ALBERTON
Chosen by her fellow participants to be the valedictorian at the closing program of a Stepping Stones to Success Program (SSTS), Mckayla Gallant described how an exercise called “What Makes Me, Me,” served as an important ice-breaker.
“Once we all learned about each other and realized our struggles are similar but at the same time different, we thought life was unfair, until we noticed life is fair because it is unfair to everybody,” Gallant commented.
The 12-week program, funded by Services Canada, wrapped up in Alberton on Friday. There were six participants in the program, sponsored by Rural Community Learning Inc. and co-ordinated by Maureen Chaisson. Participants listed Youth Helping Youth, a program they created to support struggling area youth, as one of the highlights of their 12 weeks together.
“We pay it forward to anyone in need,” said participant Becca Richard who added, “I can’t wait to continue helping those in need.”
At the SSTS base in the former Pit Stop building in Alberton, is an area set aside to accept donated items and to give them out, no-questions-asked, to struggling youth. Twelve youth have been helped since the volunteer service commenced in November.
Richard said participating in the service delivery allowed the participants to see the level of generosity that exists locally.
One SSTS participant clearly related to those the Youth Helping Youth initiative seeks to support as she described to attendees at the closing ceremony how her life spiraled out of control because of drug addiction and she ended up finding places to sleep on trail benches, old potato warehouses and potato trucks.
“I knew I deserved more,” she said, and thanked the program participants for their support and encouragement.
“You all showed me you don’t need to be blood to be family,” she said. “You helped me find myself, maybe even for the first time.”
She was philosophical about the whole experience.
“I learned that maybe the journey is not so much about becoming something, maybe it’s about unbecoming everything that really isn’t you, so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place.”
Another highlight was attending the ROPES Course, presented by the Charlottetown-based Adventure Group. To complete the ROPES course, Chaisson said, requires participants to work as a team and trust in each other.
Participant Brittany Hart described drawing inspiration from seeing two eagles circling overhead as the teens completed their challenge.
Egmont MP Bobby Morrissey commended the participants for their courage and determination and provided some encouragement to program sponsor, RCLI. He announced a three-year federal funding commitment for the Alberton-based program, $613,000, which Chaisson said, provides assurances for at least seven more programs.
The program has gone through different names over the past 15 years, all with a similar focus of helping youth acquire the life skills they need to get a fresh start, and Chaisson said more than 100 youth have benefitted.
“I am so proud of you guys, and the respect I have for you guys is outstanding,” she said in congratulating the participants on the growth they achieved during the program.
