CASINO FUNDS HELP REGINA YOUTH PROGRAMMING

The Rainbow Youth Centre today received $43,000 from the Community Initiatives Fund (CIF) for its Personal Acceptance and Change (PAC) project.

"This is a project that will engage youth in new and innovative ways, helping them to improve their overall health," Culture, Youth and Recreation Minister Joanne Crofford said. "Our youth are tomorrow's leaders, and their futures are very important to this government."

The CIF funds will be used to hire expert facilitators and staff to lead the one year PAC program, which encourages youth ages 11 to 19 to become more aware of themselves, to improve their health, and to help them better connect with others. The program introduces youth to techniques that enable them to deal with stress and build self-confidence in a positive environment, including the exploration of their thoughts through writing, drawing and other creative arts.

"The Rainbow Youth Centre offers a variety of services and support to high risk youth and we understand that youth communicate and view life differently than adults," Rainbow Youth Centre Executive Director Danielle Sweatman said. "As a result, we developed the Personal Acceptance and Change project with the help of CIF funding in order to reach youth using an alternative to the norm that we, as adults, are used to."

Established by the provincial government in 1997 to deliver a portion of casino profits back to communities, the CIF has provided more than 1,900 community groups with a total of almost $12 million. Formerly known as the Associated Entities Fund, the CIF is administered by Culture, Youth and Recreation.

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For More Information, Contact:

Sandhya Padmanabh Culture, Youth and Recreation Regina Phone: (306)787-4967