Mackie's Place Youth Social House Society
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Mission Statement
Mackie’s Place is so much more than an afterschool program. We believe that youth have immense potential which, often, is untapped. That’s where we step in. We encourage youth to DREAM BIG and we strive to help them realize those dreams! We believe that community changes everything. Central to our mission at Mackie’s Place is building healthy, supportive relationships that offer young people the ability to see beyond their own perspectives and experiences which, in the demographic of young people we work with, often include a cycle of poverty, trauma, and addictions. Whether we recognize it or not, we all need a supportive community around us in order to thrive. Sometimes all it takes is one person recognizing your potential to inspire a new path and vision for your life. Mackie’s Place creates that support system. In the hub, we have created a community that acts as an extended family, encouraging one another and contributing to the hub’s daily needs. Staff and volunteers serve as passionate leaders, listeners, and encouragers. Whether a youth needs assistance with schoolwork, writing a resume, or getting their driver’s license, one of our staff or volunteers is there to help! Beyond building a supportive community, Mackie’s Place seeks to provide youth with valuable employment skills that will benefit them outside the hub. Every youth that walks through our doors has the opportunity to join one of our Job Skills programs and earn incentives for their work! In exchange for their participation and effort, youth are able to receive bus passes or gift cards. Youth who show initiative, growth and commitment may be offered the opportunity to become employed as one of our youth employees. These Job Skills programs provide valuable work experience, build confidence, self- worth and their resumes, and are a great stepping stone to employment outside of the hub.
About This Cause
Mackie's Place is a drop-in center for at-risk youth operating in the heart of Whalley/Guilford area. We know that there is a crisis among our youth today. We all see it and hear about on the news. Youth aging out of care are dying. The trauma levels are off the charts in young people. So much scientific research is being done on the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences. The results are staggering. According to Dr. Cornel West, “one of the greatest threats confronting young people growing up in communities like [inner-city Surrey], is something called the Nihilistic threat. This threat can be defined as “the lived experience of horrifying lovelessness, meaninglessness, and hopelessness… West goes on to say that “a life without love, meaning or hope leads to a numbing detachment from oneself and others, that ultimately leads to the destruction of oneself.” Mackie’s Place wants to offer love, meaning and hope to young people living in vulnerable circumstances here is our own backyard. There are so many young people living in our province entrenched in trauma, abuse, addictions and crime. We currently have a 15- year old boy and 17 year old girl who are raising a 5- month old baby. That means babies are raising a baby! And…they are not the only ones. We have young people who go home to abusive relationships each day. Our city is filled with disconnected families and absent fathers. There is a mental health crisis among our youth today. Many of our youth often do not have a place to call home. Couch surfing becomes the norm for young people entrenched in ‘the hood’ life as many of our youth call their own community. Youth are being sexually assaulted and so many young people are being born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. This list of needs could go on and on. This is all in our own backyards all over the Province. Here at MP, we offer job, life and experiential training. As well, we offer lifelong mentoring opportunities to young people in Surrey. We have three main job skills programs at MP. A Barista Skills Program, A Chef Skills Program and an Entrepreneurial Program from which we have launched a youth centered business. Throughout the year, it is our goal to encourage, equip and engage young people in Surrey. We offer young people a place to come and be INSPIRED. A place to come and DREAM. And…a place where young people can be equipped with the skills fulfill their dreams. A recent article in the Guardian printed a quote from the book From Hand to Mouth, by Linda Tirado. This quote is written by a person living in the cycle of poverty. “Poor people don’t plan long term- we will just get our hearts broken.” This quote so accurately articulates how many young people living in the inner city look at life. The number of young people who we meet and who share this same perspective breaks our hearts. Young people need hope. Young people need community! Everyone deserves an opportunity to realize their potential. In addition, we partner with Game Ready and Washington Kids Foundation to offer drop-in basketball with professional athletes and trainers 2 times a week. This program has been an invaluable tool for connection, physical literacy and mental health support. It offers kids who would otherwise often be on the streets a safe platform to come and move their bodies which we all know is therapeutic for mental health and physical development. The trainers who lead this are far more then trainers—they are passionate about supporting and loving on youth who are at risk. These two men blow us away every day. They offer a place for kids to be heard, for them to be supported and a place where they can find access to resources that they may need. Basketball has become the ‘hook’ if you will that gets them through the doors of MP. From there—kids stay because of connection. They have access to warm homemade meals five days a week for up to three meals a day, snacks and drinks. They have the opportunity to join our job skills program where they can earn incentives for working in either our culinary skills program, barista or youth centered business. Incentives include things like bus passes, grocery cards, mall cards, phone minutes etc. Things that fill needs in their lives. and even become youth employees. We see it over and over again-kids that come for basketball, often not having much hope or vision suddenly are inspired to dream for their future and be equipped to fulfill their unique potential. Our Partnership with Game Ready has been a great gift and such an invaluable part of our programming and heartbeat of Mackie’s Place. Mackie’s Place was created to be a movement! We believe that change happens by walking with the at-risk community side by side in relationship. According to the American Journal of Public Health, “ Research finds that the presence of one or more caring, committed adults in a child’s life increases the likelihood that children and youth flourish and become productive adults themselves.” Young lives are being transformed and hope is being instilled in so many youth’s lives here at MP. As Former City Councillor, Mary Martins says- “there should be a MP in every city center.” Many of our kids will tell you that Mackie’s Place feels like family. In fact, recently one of our youth’s parents told us that she believes that Mackie’s Place saved her daughter’s life. It is a place that they can come and feel safe, accepted, loved and challenged - all while being encouraged and equipped to fulfill their unique potential. All of this is said with a great sense of humility as we feel a deep sense of privilege to be trusted and invited into young people’s lives. It is all quite simple really—love changes lives. As mother Teresa says- “there are no great acts, only small acts done with great love.” This heart; this is what movements are made of. Join us in changing lives with love—it really is that simple.