YOUTHS NEED DETOX CENTRE

To the editor:

Re.: City's Only Youth Detox Centre Faces Closure, June 17 Capital News.

I am dismayed and outraged that the Iridian Youth Detox Centre is
slated for closure due to a funding shortage. Kelowna is a wealthy
city that wants to be moving forward. In my opinion, this city will
only move forward when it finally allocates some funds for our
homeless youths. The Iridian Centre gives this city a unique
opportunity to do just that!

This centre has already built an infrastructure of services. Youths
know where the centre is, what it is about and most important they
can refer themselves to learn and deal with their substance misuse
and leave their life on the streets of Kelowna .

We have all made mistakes in our lives, but with the help of others
have managed to turn our mistakes into powerful experiences and life
lessons. A mistake is only a mistake if someone does not learn from
it. If a mistake helps a person to learn something then it is an
experience and not a mistake. Those youth participating in the
Iridian Centre have also made mistakes and it is up to us, the
community, to help them turn their mistakes into experiences.

These youth are of significance to us, the community. A 'lost' youth
is a loss of social capital. The economic costs of a homeless youth
on our streets far outweighs the costs of helping this homeless youth
get off the streets, develop educational and employment skills, and
become a contributing community member.

If Kelowna truly wants to be moving forward then we will need all the
social, cultural and economic capital that this community can muster!

It is my greatest hope that the mayor, city council and other levels
of government will realize that Kelowna cannot afford to close the
Iridian Youth Detox Centre. I urge our local governments to allocate
funds to keep this centre open.

Tina Marten

Kelowna