Day 2: Best Practices

Youth Video Project, Vancouver BC

http://stophomelessness.ca/

Through the 3 Ways to Home (Greater Vancouver Regional Steering Committee) youth in Vancouver participated in the development of the film project. The video aimed to target police, the business community and health care providers. It aids in breaking down stereotypes and educating community members. The video is offered as a free training tool and should be available on-line in December.

The Street Youth Planning Collaborative, Hamilton ON

http://www.thecouchproject.ca/faq.php
http://www.sprc.hamilton.on.ca/Homelessness/Homelessness.php

The Street Youth Planning Collaborative is working off a piece of research done in 2005.
The city of Hamilton has brought together a collaboration of various stakeholder groups.

**The key words here are collaboration, transparency and partnership.

Youth Engagement:
- giving youth the space to participate, be heard and be involved

Service Providers
- meet once a month, in collaboration
- sharing ideas, best practices, reviewing documents trends
- one youth is invited to these monthly meetings

Planning Collaborative:
- 5 director from participating agencies with a mandate to serve homeless youth

What is important to note is that the research started a community conversation and they have all committed to filling the gaps through collaboration and transparency.

Transparency:
allows agencies to share resources, commit to a systems building within the community and avoid service duplication.

Challenges:
- time
- funding climate demands
- diverse agencies
- hearing and including the youth and front-line voices

**Youth Video Projects: the have a document that teaches how to do a youth based video project ($20)

Youth Engagement:
- to improve youth engagement adults and service providers need to be mindful of the way they present themselves to youth
- need to be accommodating to youth needs : bus fare, food, honorariums
- youth also want to feel and see that they are reflected in the space provides

Cultural barriers:
- not always a lot of cushioning between front-line and youth
- time: must have time to wait, as some relationships develop slowly – we must work at their rhythm