Blue Door Project Update and Highlights

The Blue Door project is focused on improving the well-being of youths aged 13-18 in the communities of Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows who are dealing with issues of mental health, addiction and or homelessness. The project team's current focus is on developing and running youth outreach services out of the CEED Centre Neighbourhood House. The long-term vision is to set up a youth house to protect and mentor homeless youths in this demographic. 

We want to share some recent developments with you...

• Go Figure: is a new youth-led support group that will run from 7 pm on the first and third Wednesdays of the month at the CEED Centre Neighbourhood House. Sessions will combine 'support-group' style meetings and fun hands-on activities, decided upon by the youth involved. The group is being designed to combat depression and anxiety and provide peer support for disenfranchised youth who have lost contact with their peers.
• Mentorship Training: is a workshop for adults interested in mentoring youths between the ages of 13 and 18 in their community. The first session will be held at the CEED Centre Neighbourhood House on Saturday, December 12th, from 10 am to 2 pm. Participants will learn about recognizing signs of depression, anxiety and other mental health issues in youth, building trust, enhancing communication, effective mentorship and strategies to empower youth. Attending the session is not an obligation to serve as a mentor. 

The last few months have created a strong sense of momentum that is propelling the project to new heights.

These highlights include:

• Teesha Sharma and CEED Centre vice-president Danielle Elder, have been co-chairing the Provincial Child and Youth Mental Health and Substance Abuse Collaborative, which has been created to identify gaps in youth services in communities around the Province. The Local Action Team (LAT) is in the process of opening a youth clinic in Maple Ridge that will house a Rapid Access Psychiatry Program for Youth utilizing alternative and modern treatment approaches. Blue Door will be a key referring agency for the clinic and initiative.
• We have started to receive clothing donations from members of the community (a huge thank you to all who have contributed so far), and have had youth referred to the office, giving us the opportunity to distribute warm winter jackets to young people who are currently battling the freezing weather on the streets.  

We are excited to be moving forward with the implementation of crucial youth services and will continue to update as we achieve progress. 

Contributed by Teesha Sharma