Last night (April 6, 2017), people from churches in Sydney Mines, among other representatives, gathered to have a discussion on what youth outreach in Sydney Mines might look like.

We were pleased to have Dave Sawler from the Undercurrent Youth Centres in Glace Bay and Sydney come and share his experiences with us. As well as Laura Bronson from Youth For Christ to share some of the work they do nationally and potential partnerships in Cape Breton.

A great discussion happened as we leveraged Dave’s experience and began to see a small bit of vision as to what this might look like on the Northside.

At the end of the evening, it was decided that a core leadership group would be developed to determine what assets we have at our disposal today as well at what programs might be able to be offered.

We recognized that there are buildings which may be suitable for programs already owned and available, such as church halls, and rooms at Community CARES, among others, which are available much of the week already. We also recognized that Undercurrent programs developed organically as people came seeking to share skills they have with youth in the community. There was some indication that we might hope there are people who also wish to share their skills with youth on the Northside, and if we offer the space and coordination, this may become a reality.

The next step we are looking to take is to have a meeting of people who have indicated they wish to be part of this “core” leadership group to begin to lay out a plan, along with an asset map, of what youth outreach may look like on the Northside.

If you are interested in taking on a leadership role in this continuing discernment process, we welcome you to contact your minister or the Carman office.

Blessings and peace,
Rev. Nick