Pubdate: Sun, 26 Jun 2005 Source: Kelowna Capital News (CN BC) Copyright: 2005, West Partners Publishing Ltd. Contact: http://www.kelownacapnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1294 Author: Tina Marten Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) YOUTHS NEED DETOX CENTRE To the editor: Re.: City's Only Youth Detox Centre Faces Closure, June 17 Capital News. I am dismayed and outraged that the Iridian Youth Detox Centre is slated for closure due to a funding shortage. Kelowna is a wealthy city that wants to be moving forward. In my opinion, this city will only move forward when it finally allocates some funds for our homeless youths. The Iridian Centre gives this city a unique opportunity to do just that! This centre has already built an infrastructure of services. Youths know where the centre is, what it is about and most important they can refer themselves to learn and deal with their substance misuse and leave their life on the streets of Kelowna . We have all made mistakes in our lives, but with the help of others have managed to turn our mistakes into powerful experiences and life lessons. A mistake is only a mistake if someone does not learn from it. If a mistake helps a person to learn something then it is an experience and not a mistake. Those youth participating in the Iridian Centre have also made mistakes and it is up to us, the community, to help them turn their mistakes into experiences. These youth are of significance to us, the community. A 'lost' youth is a loss of social capital. The economic costs of a homeless youth on our streets far outweighs the costs of helping this homeless youth get off the streets, develop educational and employment skills, and become a contributing community member. If Kelowna truly wants to be moving forward then we will need all the social, cultural and economic capital that this community can muster! It is my greatest hope that the mayor, city council and other levels of government will realize that Kelowna cannot afford to close the Iridian Youth Detox Centre. I urge our local governments to allocate funds to keep this centre open. Tina Marten Kelowna - --- MAP posted-by: Beth