Against the odds

I've written in a recent post about the Sudbury Action Centre for Youth, otherwise known as SACY. As fate (or providence) would have it, a few of us from the Beech Street Community Kitchen were invited to attend SACY's Annual General Meeting this week.

Aside from the review of financial dealings, and reports about the progress that has taken place with this organization which specializes in giving teenagers and young adults a leg up at trying to be the best they can be, this was an opportunity to meet with some of the people who work behind the scenes, and most of all to get a glimpse of the youth who are the ultimate beneficiaries of the programs offered.

The people sitting at my table ended up all having connections of various and sundry sorts. Very different circumstances had brought each of us together with the others, but here were were all sitting around the same table, now focusing not so much on our own pasts, but on the possibility of a futre that might be somehow intertwined with the young people who were also in our midst.

Most of these young adults have not had easy lives, and all of them certainly have stories to tell, probably with more than just a little bit of colour thrown in to spice things up. From their various and sundry backgrounds, they too have found themselves sitting at a common table, helping one another to achieve their goals one at a time.

What the future holds will be made clear in the coming days, weeks and months. For the moment, we look to this opportunity with hope and thanksgiving: gratitude for teenagers who don't want to give up on themselves, and a hope that we at BSCK can help to add a certain spice to their lives too, perhaps offering them an additional possiblity for achieving their dreams.

All dreams begin with a wish, and every journey starts with one step, so stay tuned for the updates as this dream takes shape.