PROVINCE NO BUDDY TO RAY-CAM

An award-winning program at city community centres that pairs young
immigrants with Canadian youth to prevent them from falling into crime and
drugs is in jeopardy.

The provincial government has decided not to fund $280,000 for the Buddy
Program, which helps 1,000 kids at five centres, including the Ray-Cam
Community Centre on East Hastings.

"We didn't believe it," said Steve Bouchard, president of the Ray-Cam
board, about the letter from the Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and
Women's Services Ray-Cam received two weeks ago.

Other centres affected are Kiwassa Neighbourhood House, Froghollow
Neighbourhood House, Collingwood Neighbourhood House and Thunderbird
Community Centre, Bouchard said.

The cut means Ray-Cam has only enough funding to keep the program afloat
until January. Ray-Cam's portion of the $280,000 was $70,000, which is used
to pay a full-time and part-time youth worker and cover program costs,
including field trips and activities.

The loss of the program at Ray-Cam means 230 kids, aged 10 to 14, from the
Campbell and Hastings streets neighbourhood-one of the poorest areas in
Canada-will be without the program after January.

Ray-Cam created the Buddy Program in 1992 because community centre staff
recognized young immigrants were vulnerable to recruitment by gangs,
Bouchard said.

"We thought this would be an excellent, positive outlet for them," he said,
noting Ray-Cam won the Commonwealth Youth Services Award in 1994 for
creating the Buddy Program.

The program's aim is to have youth, who have since become Canadian
citizens, link up with new immigrants to give the newcomers a friend to
depend upon in their neighbourhoods.

Through this relationship, immigrants are taken on field trips, sporting
events and participate in sports leagues-all occurring away from the
negative influences in the neighbourhood, said Bouchard, noting the Ray-Cam
neighbourhood is one of the most multicultural in the city.

Despite the cuts, Bouchard said Ray-Cam staff wants to work with the
provincial government to find money for the program.

"If not, we're going to have to look outside for funding," he said.

Marisa Adair, a spokesperson for the ministry, said the government created
a request for proposals this year for the Buddy Program, as opposed to
directly funding community centres, such as Ray-Cam.

The successful bidders had to meet three criteria, including
"organizational capacity," have a management plan and an estimated cost for
running the program.

"I can't go into the specific bid, and give you the confidential details of
exactly how they were scored and rated," she said. "There will be a
debriefing session done early in the new year with all of the proponents."

Adair said 28 agencies and community centres in B.C. submitted proposals,
with 11, including the YMCA of Greater Vancouver and Mosaic, receiving
money to operate the Buddy Program.

Bouchard said Ray-Cam didn't have the budget to create "glossy proposals"
and found it ironic that Ray-Cam-the centre that created the Buddy Program
in 1992-didn't receive funding.

"I just hope we can work something out."