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8-The Canadian Champion, Tuesday, February 15, 2005 * Communityt'age 487 biuîier 78-2881 Coming this spring: new youth drop-in centre Local duo starting up The Deck I ?f~ Ii~ I By STEPHANIE THIESSEN in basement of Milton Bible Church The Champion N o movie theatre. No bowling alley. Nothing to do. Although Milton is often praised by par- ents as a great place to raise a family, teens sometimes have a different take on its trademark 'small town atmospbere' and two young adults are refusing ta tum a blind eye to the fact that boredom can often lead youth down a dangerous path. In an effort to combat the nothing to dci' syndrome, Oliver Clarke. 25, and Karen Farquharson, 24, are teaming up with local churches and Youth For Christ, a Christian organîzation. to open a youth drop-in cen- tre. Dubbed The Deck, the dmp-m centre will be for grades six to 12 and will be located in the basemeni of Main Sîreets Milton Bible Church. Itîl open its doors sometime this spnng. "Teens in Milton have nothing to do. Ms Farquharson said. 'i sec thîs as a place for kids to come and bang out in a safg place. Its a place where adults will be there to talk to. but also for them just to be with their friends. goof off and have fun.' With Mr. Clarke as director and Ms Farquharson as a staff member. the centre will inîtially 6e open a few nîghts per week. Renovations to the hasement ol the church are set ta begin any day now. The finîshed produci. Mr. Clarkc saîd. ssii) include a pool table, tooz baIl, a snack bar and a lounge area. Mr. Clarke saîd he hopes teens wilI feel comfortable talking with the solunteers at The Deck il and when they need ta. "We're there to help out when the kids won t talk to their parents." he said. Drawing from bis experience working at a men's shelter in Toronto, Mr. Clarke said ît's a myih that the homeless there are aIl from big cities. 'There are lots of kids coming from towns like Milton. They're from any cate- gory - the rich kids genîng the expensive dmgs. people who are rebelling (against strict parents), or those who don't have tô rebel." he said. He hopes The Deck will 6e able to impact kids in a positive way and prevent them from making mistakes that could tast the rest of their lives. To get an idea of what it's like growing up in Mîlion, Mr. Clarke recenily conduct- "I see this as a plaoe for kids to corne and hang out iD a sale place." uu m ed an informaI survey of 70 teens ai the local Pizza Pizza. Not surprisingly, he found there was a significant jump in the level of drug use between I 3-year-olds and high sehoolers. ~'Tbere's a downward spiral in high school," he saîd. "We're tryîng ta reach them before they get to high sehool so were not playing catch Up." He said hes seen too many ruined lises to sit back and do nothing. "I see youîhs in downtown Toronto whose lives are wasted," he said, describ- îng scores of young girls forced into pros tîtution to support their addicîîons. "h breaks my heari to see those girls." Although The Deck will iniiially be open in the evenîng. Mr. Clarke said he hopes itîl eventually 6e open between 3 and 6 p.m. a time ss'hen many teens are ofien hdme unsupervised. For thai ta happen, nsore voltînteers are nceded. The Deck s currently seekîng .idulis ssho mighî be înierested n helping oui a ith the projeci. Ms Farquharson saîd she knoa s tirsi hand ihe value ot havîng a mentor. - "Growing up. I hated high school. The anc thîng that helped me get through t ssas I had a mentor," she said. She added thai alîhough The Deck s sponsored by a Chrîstian organizailon. and there wilI be optional Bible studies held on certain nights, jt's important that teens kdow they aren't going to be "preached at. Numerous local churches are involved n various capacities with The Deck, and i s Ms Farquharsons hope thai every church in Milton come on board. Donations are crucial for the prograrus success, Mr. Clarke and Ms Farquharson sajd, noiîng the Rotary Club bas already helped oui significantly. But more funds are needed. Those interesied in donating can caîl (905) 876-0368. Sa'phanie Thiessen van 6e reuîhed or .srhiessenCantulrans'anadianc'hampîancom. COGECO r Cogeco Cable Channel 14 Programming Schedule - Tuesday, Februay 15- Monday, fluly Local Television www.cogeco.ca N0RTH HALTON STLDIO Laurier Plaza 500 Laurier Avenue Milton, ON L9T 4R3 905-878-9306 ~s~s' "s"'" a-',?, '35~~ s".5,, TMs'a- ,as' 3as'~,3'3A '3~ ',~s'a' 'a- 'a,' s,,. a' S -'35--s,- 53-3 MS'5'3 as" EXR~ 35 "a"' " '-33,- 3" Februaty 21, 2005 EX'3A ~ ss'33333A 3-' "s"35' Y .5-53', '335 '.q~ a- 3. a 'a .' -' Jr. A Hockey Playofts - Milton at Burlington, Game 4 (Friday, 9pm) & Game 6 (Monday, 9pm)