Challenging Myths about Youth Homelessness

Last week’s workshop served as an introduction to Youth Without Shelter (an emergency residence and referral agency serving homeless youth aged 16-24 in Etobicoke) and the issue of youth homelessness in Toronto. Mike Burnett, Volunteer & Education Facilitator at YWS, spoke to the students about some of the common myths about youth homelessness and challenged students to think about what homelessness looks and feels like for the youth who experience it. The workshop participants viewed a video in which youth spoke about their firsthand experiences with homelessness and the YWS shelter, and discussed the factors that can lead to homelessness in youth, such as poverty, abuse, addiction and mental health issues.

Burnett also spoke about the various programs YWS offers.  In addition to the shelter’s emergency residential services (which provide short-term housing, clothing, meals, bus fare, hygiene, counseling and medical care), YWS also offers programs such as:

Greenwood has been involved with Youth Without Shelter for many years, in both the brown-bag lunch program and Tokens 4 Change, an annual event that uses performance and art to engage the public and raise funds to support the shelter. More than 20 schools participated last year, raising $100,000 to fund the shelter’s programs. 2015 will be the event’s fifth year and will see 24 schools participating.

During January and February, Greenwood students will engage in workshops with professional artists on resiliency and art in activism, and prepare a spoken word piece on the subject of homelessness. On February 6, about a dozen of these students will perform their piece in several locations around the city, as well as canvass for donations.

To find out more about Tokens 4 Change, click here.