The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Lutherwood Centre focuses on problems of unemployed youth Chromcte Staft The dream of leaving school to land a wellâ€"paying job has been turning into a nightmare for man) young people lately. With limited skills and experience, they are finding few empiovers willing to hire them As unemplovment levels among young people neared ® per cen!t in the Waterioo Region. Lutherwood Children‘s Mental Heaith Centre in Waterioo recent!s deciged to sponsor an employment counselling service Pat Artuckie Chromcte Staftt The dream of leaving school to land a wellâ€"paying job 5 has been turning into a nightmare for many young people lately. With limited skills and experience, they are finding few empiovers willing to hire them h @4 P As unempilovment leveis among young people neared C » z* > * $ per cent in the Waterioo Region. Lutherwood I &,s Q at" Children‘s Mental Heaith Centre in Waterioo recentis ii- . al t deciged to sponsor an employment counselling service 2 Eo >* geared specificaliy to the problems of unemploved s [A e . w youth | 2. y *‘*We have found that there is a ready link between a £ " 4 e ° youngster‘s ability to feel good about himself. to cope T â€" with life and gainful employment."" explained Luther wood‘s executive director Rev Dreter Kays 3 The Lutherwood Emplovment Counselling Centre located at 682 King St W in Kitchener. celebrated its * official opening last week The centre. funded by a 4 * omneâ€"yvear $42,.832 grant from the federal} government { through its Canada Communit) Development program, will offer employment counselling to young people ages 4 15 to 25 years and. at the same time. attempl to alleviate * the frustration they feel at not having a job "It is designed to provide employment alternatives to youth which in the long run will lead to employment.~ explained Nanc\v Birss. the project mamager who % 8 outlined the centre‘s threeâ€"faceted program at last 3 «*Â¥ . week‘s opening 4 O C Birss feels that one of the centre‘s most important (%. 'f . * functions will be to provide support for young people who * . are out of work. Since depression is almost an inevitable id l consequence of being unemployed.. she hopes the programs offered will lessen this distress by encouraging F the unemployed to be ~more creative and constructive ~ lt with their time .‘ . l eeone . Li #i. d *‘*We have found that there is a ready youngster‘s ability to feel good about i with life and gainful employment." ex wood‘s executive director Rev. Dieter K lecated at 682 King St W in Kitchener. c official opening last week The centre, omeâ€"year $42.832 grant from the federal through its Canada Community Developm will offer employment counselling to youn,; 15 to 25 years and. at the same time. attem the frustration they feel at not having a jol "It is designed to provide employment a youth which in the long run will lead to e explained Nanc\v Birss. the project m outlined the centre‘s threeâ€"faceted prug week s opening Birss feels that one of the centre‘s functions will be to provide support for are out of work. Since depression is almost & consequence of being unemployed. she programs offered will lessen this distress by the unemployed to be ~more creative and with their time .‘ "â€"W(:"\Vl“bt supporting youth in discovering job alternatives. belping them define their goals and skills and in creating a plan of action." _she saiq â€" Other young people may know what their ulttmate goal is but are unsure of the steps necessary to reach it. In this case, she said, employment counselling focusing on the individual‘s present situation, needs. skills and goals may be the answer ""w: will â€":bse;b where they are at, their attitude towards education and work and then we will present a number of alternatives to them." These options could include further education through academic upgrading, work study or training programs â€" even volunieer work. Many young students may be encouraged to start with volunteer work as a means of getting that muchâ€"needed work experience. l Workers at the centre also plan to assist young people in creating their own jobs by stimulating ideas for selfâ€"emplovyment, providing workshops related to operatâ€" ing a small business and putting individuals in touch with those who have manageria) or business expertise. ( O / mR 2 lc L£‘L _ a 8 _i â€"â€" Benefit of Special Services is { parental involvement in program Waterioo region administers the Special Services at Home, a program which provides assistance to gevelop mentally handicapped children who are living at home. Yalorie Beckett, apecial agreements officer in the ichener. celebrated its â€" centre. funded by a ie federal) government Development program, ig to young people ages me. attempl to alleviate iving a job loyment alternatives to | lead to employment." rroject mamager.. who ered program at last dy link between i t himself. to cope explained Luther _ most important voung people who noust an inevitable she hopes the ss by encouraging and constructive Pat Arbuckie photo Birss added that they hope to develop job opportunities for young people by contacting local manufacturers to see whether materials now imported could be made locally by young people. ‘"We will be trying to encourage employers to put themseives out a little more, especially when governâ€" ment subsidies are available to them. We really need employers to give young people a break," she said. And although she emphasized that Lutherwood Emâ€" ployment Counselling is not a placement service, should employers contact the centre with shortâ€"term employ â€" ment opportunities for young people, efforts will be made to match them with suitable employees. _ Other community agencies may offer similar services but none is geared to deal exclusively with young people on a oneâ€"toâ€"one basis, said Birss. Bev Hershey (ieft), Gioria Bhoch (centre) and project manager Nancy Birss {right) hope the newlyâ€"opened Lutherwood Employment Counselling centre will heip unemployed youth by offering support. providing job alternatives and stimulating ideas for selfâ€"employment. Pat Arbuckie + Chronicle Staff Special Services at Home, a provincial government program designed to assist families who want to keep their handicapped children at home, is enjoying particular success locally . , In a threeâ€"month period from April to June, a total of 72 families in the Waterloo region, an area comprising Waterloo, Wellington, Grey and Bruce Counties, took advantage of the program which provides funding for the purchase of special equipâ€" ment and services to enhance the handicapped child‘s development. j "It is a program that provides funding customâ€"deâ€" signed to the chiff‘s needs,"" explained Valerie Beckett, special agreements officer for the Ministry of Community and Social Services who is in charge of the program locally. First introduced last October, Special Services at Home provides up to $10,000 annual for each child to finance the purchase of special equipment such as therapy bails, braille machines, hearin&:ids or bath lifts. Money is also available to pay for services of qualified people to teach daily living skills or hduvk‘)r management, providing this assistance is not already available through other government programs or community agencies. "A wotLr can be hired on a specific program Beckett‘s ion, is that it allows parental invoiveâ€" ment in mdmhmnmw for the *wl'mwm'“w child that involves the parents and WATERLOO OHARODNKCALE, WEDNEBDAY, AA.Y 12. 1903 â€"â€" PAQGE 6 Pet Arbuckie photo ‘"We see ourselves as a support to the Canada Employment Centre," she added. ‘"The main thing is to match people in jobs, but we want to go more inâ€"depth with the person. We don‘t want to set them up for another failure. Our goal is to set them up with something they can do and are interested in so that they feel positive about what they are doing." . & w Birss stressed that although the centre is sponsored by Lutherwood, services provided by Lutherwood Employ â€" ment Counselling are for all young people whether they are high school or university students, have left school or have already completed a university degree. i 'l“l;o; ‘JEJ ;;; interested in iearr'ningvmore about the services offered free of charge at Lutherwood Employâ€" ment Counselling are asked to drop into the centre or call 743â€"2460 for an appointment. enhances the developmental functioningy of the children", she said â€" all this while allowing handiâ€" capped children to remain at home with their famiâ€" lies. Another advantage, said Beckett, is that children can become more involved in their community, taking part in a greater variety of community programs and activities. One loca} youngster is learning behavior manageâ€" ment by participating in a local day camp. Another enjoys the benefits of contact with other children at a day care centre. Neither child would have been allowed into these programs if it were not for a oneâ€"toâ€"one worker who accomanles him each day and works with him on an individual basis. Parents and family members are indirect benefiâ€" ciaries as well. With a helper to share the responâ€" sibilities of caring for the child‘s needs, parents have more time to themseives and to spend with other family members. The Special Services at Home program has been particularly successful in the Waterloo region and Beckett attributes this to the willing c ration of various community organizations in m‘::%‘elwble families in the atea aware of the available funds. Aithough $10,000 is available for each child in a 12 month period, the average grant to local families is about $1,200, she said. % .mc-uu forms can be obtained from Valerie at the local office of the Ministry of Ca-mulkyn‘ws-rvhu.umst.s.l& Floor in Waterloo. Each rtudu must contain a ovage camtiudly A eally forkt iniprovemtete Poetmetted peoot 1 a tonifiy fhys clan or registered psychologist that the _ is handicapped and inform service wil} benefit the child. as to how the requested