The amount of funding available for youth programming in Revelstoke will more than double over the next three years.
The Columbia Basin Trust is providing $165,000 over the next three years for the City of Revelstoke to provide youth programming, a significant increase over the $25,000 in annual funds the CBT provided over the past four years.
“This program has been very successful, and CBT has demonstrated their commitment to youth by increasing the amount of funding to this program,” says a staff report by Alan Mason, the city’s director of economic development. “It has been a priority in Revelstoke to ensure the funds received through this program are utilized to deliver programs and services that have been identified as important by local youth.”
The city used the money to hire Megan Shandro as the part-time Youth Liaison for the community. She set up and ran the Stoke Youth Network (SYN), which established and supported many youth-oriented programs around town.
The new money will see the hours for the position increase to 30 per week from 20, and provide for direct funding for programming, said Shandro, who is stepping down from the position as soon as her replacement is hired.
“I’ve been able to work on lots of exciting projects but its time to hand it off to someone else,” she said. “It’s been about capacity building and now with the increase in funding there will be more opportunity to fund direct programming for youth.”
Shandro is moving to Community Connections, where she will continue to work with youth in a full-time position.
The Columbia Basin Trust announced $4.55 million in funding for a new Basin Youth Network built off the Revelstoke model in February.
The new funding contract is expected to be approved by council at its next meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 9.