Youth Alternative Center This is the physical space where many of our Ottawa programs and services are offered. The YAC is the only youth drop-in that is open in the morning. Youth may access the following services through the YAC: • Breakfast Program • Employment Resources & SmartSites Computer Access • Street to School Transitions - Education Program • Clothing and Supply Room • Sexual Health Services • Safe Needle Exchange • Employment Services • Crisis and Suicide Intervention • Youth Volunteer and Community Service Placement YAC Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 am – 1:00 pm (drop in hours) 8:00 am – 4:30 pm 8:00 am – 4:00 pm (June, July & August) Closed: Holidays Breakfast program In partnership with the Ottawa Food Bank, and funded in part by the Raptors Foundation and the Community Foundation of Ottawa, we now offer a Continental Breakfast to our clients between 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. This includes, but is not limited to, milk, juice, coffee, cereal, toast (with jam and peanut butter or margarine), as well as other treats like fruit, muffins, etc. We augment the food in this program with donations from Timothy’s World Coffees (Rideau Centre) and A-Channel Breakfast. As we are the only youth-serving agency open in the mornings, our clients truly appreciate this program – being able to have breakfast in a setting in which they feel safe and welcome. Employment Resources & free Internet Computer Access The Youth Alternative Centre drop-in is equipped with employment resources and computer access for youth. The staff help youth with employment preparation and maintain a list of job postings available from Human Resource & Skills Development of Canada (HRSDC). In partnership with Industry Canada, OGH is able to provide youth with high-speed internet-connected computers for preparing resumes, looking for jobs, resolving housing issues, researching personal interests, and keeping in touch with family and friends. Youth may also use the free phone, photocopier and fax machine for those purposes. Moreover, the YAC provides electronic storage for all youths’ resumes; youth can keep their resumes in the office in order to safeguard them for future editing and printing. Street to School Transitions OGH now provides a schooling program called Street to School Transitions. This program provides street involved, homeless, and at-risk youth, ages 16 to 20, the opportunity to study and achieve single credits and/or a GED certificate (high school equivalency) offered through TV Ontario. The GED Tests include Language Arts Reading & Writing, Science, Social Science, and Math. From Monday to Friday, students have access to a certified teacher and youth worker. This program offers a flexible, understanding and stimulating atmosphere. Youth have the chance to not only study independently, but also contribute art and creative writing to the program room, and further develop life skills. This program is also available to clients aged 21 to 25 when space is available. Clothing & Supply Room This is a program that has been a part of Operation Go Home for quite some time. There is a very real need for clothes, shoes, back packs and all types of hygiene products. We do our best to supply our clients with these items in the quantities necessary. Most of our items are collected through donations and gifts from the community (churches, schools, etc.). It is important that the public knows that we do accept donations and are very willing to pick them up whenever possible. The clients who use our clothing room service rely on it greatly. To those of you who have donated – thank you! Sexual Health Services Operation Go Home is a partner agency with the Sexual Health Centre of the City of Ottawa. A sexual health nurse provides services to youth at Operation Go Home once a week. These services include Sexually Transmitted Infections testing, birth control, pregnancy tests, vaccines, sexual health counselling, general health questions and medical referrals. The nurse provides free and confidential testing/treatment. These valuable services are available to youth without health cards or appointments. Sexual Health Service hours: Friday 9:00a.m -11a.m Safe Needle Exchange Operation Go Home, in partnership with the City of Ottawa’s Site Needle Exchange Program, became a needle exchange site in August of 2003. This confidential, non-judgmental service is based on the harm reduction model. The goals of this program are to educate the substance users as well as to reduce the risk of transmitting blood-borne pathogens, such as HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis A,B and C. This is done by increasing awareness of the risks involved in needle sharing, other risky drug-taking behaviors and unprotected sex. The methods used to raise awareness include health education, the provision of sterile needles and the proper disposal of used ones as well as the distribution of safer injection equipment and condoms. Available at the OGH exchange site: • ½ C.C. needles • 1 C.C. needles • 3 C.C. syringes and needles • Vitamin C powder • Sterile water • Cotton filters • Alcohol swabs • Bio-hazard containers From August 2003 to August 2004 Operation Go Home provided 876 new needles to youth who come to us for assistance. If you have any questions about this program please contact Tom Sidney, RSSW, Director of Prevention & Public Education at (613) 230-4663 or email: tom@operationgohome.ca Hours: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm Closed: Holidays Poem about a youth experience [PDF] Crisis & Suicide Intervention OGH also strives to assist youth by providing emergency services. We are proud to have trained workers and volunteers to deliver intervention to all youth in distress. In addition to having two registered social service workers in the Youth Alternative Center, staff and volunteers are certified in the internationally recognized Non-Violent Crisis Prevention & Intervention training (CPI) and Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST). We strongly believe it is important for youth to have someone to talk to when they are experiencing hard times. These interventions give youth the chance to de-escalate their crisis situations. All information is kept confidential, in accordance to the Ontario College of Social Worker and Social Service Workers Code of Ethics. Youth Volunteer & Community Service Placement This program is designed to empower youth while allowing them to gain valuable employment skills. Through the Youth Volunteer & Community Service Placement program, youth who have experienced the reality of being street-involved can better guide their peers by setting examples. They will perform a whole array of office-related duties while learning to help others. In the end, youth will gain better self-esteem, judgement, and employable skills for future challenges. This program is perfect for those who are looking to complete community service hours and those who are seeking professional employment references.