Ephesians 2:10 ...join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing." (The Message)

 Mission Update:  October, 2005 - Andy Coats

 Street Youth Craft Program

The seeds of the idea for this outreach began last winter during the Out of the Cold program at Knox Church with the RBC volunteer group that operates the program Wednesday nights. A craft program had been so successful on Tuesdays, (that is, the youth enjoyed it and spent time at the craft table), that I suggested we do the same on Wednesday nights. I had noticed that hemp braid and bead bracelets were really popular with the youth, so we purchased some supplies and RBC donated some and set up a craft table. It was a hit, and the youth showed us how to make the hemp bracelets. We experimented with a variety of materials - hemp, leather braid etc. and plenty of different beads. I realized that it was a good way to spend time with the youth, have conversations and build relationships. The beadwork and bracelets and other beaded jewelry are quite popular in Queen Street stores and other areas of the city, with numerous street vendors, including some of the street youth. I decided to keep the craft program going at the end of the Out of the Cold program by taking it to the youth out on the streets. Some small donations came in, enough to purchase a small but interesting selection of beads, hemp, leather braid and other materials.

Initially I had planned to meet the youth in Grange Park, but discovered Skech Park (a street name for a city park near Queen Street ) was where the majority hung out during the day. So that became the location of the program. It was, in a sense, their park. I visited most days between about noon and 5PM after which I had the sandwich runs starting at 7PM. I always brought the sandwich run volunteers back through the park in the evening, because the youth were always there and very appreciative of the bag lunches. On the evenings when there were no sandwich runs, I would often stay later. The city doesn't allow any overnight sleeping in that park, so the youth would find another place to camp after about 10PM. The majority from Skech Park camped at nights down under the expressway onramp.

Several of the youth specifically asked me to make them hemp bracelets. There was a particular design they liked because it was more sturdy than the plain hemp braids. It was hemp twine braided over a leather lace core with a hand carved wooden toggle and leather loop as closure. It was adjustable for size. It was the guys who admired it the most. It was the girls who most often borrowed beads and other supplies. They loved the different small beads I purchased at the several bead supply stores on Queen West, especially the small clasps and closures for necklaces. They were always pleased to see me and invited me to sit with them as we made the different crafts. One young woman, her street name was Diamond, who we knew from Knox, even gave me a whole box of small coloured beads. Even though she has so little herself, she wanted to donate these supplies. She now makes native dream catcher designs for sale in local craft stores. Her and her boyfriend both have a small room in the west end and the donations from Knox have helped them with small furnishings and appliances.

At first, the youth were a little uncomfortable that I stayed in the park. Most city outreach workers and other charitable organizations only bring food or hygeine supplies and are gone after a few minutes. Even though I knew most of them from Knox, the park was their turf and they mistrusted my motivation for staying. I had to earn their trust. I mostly listened to what they were saying instead of talking "at" them. I never judged or commented negatively about their lifestyle or activities or their street language - although the new ones would always try to shock me with some outrageous comments. I would just smile and keep quiet. One thing that soon became apparent during my daily visits was the frequency with which the police confront the street youth. It is an almost daily occurence. I was in the park several times when three or more police would arrive, select one youth each (seemingly at random) have them lie face down on the ground, handcuff them and then search them and their backpacks and other belongings for whatever. They rarely found anything. No youth was taken into custody that I witnessed and the most common result for any small infraction the police uncovered was to issue a ticket. The police have a difficult job, but these youth are not doing anything that young people everywhere don't do. The difference is that, being homeless, they are in public places and more vulnerable to police search and seizure. Ordinary youth are relatively safe in the confines of their suburban rec rooms and finished basements. No police officer would randomly enter your home to search them based only on a hunch contraband may be found.

Towards the end of the summer one of the youth I had not seen before confronted me and demanded to know "how much are the cops paying you to sit here?". Before I could reply he was shouted down by several of the other youth who said , "Hey, leave Andy alone, he's allright". You know, we always tell ourselves that we are "allright", but it's never the same until someone else tells you. Their vote of confidence in me means more than any other recognition the world could offer. It is a confirmation of the goals of Ekklesia Inner City Ministries and Project417 - to build bridges of trust with the street youth over which God's healing can travel. The craft outreach will continue this winter at the Knox Out of the Cold, Tuesday and Wednesday nights and could expand, with more financial support to other shelter locations. The short term goal will be to establish a street co-op small business style program whereby the youth can sell their crafts and augment their income in a productive way.