Province commits $150K to program that helps newcomers in Brooks adapt

By ANNA SMITH Local Journalism Initiative on December 14, 2024.

asmith@medicinehatnews.com

To help support the City of Brooks and its growing population of newcomers, the province is investing $150,000 to the Global Village Centre’s John Ware Youth Empowerment Program.

Last year, Brooks had the fourth highest percentage of newcomers in Alberta, welcoming 925 new permanent residents. As they adjust to life in a new place, many newcomer youth face challenges pursuing life and career goals due to a lack of connections and resources, says the province.

The John Ware Youth Empowerment Program, designed by the Global Village Centre, honours the legacy of John Ware by helping youth in rural Alberta develop life and career skills.

“The Global Village Centre has been a central point for newcomers in Brooks for over a decade, and its John Ware Youth Empowerment Program is making a difference in the lives of youth. I am inspired by the dedication of the team at the Global Village Centre,” said Premier Danielle Smith. “I know this funding will help hundreds more youth find opportunities and pursue their dreams in Alberta.”

This funding from Alberta’s government will support programming such as gender-based violence prevention education and career training in the skilled trades.

In addition, the funding will support the Global Village Centre as they develop a ‘Train the Trainer’ toolkit so that similar programming can be brought to other rural communities across Alberta.

“John Ware Program’s participants and organizers are thankful to the province for their continued support of the program,” said Ahmed Kassem, executive director of the Global Village Centre. “The support will allow local youth to participate and learn life skills, such as gender-based violence prevention, while seeing the program expand to other municipalities.”

The funding will be given through the Community Grants program, which supports non-profits with existing community programming. The Global Village Centre, which seeks to integrate new Canadians, is one of 395 Alberta non-profits supported since April, the province says.

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