Overview of Mitzie Hunter's Pamphlet
Overview of Mitzie Hunter’s Pamphlet
Mitzie Hunter reviewed all the things she has done recently in her pamphlet in preparation for the summer fun fest BBQ on Sunday August 11th.
MPP Mitzie Hunter’s Summer Fun Fest at Morningside Park
This includes promoting YouthLink Youth Services at the back of her pamphlet as one of the two non-profit organizations to be promoted by Mitzie Hunter. The two services Mitzie Hunter promoted was YouthLink’s well-known counselling service and YouthLink’s new homeless youth shelter at 747 Warden Avenue.
Big Sisters Counselling Service – How counselling helped Jan
Google Map, August 2018. Google – 747 Warden Avenue (homeless youth shelter)
Learn about YouthLink Youth Services
YouthLink Youth Services - Logo
YouthLink Youth Services was founded in 1914 as the Big Sisters Movement and later on as the Big Sisters of Metropolitan Toronto.
“Big Sisters” Give Christmas Party to Vocational School Girls
In 1971, the Big Sisters decided to finally retire the name and become Huntley Youth Services.
Big Sisters is coed, takes a new name
This was done to appeal to both boys and girls who needed counselling. A decade later the Huntley Youth Services changed their name again, this time to YouthLink Youth Services, a name that still stands today.
We greatly appreciate the publicity Mitzie Hunter gave to Scarborough-Guildwood residents about YouthLink Youth Services and its homeless youth shelter.
YouthLink Youth Services – Homeless Youth Shelter
Our homeless youth shelter has 41 permanent and 10 emergency beds. This program is available at 747 Warden Avenue near Warden Station.
YouthLink Homeless Youth Shelter
YouthLink Youth Services, Youth Transition Home and Emergency Shelter
YouthLink’s homeless youth shelter is the only homeless youth shelter in Scarborough. This homeless youth shelter has a dog kennel attached to the shelter. Evan Back from Kevin Connor’s Toronto Sun article explains the reasoning behind this:
“You’ve seen them on the street with their dogs. None of theses kids asked for this, but they turn down help and shelter because they would never take refuge and leave their best friend on the street. Their dog is their sole confidant.”
According to Kevin Connor of the Toronto Sun, there are unfortunately over 1,000 youth living homeless in Scarborough. This makes YouthLink’s homeless youth shelter such an important part of Scarborough. It is even more important for street youth to take their dogs with them as they would never take refuge and leave their dogs on the street.
That is why there are professional pet vaccinators thanks to VCA Canada and also dog kennels attached to the emergency beds of the homeless youth shelter.
YouthLink Youth Services Homeless Shelter – Professional Vaccinators
YouthLink Youth Services thanking VCA Canada at the homeless youth shelter
YouthLink would also like to thank Wholesome Kids Catering for giving vulnerable and troubled youth at the homeless youth shelter the healthy food needed to get through each day.
YouthLink Youth Services thanking Wholesome Kids Catering at the homeless youth shelter
YouthLink’s Guidance Counselling
YouthLink Youth Services – What’s up Walk in Counselling Clinic
The other service Mitzie Hunter highlighted of YouthLink is the What’s Up? Walk-In counselling service.
This counselling service is a free counselling service available at six locations across the Greater Toronto Area. There are also only two what’s up? walk in counselling services in Scarborough with one of them at YouthLink’s main office at 636 Kennedy Road.
Google, August 2018. Google Maps – YouthLink Youth Services (636 Kennedy Road)
At YouthLink, counsellors have helped thousands of troubled youth. They are also very skilled professionals who have helped youth with all types of problems. This could be youth who have faced bullying in school or coping with a loss.
YouthLink counsellors also speak several languages at the clinic including Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese, Urdu, Hindi, Armenian, and French in case English is not the youth’s first language.
The other one in Scarborough is called East Metro Youth Services at 1200 Markham Road.
Google, September 2017. Google Maps – 1200 Markham Road (East Metro Youth Services)
Community Safety
Sir Wilfrid Laurier Collegiate Institute – A Recent Graduate Killed Near the High School
The number one issue Mitzie Hunter has to deal with is community safety. Sadly, like the rest of Toronto gun violence is a major concern in our community as our community lost two young lives this year, with one of them from Wilfrid Laurier Collegiate Institute. Mitzie Hunter introduced two private bills, with the first one on banning the sale of handgun ammunition within the city’s boundaries, which unfortunately did not pass.
Mitzie Hunter has not given up though and is trying to get her second private bill passed, which offers violence intervention programs at hospitals and counselling given to survivors and people affected by gun violence.
Mitzie Hunter has also tried to help youth when it comes to autism, education, and engaging youth by doing a book drive.
Helping Youth
Scarborough Autism Roundtable
She was at the autism roundtable on April 17th, where she looked at past programs that worked for the Ontario Autism Plan, extending therapy, speech language therapy at a young age, expanding the plan to include those over 18 years old living with autism, and speech language therapy so that it starts at a young age.
These were not the only issues Mitzie Hunter discussed. She also discussed about the youth career fair, education, and the book drive.
Other Engagement with Youth
Mitzie Hunter believes in job opportunities for youth, that is why for the past six years Mitzie Hunter has engaged with youth about skills needed to get a job for teens from grade 7-12 at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus.
She was also involved in the book drive, where students collected and delivered books to non-profit organizations like the Scarborough Village Recreation Centre.
Lastly, Mitzie Hunter talked about the grade 10 financial literacy course being part of the grade 10 careers course. This is a topic Mitzie Hunter is very passionate about and it helps youth understand money and finances better when they grow up and manage their money independently.
Wikipedia, Maplewood High School – One of the Schools to Benefit from the Financial Literacy Program
Of course, there are also other ways to help youth and the city of Toronto like Liaison.
La Maison Celebrates!
The other organization besides YouthLink Youth Services highlighted in their pamphlets is La Maison Celebrates, which has helped Francophone women escape violence. This organization supports a great cause as 450 women and children benefited from the service over the last decade.
Year Overview of Mitzie Hunter and Next Steps
On Mitzie Hunter’s pamphlet, she has shown a lot of support to not just YouthLink, but youth in general. She covered four topics, with the most pressing issue being reducing the number of youths who have lost their lives from gun violence. She also emphasized and talked about how to improve the lives for youth living with autism and how to give some of these youths’ ways to get a job.
Mitzie Hunter Twitter – Mitzie Hunter Book Drive
She is also willing to work with youth to achieve a common goal, shown with the book drive where she and youth helped find and deliver books to non-profit organizations.
Lastly, the financial education for grade 10 students was emphasized by Mitzie Hunter as it allows youth to grow up being financial independent and responsible for their money when they grow up.
Also, show your support to Mitzie Hunter as she recently made her bid for the Liberal leadership on Thursday. August. 15th. The leadership election will take place next March.
Benzie, R., August 2019. Toronto Star – Mitzie Hunter Launches bid for Ontario Liberal Leadership
Once again, on behalf of YouthLink Youth Service, we appreciate all the support and brand awareness Mitzie Hunter has given to YouthLink Youth Services over the years. We really appreciate it.