North Sydney will soon have a new youth drop-in centre
Young people in North Sydney, N.S., will soon have a place to play floor hockey, rock climb, listen to music and do many other things.
Third Day Grace Ministries has purchased and renovated the former Fairview Elementary School, turning it into a youth centre called the Five Eleven Youth and Family Centre.
"5.11 is a rock climbing term," said Pastor Brian Barron. "The five is the class of the climb and the 11 is the difficulty of the climb.
"We want to come alongside kids and young families in the most difficult climb of their lives."
The centre will open in two weeks and will operate from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday.
Barron's daughter, 27-year-old Mariah Barron, is the centre's director. She said kids from the neighbourhood are already dropping by and peeking in the windows, waiting for a chance to come in.
"The other day we had a little one just standing on the step, knocking on the door, and his mother tried to pull on it a bit just trying to see if she could come in and take a look," she said. "There's a lot of excitement brewing.
"For me, giving people a safe place and a positive environment and the support that they may not see elsewhere in their life is crucial to development and crucial to success in this community."
Brian Barron said even though the centre is sponsored by the church, it's not going to be a religious establishment.
The purchase price for the 12,000-square-foot building was $30,000. Barron said the group will fundraise to cover the annual $60,000 operating cost. The group is also applying for grants and working with local businesses.
Barron said people donated many of the items they needed and the centre has reused materials from nearby Thompson Junior High School, which is scheduled for demolition.
"We got cupboards, we have countertops, sinks and plumbing," he said. "We even got a thousand feet of drop ceiling."
Barron said they will continue to upgrade the building and add programs as they go along.
"This can benefit the whole community and bring some hope to some real hurting people on the Northside here," said Barron. "Our children have absolutely nowheres to go and nothing to do, and so this will be key for them and their families."
