The drive to dream
ICYA pushes youth to be all they can be
WINNIPEG, MB—Inner City Youth Alive (ICYA), a Christian mission that reaches out to at-risk or troubled youth in Winnipeg, is committed to fighting poverty. But while poverty brings to mind images of shabby clothes and empty cupboards, development director Laurie Kozak says that many need relationships more than anything.
“You have to build relationships…you have to get them to come to you somehow,” she says. “Maybe someone has given up on them but we’ve just stuck by them, we’ve been supporting them, telling them ‘you are a good person, you have potential,’ building up their self-esteem and empowering them to let them know that they are worthy—God doesn’t create junk.”
Building relationships is what ICYA strives for through its various programs that include a drop-in recreational centre, a motor skills shop, and Gem Lake Wilderness Camp, among others. They also encourage youth to develop and deepen their relationships with Christ, and it’s the commitment to relating, rather than programming, that defines the work of ICYA.
“Yes, we have a building, we have a foundation, but it’s basically a place where people can go, where we can connect with [them], where kids can feel safe, to build mentorships,” she says.
“That’s what it is—showing a child or youth that we care about them. We care about their wellbeing no matter what situation, no matter what they’ve done in their lives.”
Kozak notes that while it’s difficult to measure or define “change” in the lives of their youth, she has seen positive steps taken in the lives of youth with whom ICYA has build long-term relationships.
“They say to me, ‘I want to go back to school. I want to graduate for my kids. I want to be a good role model for my kids. I don’t want my kids to end up how my life was,’” Kozak says.
A big part of the problem, she says, is that youth of the inner city often come from home situations that make it difficult for youth to imagine life ever being any better. That’s why ICYA is committed to helping young people develop dreams for the future.
“It’s not about dreaming big—it’s about dreaming at all.”
“Kids don’t think about 10 years, or usually even a week away—they’re just thinking day to day,” Kozak says. “They don’t think about their future and what they can be.”
Setting goals for the future, whether through charting career paths, striving for personal accomplishments, or just making their community a better place, is what keeps youth focused on positive outcomes.
“If you actually have a goal, if you actually have a dream, you might actually try to reach it.”
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