Anchor Youth Space Sydney to host Grand Opening celebration
Site provides barrier-free access to mental health and wellness services for youth aged 12-25 and their caregivers
New Dawn Enterprises invites the community to join us in celebrating the Grand Opening of Anchor Youth Space Sydney on Friday, September 19 from 2-4 pm.
The event will feature guided tours of the space and a scavenger hunt to explore the areas of Anchor Sydney, which include a movement room, a sensory room, the Zen Den, a teaching kitchen and dining space, and a co-working space.
Representatives from IWK Health, New Dawn, the Nova Scotia provincial government, and the local Youth Advisor Committee will share a few words starting at 2:15 pm, with the Open House portion of the event beginning around 3:15 pm. Refreshments will be served and everyone is welcome.
Anchor Sydney is one of eight Integrated Youth Services (IYS) sites being set up across the province with funding from the province and the IWK, including one in Halifax and one in Amherst. Each site offers walk-in support to youth aged 12-25 and their caregivers, providing counselling, peer support, life skills groups and mental health and wellness services, and help with employment, education and training.
The Anchor Sydney staff is made up of two youth support workers, a family support worker, a community outreach worker, an administrative support worker, and a clinical social worker. Together, this team of active listeners is a one-stop shop for youth and caregivers to find mental health and wellness resources and support. Anchor Sydney is a welcoming, judgement-free space for making new friends, accessing mentorship and leadership opportunities, and taking part in free programming like cooking classes, paint nights, and one-on-one mental health consultations.
“Youth in Halifax and Sydney now have more access to safe spaces where they can get the help and support they need,” said Brian Comer, Minister of Addictions and Mental Health.
“It’s important that young people and their families have a comfortable place to access services. These sites are run by people who care about their communities and who offer support without judgement. Improving access and removing barriers to these supports and services is one more way we’re strengthening universal access to mental healthcare for all Nova Scotians.”
Youth in the CBRM face the longest wait times for mental health and addictions services in the province. Anchor Sydney will give youth a safe space to find support when they need it. The IYS approach means there’s no wrong door — different community organizations offer a range of services in one place, making it easy for youth and caregivers to find the support they need.
“The response to the opening of Anchor Youth Space Sydney has been a mixture of joy, excitement and relief from young people, their caregivers and the community – a confirmation over the last year that these services are so needed here,” said Erika Shea, President and CEO, New Dawn Enterprises.
“Providing community based mental health programs for youth and normalizing mental health services as part of the backdrop of everyday life will change and save lives. The efforts of coalition partners, community partners, youth and caregiver advisors, New Dawn and the IWK to bring Anchor Youth Space Sydney into being reflect a community that cares deeply for its young people.”
Anchor Sydney is led by New Dawn in collaboration with community partners BGC Cape Breton, Undercurrent Youth Society, and the Cape Breton Youth Project.
Find out more about Anchor Youth Space Sydney here.
Read the news release from the Nova Scotia Office of Addictions and Mental Health here.
Learn more about Integrated Youth Services in Nova Scotia here.
