Chris Miller was struggling to realize his potential at Simonds High School before joining the Saint John Learning Exchange and immersing himself in culinary and carpentry classes.
Miller learned practical skills at the Learning Exchange that could one day land him a job, but also leadership and teamwork skills.
“I got to learn a lot … working in a group with people and having patience,” Miller said. “You can also work on your leadership skills when working in a group.”
According to the non-profit’s website, the Learning Exchange is committed to empowering youth and adults in Saint John to reach their education and employment goals.
Miller’s experience landed him a spot at a roundtable discussion Monday about Bill S-212, the National Strategy for Youth and Children Act, with local leaders, and provincial and Senate representatives present.
“I’d say the biggest thing that they’ve offered is just an ear — being able to listen to what we have to say and, hopefully, take that into account when they’re making these decisions.”
Senator Rosemary Moodie told a community roundtable in Saint John that a national strategy would help improve the lives of children and youth across the country. (Submitted by the Business Community Anti-Poverty Initiative)
Senator Rosemary Moodie has been guiding the bill through the Senate and House of Commons in Ottawa and came to Saint John for the roundtable, hosted by the Learning Exchange, with youth, non-profit organizations and community leaders.
On local, provincial and federal levels, Moodie said there are concerted efforts to do things like lower child poverty and youth unemployment rates, but the country needs a cohesive national strategy around improving the lives of youth and children.
“Among the OECD countries, we’re the only one at our level of wealth that doesn’t have a plan,” Moodie said.
“Organizations that are measuring, like UNICEF, are telling us that in fact we’re sleeping. We’re not doing as well as we think.
“In recent results, we’ve seen that we have significant room for improvement. We’re 27th in physical health, 27 out of 37 countries… We are 22nd in mental well-being and 20th in skills acquisition,” Moodie added.
New Brunswick has a child poverty rate of 21.9 per cent, according to a recent report from the Human Development Council. It’s even higher in communities like Campbellton (41.2 per cent) and Saint John (30.7 per cent).
Scale up successful programs
Moodie said the country needs more programs like the non-profit Miller attended, called READY, that can be scaled across the country to help lower those rates. She said that can be done more effectively with a national strategy in place.
“We need things to move from being pilots to being scaled up when they’re successful across our country, and we need to abandon the things that are not working,” she said.
READY is already growing on a local level, receiving a federal funding boost of $4.4 million last fall to shorten its waiting list and serve up to 200 young people a year.
June Breau-Nason, the executive director of another organization serving area youth, the Teen Resource Centre, said a national strategy could unlock more funding for programs that improve mental and physical health outcomes, and lower child poverty rates and persistently high levels of youth unemployment.
“If this opens up a conversation that brings funding to community agencies that have proven results, I think that’s important,” Breau-Nason said. “My hope is that any national strategy will trickle down to our community.”
Miller, who recently graduated and is looking at post-secondary trades programs, said a national children and youth strategy is long overdue.
“This bill that was being talked about — it’s something that should have already been a thing,” Miller said.
“Just helping students and kids in general, really, no matter the age, actually be looked after, cared about, and given an opportunity in life, not just expected to be on the street.
“You’re surrounded by adults who chose not so good decisions in their lives, and then you’re a kid trying to navigate your way through your life … I’m just hoping that this bill helps kids realize that there’s a better way, there’s a better path,” added Miller.
Youth voices important
READY project manager Dayna Lutes knows they’re on the right track with students like Miller, but she said it’s important to see that work validated by people like Moodie with a national lens on what’s working best.
“Hearing someone that’s looking at this in depth at a national level recognize Saint John as a leader in the space … gives us confidence that we are on the right track,” Lutes said.
Bill S-212 has already passed in the senate and been introduced in the House of Commons. It still has to go through a committee and second and third readings before it can be passed there.