ONTARIO MAN SETS OUT ON 210 KM RECOVERY RUN TO FUND MENTAL HEALTH, EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT SUPPORTS FOR AT-RISK YOUTH: HOPE'S HIS FINISH LINE MARKS A WAY OUT AND A WAY FORWARD FOR YOUTH, LIVING ON THE STREETS AND INVOLVED IN CRIME
HAMILTON, ON, April 27, 2022 /CNW/ - As Ontarians look beyond the pandemic for signs of recovery and a brighter future, they need look no further than Liberty For Youth (LFY) an organization focused on providing intervention and mentorship to at-risk youth enabling access to education, mental health supports and employment opportunities.
Today, the not-for-profit organization announced that between April 28 and May 7, Frederick Dryden, the man behind the mission of LFY, is once again preparing to lace up his runners and run a half marathon (21 km) for ten consecutive days throughout 15 cities Hamilton, Brantford, the County of Brant, and the Six Nations of the Grand River and surrounding communities. Dryden is hoping to raise $300,000 to support Liberty For Youth's innovative and intensive mentoring programs, including an equestrian farm supporting at-risk youth ages 12-25 education and employment pilots in response to the pandemic and its disproportionate impact on youth.
A number of city and community officials and VIPs are slated to join Dryden and members of his youth council along the Recovery Run route which can be found online. RBC as part of RBC Future Launch, LiUNA and The McKeil Family Foundation are among the businesses that are supporting this latest run, specifically helping to underwrite costs associated with mental health and education services offered by LFY. The not-for-profit is hoping to attract further support from area businesses and members of the public to fund programming including a planned 7-week summer school initiative designed to address education inequalities in response to local school board data that shows area grade 9 students have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Funds will also support a certification process aimed at creating 150 trades jobs over the next three years. Donations can be made online through the organization's website.
LFY first opened its doors in 2004. To date, over 900 at-risk youth have benefited from its programs designed to build critical life skills, facilitate mentorship and community connections, helping them become productive members of society, including post incarceration or sobriety post drug addiction. Respect and reconciliation with police are among the organization's area of focus achieved through several dedicated programs:
- The Bright Choices: Offers mentorship to help with the challenges related to their unique school experience.
- The Prodigal Sonz: Helps at-risk youth direct their energy towards a positive team sport. It's centred on a basketball team comprised of at-risk and post-incarcerated youth and their mentors, that gathers at twenty- four games per year throughout Ontario.
- Character Development: Focuses on character and leadership principles and applying them to peer- mentorship and community service.
- LEAD (Liberty Equine Assisted Development): Centres on helping at-risk youth develop critical life skills, including those vital to successful employment, encompassing communication skills, empathy, and compassion, respect for boundaries, and teamwork.
LFY has awarded over $121,000 in post-secondary scholarships to many first-generation post-secondary school students to date, with youth involved in its programming have a 71% post-secondary school graduation rate. According to LFY, 52% of the youth who benefit from the organization's services, who have been specifically involved in gun, gang or drug related charges have now secured legitimate employment and are staying away from criminal activity. The marathon will mark nearly 1,000 km run by Dryden throughout the province earning him a recognition as a top 40 under 40 recipient in 2011.
"We're having success helping youth see past their current circumstances. Through engagement, encouragement, and empowerment, many can move past systemic barriers and lead productive, enriching lives with purpose. Post pandemic, the interventions, mentorships and community-based supports we offer are needed more than ever." Frederick Dryden, Founder, Liberty For Youth (LFY).
"We cannot accept the current reality of many at-risk youth as their only option. Their past does not define them. With the right support, we can help them refine their next best step. I've been there. I'm living proof of how truly lifechanging the right interventions and support can be." Frederick Dryden, Founder, Liberty For Youth (LFY).
"This spirit of a better world underpins the McKeil School of Business. We're most grateful to be a key partner of the Liberty For Youth Recovery Run, supporting their efforts to enrich lives and communities, helping at-risk youth find new hope while enabling their pathway to future success, including through education. The ripple effect of their work in Hamilton and the region is real and pervasive and is more critical now, given the ravages of the pandemic on employment and mental health, especially affecting youth," Blair and Kathy McKeil, The McKeil Family Foundation.
"Young Canadians have been disproportionally impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic—especially when it comes to their mental wellbeing," said Carmela Trombetta, Vice-President, Commercial Financial Services, RBC. "That's why we remain committed to helping our partners address the barriers often faced by young people when trying to access the resources they need. We're proud to have a longstanding relationship with Liberty For Youth and are thrilled to help bring to life the inspiring Recovery Run to help spark a meaningful change in our communities."
"LiUNA Local 837 is a proud supporter of Liberty for Youth and their commitment to finding meaningful employment for Hamilton's marginalized youth. It's our privilege to partner with them in providing training opportunities. We hope to enrich their rehabilitation process and look forward to expanding their construction skills and knowledge including workplace safety affording them the opportunity to be successful in a highly needed and skilled profession," Riccardo Persi, Business Manager LiUNA Local 837.
- It can cost anywhere between $63,000 to $95,000 provincially to incarcerate one youth aged 12-17. For a chronic young adult offender, it can cost up to $280,000 annually on a federal level. In contrast, one year of programming at Liberty For Youth serving one hundred youth costs $1,000,000. Incarceration for the same number of youth and the estimated provincial level is estimated at $10,000,000.
- Intervention is extremely necessary, as 74% of institutionalized adults were once youth in conflict with the law.
After volunteering to help a teenager incarcerated at the Hamilton Wentworth Detention Centre, Frederick Dryden founded Liberty For Youth (LFY). A not-for-profit charitable organization, LFY provides prevention and intervention mentoring programs aimed at youth, ages 12 to 25 and alumni beyond twenty-five, living in the Hamilton and surrounding areas who take part in, or are at risk of, criminal behaviour. In 2011, for his work, Dryden was named a one of Canada's Top 40 Under 40 recipient. Today, alongside his wife Tanya, and through the generous support of a network of donors, funders, volunteers, staff, and community partners, Dryden oversees LFY education, mental health and employment supports benefitting at-risk and previously incarcerated youth in Hamilton, Niagara, and surrounding regions.
SOURCE Liberty For Youth
Leslie Booth, 416.427.1588, [email protected]; Gabby Nobrega, 416.930.9756, [email protected]
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