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Imagine: You have lived your whole life thinking you are a ‘zero without the rim’.  Violence in your ‘home’ has forced you to leave.  The streets are as bad as your worst imaginations, but at least better than the mean drunk of a step father who beat you with a hockey stick. Then: You become a part of a safe enviornment where you do art.  You certainly are not an artist by any stretch of anyone’s imagination, but guess what? People you don’t even know, talk to you about how i

We wish to invite you to our next PASSION 4 YOUTH ART AUCTION showcasing the artwork and musical talents of street-engaged youth this THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10 from 7pm to 9pm @ Dominion-Chalmers United Church, 355 Cooper St. Why an ART PROGRAM for STREET-ENGAGED KIDS? Imagine growing up with no support, friends, security or encouragement.  Running away from home because of domestic violence and abuse.  You hit the streets with all its darkness, but it’s better than what you left

Our youth outreach worker recounted this story of last Monday’s events, and I thought you would be interested. Eddy was one of the first members of our Passion 4 youth art program. He enjoyed coming every week and worked on building model cars and also a model of a mountain with a stream running from the side. After the first art show he and his girlfriend Sue stopped coming to the group. I caught up with him a few times on outreach and he told me that he was selling too much

Our recent youth art show was a hit!  Great venue, great art, great food and guests – but there is a dynamic to the whole scenario that surpasses them all!  For you ‘bottom liners’, it’s the work of the Master Artist shaping, reforming and molding lives.  That is the real deal. One of the gals with yellow spiked hair took the art group camera and just started taking pictures of people, artwork and activities.  Another young man took opportunity to play the guitar and sing.  A

Our street youth art program is really making a difference in young people’s lives.  Street-engaged youth are finding housing, employment, entering programs for reducing their drug use and making better life choices in general.  Each week about fourteen young people come to the art group, but it’s so much more than creating art! Some of the kids have described it as ‘family’, others as ‘church’, and all as something they really look forward to each week.  Some have described

A totally unexpected outcome was realized at our youth art show just a few months ago, and I don’t think I told you about it.  So have a read, and let me know if you don’t think that this is the coolest… The kids were pumped, everything was ready, all the art work was in place, snacks, interactive art table (the kids’ idea), it was all so special, so beautiful.  But none of it was really as beautiful as this. I mingled with the kids, the volunteers, and introduced myself to s

We receive many donations of clothing at the drop in and we invite folks to help themselves to whatever they need.  From time to time we are presented with genuine needs that go far beyond any donation. Jimmy takes a size 15 boot and has difficulties finding this size anywhere in the city.  Bill has a rather large circumference and has the same problem. I approached Bill and told him we could help.  If he would like, we could go to a big box store and he could get a couple pa

Merry Christmas!  Just a quick note today, on the eve of Christmas eve, to invite you to do a last minute gift purchase – for someone experiencing homelessness – for someone you don’t even know.  Click on the banner above for more info. AND, if you would visit www.chri.ca, you can listen to the podcast of the interview I did with the Mayor of Ottawa, Jim Watson.  This is not a political maneuvering or ‘nail him to the post’ interview, but an opportunity to hear our Mayor’s he

The evening the kids have been preparing for had finally arrived.  It was time for the ‘Passion for Youth’ art show at Dominion Chalmers.  There was sufficient space for each artist to choose five pieces of their work to show, and it was a challenge for some to decide.  Hustle, bustle, the staging of sofas and tables from the art room on the second floor, the preparation of the interactive art table where guests could be creative, coffee, tea and snacks set near the entrance