Winnipeg’s North End.
you want to just get angry about some faceless force
Kent Dueck - Executive Director
out there like those “car thieves”. Richard treated
Rochelle with care. When the “Why did you do it?”
question came up, she answered in a measured
tone. “My parents were drinking and I was trying to
get their attention.” Two callers chided her and lamented the wonderful days of the “paddle”. Richard
turned to Rochelle and asked, “Rochelle, would that
have helped you?” Her reply was a quiet “No” to both
callers. An Aboriginal women called in and praised
Change Happens
when Attitudes Change
M
My husband and I live in one of the highest poverty stricken
areas in Winnipeg and Canada. At first, I adamantly refused
to consider living there, for all the reasons you are thinking. Actually, I never drove in the area because of fear, the
unknown, and what I read in the newspapers. He said, “If
we want to change the area, we have to live in it.” I replied, “That’s nice, let someone else change it. I’m not living there!” Well, I am happy to say he was right. We have
been living in North Point Douglas for over 3 years now and
have never regretted it. Our 111 year old character home
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is surrounded by history, 4 churches, a mission, a school,
a women’s centre, various businesses and good people. It
is also circled by bars, boarded up houses, drug trafficking,
prostitution, intoxication, despair and hopelessness. Nothing has ever happened to us or our home. I’m not saying it
won’t, but I’m not going to live in fear.
I have a family member who is afraid of visiting for fear
of getting shot. We shake our heads in disbelief, but he is
not the only one feeling this way. Is it this same fear and
N E W S L E T T E R
O F
I N N E R
C I T Y
preconceived perception that freezes individuals from feeling they can make a difference, pushing them further away
from our area, where they are most needed. One Sunday
evening, we witnessed a man being attacked in front of a
hotel on Main and Sutherland, across the back lane from
our house. Hundreds of cars from cruise night drove by,
none stopping for the unconscious Aboriginal man bleeding from the back of his head and coughing up blood.
Y O U T H
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CHANGE... CONTINUED
GEM LAKE CAMP UPDATE
When the ambulance and fire department finally arrived, they assumed he
was drunk. Since he couldn’t speak for himself, we explained to them over
and over again that he had been attacked and was not just passed out. They
did their job, but didn’t look impressed, and one of them made the comment,
“Here is another one we won’t get compensated for.” The hotel waitress
commented on the common disregard shown to these people (Aboriginals)
and praised us for even stopping because no one does or even cares.
Our neighbourhood has improved because community members care, speak
out and take action. We are actively involved in our community and over a
year ago, I decided I wanted to do more by working for ICYA. I didn’t want to
ignore, forget, live in fear, become uninvolved or hope it was someone else’s
problem. I believe change happens when attitudes change and I’m proof.
God has given me a big voice and I want to use it for the unheard. For the
people who cannot defend themselves because it is not within their culture,
who feel they have no rights, that this is their fate, that there is no hope, who
cannot find a way out, are lost in poverty, believe in the stereotypes or are
plagued by addictions and mental illness. All human beings are created the
same in the eyes of God and no matter the circumstances, no one deserves
to be hurt or ignored. We are all a family. Please, “do not forget the poor.”
Galatians 2:10 Become involved.
T
This summer at Gem Lake has been filled with many amazing moments, and many
exciting and intense challenges. Imagine this: on our first week of camp, we had
two of our biggest and best motors out of commission, a bear on our island, and
tons of rain and cold weather. It was quite the introduction to our two months of
camp out in the bush. God has definitely taught us the valuable lesson of depending on Him in all circumstances, and we’ve realized that when things happen that
are beyond our control, it is only our faith that can bring any comfort. After the
difficult start, we fell into a momentum and have been going at a crazy pace ever
since. We’ve seen God do some incredible things in the lives of both the campers
and staff. There have been numerous young campers committing their lives to God
and making the decision to become a Christian. It has been such a blessing to be
a part of these pivotal moments. We have also been blessed to have 7 of our full
time summer staff be local youth from the North End. They come with the unique
ability to relate to our campers in a very real way and their stories have made huge
impacts on the kids’ lives. As a result, each week we have at least 5 or 6 campers
asking when they will be old enough to be Gem Lake staff. It is because their cousin
or neighbour is a staff member, and they see that this, too, could one day be a reality for them. Although at times it may be hard to always see the fruits of our labour
at camp, God is definitely working and it is incredibly rewarding to be a part of.
Jordan Fast &
Michelle Friesen
Laurie Kozak - Director of Development
GRADUATION UNCOMMON
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I can literally count on one hand the number of
youth I have worked with closely since 2000 that
have graduated from high school. Considering
the struggles and challenging environments of
so many of our youth, graduating with a high
school diploma (tragically) is an exceptional feat.
Not that most youth in the inner city are not intelligent enough to graduate, because they certainly are. But how do you do homework or study
for tests when the electricity and running water
has been cut off in your house? Or when there
are drinking parties going on in your home, with
people stumbling in and out and you sleep on the
floor in front of the door in your little brother’s
room so nobody can get in and do you or your
younger siblings harm? Or when you are 8 years
old and literally get locked in your house (from
the outside) and left alone for days at a time, taking care of younger sibling while your mom goes
on another drinking binge. When families are
struggling with addictions, poverty, involvement
in the drug trade etc., the price paid by the children is often enormous. These are all real situations and experiences that have been shared
with me recently.
Left:
At the street party
Kent reunited with
one of the little
boys he first took
camping in 1986
+
+
=LOADS OF F
5 DAYS 29 KIDS 1 C
Still, this June I was excited and proud to attend
the graduations of two of our youth. Congratulations to Anthony Parenteau (20) and Dana Prince
(22) who have overcome huge obstacles to earn
their high school diplomas! Both made decisions
for Christ some years ago; please pray that God
continues to watch over and guide them.
Harvey Rempel - Community Ministry
F
For the third year in a row, ICYA partnered with Family Life C
children from our ministry to the Tepee Village at Winkler Bible Cam
have the financial resources to afford summer camp, so Union G
them. This year Janet and I went, along with two of our core drop
almost every day in their newly created beach, rode the horses, a
and easily kill wood ticks. According to the Director of Programm
best UGM week they have ever had because nobody was sent to
There were kids who were homesick for the first night but by the
not wanting to leave camp. Happily, many positive memories wer
Keith Anderso
Witness our most needy
neighbourhoods and
expand your heart to include
the inner city!
"When the world
says give up,
Hope whispers,
try it one more time."
THE HIDDEN HOMELESS
“In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I
am going there to prepare a place for you.” John 14:2
T
This past week, I was out with some kids for lunch.
As we were talking about their lives, boyfriends,
families etc., I asked one of them who all lived in
her house. She counted, and it turned out that there
were 14 people living in her half of a one-and-ahalf-story duplex apartment. I started thinking about
how many houses I know of where there are at least
12 people living there. Five immediately came to
mind. Then I came across an article in the paper
bemoaning the 1% vacancy rate for apartments in
Winnipeg - the lowest overall vacancy rate on record
according to new data released by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. For rental houses,
INNER CITY YOUTH ALIVE
things aren’t much better with a vacancy rate of 1.5
%. A recent report on Aboriginal homelessness by
the Institute of Urban Studies estimates as many as
10,000 people in Winnipeg are part of the “hidden
homeless” community that are “couch surfing” and
staying temporarily with friends or family. Some
of our youth and many of their family members do
in similar situations, sleeping from house to house,
not knowing where they will end up the next night.
There are literally thousands of families on waiting
lists for Manitoba Housing. How is the church called
to respond?
Harvey Rempel – Community Ministry
FORGIVEN
A
- taken from a building wall in the inner city
A 13-year-old artist has been coming to Gem Lake Camp every
summer for the past five years. Three years ago, he decided to
become a Christian after hearing one of the mini churches at camp.
He explained his interpretation of his drawing to a staff member at
camp. He said that he came up with the sketch a couple of years ago
and continues to make changes to it. He started off drawing it with the
“Unforgiven” sign draped on the cross. After learning more
about the meaning of the cross, he realized that he needed to
replace the “Unforgiven” sign with “Forgiven”, because “After
all”, he says, “that’s the whole purpose of the cross and Jesus
dying, to give us all forgiveness for our sins.”
FUNDRAISING
BANQUET
OCTOBER 3, 2008
To reserve tickets or sponsor a table
call (204) 582-8779 or
email [email protected] www.icya.ca
YOUTH
ROLE MODELS
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ICYA recently received complimentary tickets for some
Winnipeg Goldeyes games because we were considered
a worthy organization. 10 kids from our Chopper Club and
Inner City Racing programs sat in the Community Zone.
An individual behind me asked where all these kids were
from and I told him about ICYA. He told me how impressed
he was by their behaviour and that they seemed like great
kids. A lady a few seats down overheard this and started
making rude comments throughout the game about our
kids and where they lived. Usually at a sporting event,
hecklers are common. But how do you handle someone
heckling children at a baseball game, a family event, because of who they are and where they live? When we provided the kids with some snacks later, she snarled about
how spoiled these supposedly poor inner city kids were.
Two of the kids promptly turned around and offered to
share their snacks with her. Red faced, she declined and
remained silent the rest of the game. You handle them with
kindness and respect.
Dean Waldner – Program Coordinator
CAMP
FUN
Centre (UGM), sending 29
mp. Most of our kids do not
Gospel Mission sponsored
p-in volunteers. We swam
and learned how to quickly
ming at WBC, this was the
o the head office or home.
end they were crying and
re formed that week.
on – Outreach Coordinator
I
ICYA’s annual Block Party happened in June. The event
is put on to celebrate and connect with our community. Over 500 people enjoyed a free BBQ, cotton candy,
entertainment, face painting, bouncy castles, and a
chance to wrestle in a Sumo suit. They also had the
opportunity to write their messages of encouragement
on one of walls damaged by the fire.
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THANK YOU FOR GIVING
Thank you
for your prayers, donations and
for having faith in our ministry! Your letters and
e-mails of encouragement are so greatly appreciated,
especially in the tough times, like the fire; so much so,
we post them on our staff bulletin board for all to read.
Congratulations to Independent Jewellers for reaching their fundraising goal, raising over $10,000 for
ICYA. Because they achieved their goal, Ernest Epp,
CEO, agreed to shave his mustache for a whole year.
WORK OR
You, too, can fundraise and create awareness for
ICYA. For more information, go online at www.icya.ca
or contact Laurie at (204) 582-8779 ext. 207 or
[email protected].
AT A n URBAN
THANK
To continue to help change lives in the inner
city, please give to ICYA today, either online or
by calling (204) 582-8779. Below is how you are
helping to change our neighbourhood and keep hope
alive.
YOU!
Project Updates:
• Camp:
$6,680 helped send 35 inner city kids to camp.
To date, there were 30 kids for winter camp, 82
for summer camp and 24 for canoe trips.
• Project Rebuild:
Over $61,115.78 contributed so far.
&
INNER CITY RACING CHOPPER CLUB
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Inner City Racing is into its 3rd racing season at the
speedway. Youth attendance increased as the warm
weather arrived and the racing schedule drew closer.
There are 4 dedicated volunteers helping with the
program and 6-7 kids on average who attend regularly. So far we’ve participated in 7 racing events and
have 17 sponsors. Morale is high as we are showing
improvement on the track. The youth have taken
greater interest in and ownership of the cars. Recently during an engine tuning task, they learned how
to use the timing gun and adjust the ignition system.
Some of the youth are approaching the legal driving
age and are excited about getting behind the wheel
of a real car. To help them prepare for this, we built a
driving simulator out of the cab section of a donated
car. Using computer software, an electronic steering
controller, and a screen mounted on the dash, boys
in the car program can get behind the wheel and develop their driving skills. It has been a very popular
addition to the program.
Check out our new web page for ICR updates, pictures and our sponsors.
www.icya.ca/programs/racing.html
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418 Aberdeen Ave.
Winnipeg, MB
R2W 1V7
UPDATE
Chopper Club has been gaining momentum since the
fire in April that heavily damaged our previous facility. Since moving into the Inner City Racing program
space in May, we’ve built 3 bicycles. We continue to
help kids in our neighbourhood with repairs to their
personal bicycles as they stop by our shop. We have 8
boys on our waiting list to build bikes and are looking
for more volunteers to help the bikes get built.
Overall, we’ve seen growth and maturity in the lives
of our kids through both programs. It has been encouraging to see the boys responding positively to the
attention and example we provide for them.
Dean Waldner – Program Coordinator
Phone: (204) 582-8779
Fax: (204) 582-4729
Email: [email protected]
www.icya.ca
To bring hope and a
future through Christ
to youth and their
families in the inner city.
Volunteer
MINISTRY
Individuals with a heart for evangelism
and the desire to impact lives should
consider a career or volunteer at ICYA.
Detailed information on positions can be
found at http://www.icya.ca
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MEALS
UPDATE
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KIDS
They say the way to a child’s heart is through their stomach. Connecting with people’s hearts is the key to everything we do at ICYA and so it would only make sense
that if a child is hungry, we should feed them. So this
spring and summer, we have done just that. Before, and
during our children’s programs, we have been feeding
children. They have been eating such luxurious meals
as home made lasagnes, with spinach and mandarin
orange salads, and a side of pluot (which is a cross
between a plum and an apricot). I have been surprised
to see how quickly and easily 6-year olds devour spinach salads, but they love it. Who knows, maybe they do
it because they do not want to rush the time that they’re
spending with their “dinner dad” or “meal-time mom?”
Or for others, it is all about the meal - that basic sustenance that gives them the energy they need to play
tag, but for many I’ve seen, it’s all about the relationships they’re building with an adult over a meal of great
food. For these kids, the love that they get, for however
long they want to eat, is probably the highlight of their
week.
Keith Anderson – Outreach Coordinator
You can donate by credit
card by phoning us at
(204) 582-8779 or online at
www.icya.ca/donate/
A monthly credit card donation
plan is available as well.