Strip the Streets Press Release

Strip The Streets – For youth, by youth.

Local Youth Bring Attention to the Problem of Youth Homelessness in KW...

Students increasing public awareness of youth homelessness issues through two rallies and an overnight camp out in Waterloo Public Square February 26-27, 2010.

On February 26, 2010 students from the WRDSB and WCDSB will come together to face the issue of youth homelessness in the Kitchener-Waterloo region, in an event called Strip The Streets, a campaign inspired by Free the Children.

The event will start with a rally at 4:30pm at Kitchener City Hall. Guest speakers will include dignitaries such as Mayor Zehr, Mr.Peter Braid (MP), Mr. Harold Albrecht (MP), representatives from ROOF, Argus, and Safe Haven, as well as high school students. There they will be speaking on the issues of youth homelessness in our community. Following the rally, students and any community members who wish to join, will march north along King St to Uptown Waterloo, finishing at Waterloo Public Square

The students will be holding banners and playing drums to draw the attention of drivers and pedestrians alike to the problem of youth experiencing homelessness.

When the rally participants reach Waterloo, they will be given a meal at Church of the Holy Saviour. The meal will be similar to one provided by the outreach program "Out of the Cold". This will allow the participants to further understand what these youth face on a regular basis. Following the meal, there will be a campout at Waterloo Public Square. The youth will spend the night outside in the cold to further understand the hardship that countless youth who experience homelessness face. During the night (9-11pm), participating students will engage in Strip the Streets Stories, a time of discussion and reflection with youth volunteers from different homelessness organizations. These story ‘circles’ will enable our youth to understand youth experiencing homelessness more profoundly, and will hopefully encourage them to feel the desire to continue advocating for this issue.

The following day (February, 27th), the high school campers will walk to a church for another “Out of the Cold” type meal. Another rally will take place at Waterloo Public Square at 11am, with more guest speakers including Mayor Halloran. The campout will end mid-afternoon. The general public is encouraged to participate in the two public rallies to advocate for the issue of homelessness within our region, however only high school students are allowed to stay overnight.

The event is being supported by Grand River Transit, who is providing free transportation to and from the event for all high school participants.

This event is being led by the Free the Children groups at Forest Heights and Cameron Heights. Both schools will be hosting a display case event in their foyer for the week leading up to Strip the Streets. On February 19th at 12:30pm, FHCI will be hosting an assembly to raise awareness about the issue, the Strip the Streets event itself, and events leading up to the event. On Monday, February 22nd many students from Forest Heights and Cameron Heights will go to the Argus Shelter to see first-hand the services that are provided for youth experiencing homelessness.

Donations will be collected during the event. There will be a large bin provided by Waste Management located at Waterloo Public Square to collect items needed (see attachment). There will also be students collecting money at the time of the event as well. Cheques can be made out to Forest Heights -Strip the Streets. The goods and money collected will be given to various organizations that focus on youth homelessness in the Kitchener-Waterloo region such as ROOF (Reaching Our Outdoor Friends), Safe Haven, the Argus Residence for Young People and SHOW (Supportive Housing of Waterloo). We strongly encourage donations and ask you to please come out and support our cause.

All high school students in the region are welcome to participate in this event. At this point we have ten high schools committed. The WRDSB and WCDSB are fully behind this event. We ask all students interested to contact an administrator in their school to get a permission form. It is not too late to participate.

For more information please feel free to contact the teacher advisors for this event: Scott Kemp (scott_kemp@wrdsb.on.ca) or Arden Court (arden_court@wrdsb.on.ca). Please also feel free to check out our Facebook site: StriptheStreets. Student leaders, staff sponsors and agency advocates are available for any media needs.