Support Youth Programming at Nick's Place For Us

Nick’s Place For Us opened their doors 2 years ago and was born out of a recognized need for a safe space for youth 13-30 regardless of social identifiers, income or ability to pay as well as a need for leadership training in the community. It was intended to be a place where youth could come and be themselves there was a vision and a goal but those counted on the support of the community as a whole and to date this hasn’t materialized.

“We have youth and families who rely on our programming to keep their kids busy and in a positive, accepting environment, kids who rely on us for food and educational needs as well as emotional and social support and as much as we want to keep providing that it is currently coming out of my pocket," said Executive Director Karrie Emms. Who added she regularly has youth asking if there might be some extra food to take home on any given night.

Emms is quick to add they have had a few strong supporters in Community Living North Bay who recently made them the beneficiary of their giving Tuesday Program, Jet Street Auto who sends a regular donation, and some friends and family but it is financial support that is needed. Unfortunately, while Nick’s Place For Us is a registered non-profit organization they do not yet have their charitable status and they are about 6 months away from attaining that. It really becomes a case of too little too late.

The organization has been running events and programming to try and keep the lights on for the youth they also don’t want to see another two stores on an already struggling Main Street go dark. They currently occupy and are working to renovate the old Gulliver’s location as well as a storefront next door which is used as event space but, they are acutely aware of the struggles downtown and have fought with other business owners to keep the lights on and the boards down.

“We don’t have a high overhead like some other youth organizations in town and while that also means we don’t have the bells and whistles what we do have is programming that focuses on interaction and communication. We limit the use of technology and host sleepaway camps; a YMCA youth exchange drop in evenings and more. Our board is hands on working with the youth and running events we also do free and low cost outreach to community organizations. If you come to one of our Art Battles or a Mystery Dinner you will see board members and youth volunteering trying to keep the programs running,” said Emms.

The goal of Nick’s Place For Us and Gateway To the Arts for Emms and Assistant Director Dani Lynn Redgrift-Berthelot has always been to be involved with the youth and not to simply be a face in passing or when a photo op presents. It has never been about a paycheck for themselves but rather about how they could help or give back. In the first year Gateway To the Arts was open the organization which opened in October provided Christmas to four local families ran multiple fundraisers and events and continues to do so but without support those programs will be paired back or ended.

The center has run day camps, sleep away camps, illustration classes, art and conversation sessions, markets, and more as well as always maintaining the desire to give back to the community. According to Emms they will be sending out the first round of donations from the Art Battles they hold once a month in North Bay and Sudbury and every second month in Thunder Bay within the next two weeks. As a way to give back they have been choosing a different charity each month and in each city to give a part of the proceeds to.

The older youth volunteer at the events and get to see their actions having an impact on the community. And while she would like to see the donations be larger the events are still building and people are just beginning to hear about them so she tells the youth to be patient and even in their own time of struggles Emms admits the one thing the youth need to see is follow through because if they don’t it sends the wrong signal to many youth who have already learned actions do not always follow words.

“I only have the ability to fund two more months of programming including our free (to families) homework and art club, our Monday night drop ins and our outreach to community organizations. The one program that will keep running if closing becomes a reality will be to finish our commitments to the YMCA Youth Exchange as we are financially and contractually bound to it. We plan to take 12 youth 13-17 on a one-week exchange and then to host our twin group here. We would love to still be in our space when they arrive in March but in all honesty, we don’t know that we can be. The youth have to complete 8-hours of community service in each community as well as showcase their cities and towns to each other. If we aren’t in our own space, we do have a backup space we can use for meetings and events the week the group from Kawawachikamach, Québec visits us. If we don’t find enough funding this will be the last event, we run as a youth center.

Emms says she has been asked recently what Nick’s Place For Us need to keep the doors open and programs running and the answer is a commitment from multiple sources for a total of $3000.00 a month. This amount would keep the rent paid the lights on and programs running in conjunction with their own fundraisers and events. While it doesn’t seem like a lot when you factor in supplies, insurance, and other incidentals it becomes much harder to reach when so much time and effort go into programming, writing grants and running things. If it weren’t for her small force of volunteers Emms admits she would be left crying at the end of each day but she is quick to say when that one youth comes and is comfortable enough to tell you they had a bad day, or to ask for food to take home or to share even a snippet of their life with it becomes so much more and it makes both Emms and Redgrift-Berthelot tear up at the thought of not being able to remain that safe space.

“People always say there isn’t enough for youth in the city and we are trying to provide that, I am not nor will I ever ask for donations to cover my own salary but what I am asking for is donations to give kids in this city, the ones who can’t be part of other groups for financial or other reasons, the ones who are not sports kids or drama kids, a place to be, to learn and to grow and a place that puts tremendous value on teaching them to give back to the community,” says Emms, who adds, “Nick’s Place For Us was born out of a need to do something positive from a heartbreaking situation and admitting that I can no longer do it alone is the hardest part, but harder still is the knowledge that I will be letting down youth who need us if we have to close. ”

Gateway To the Arts and Nick’s Place For Us have many exciting and fresh events planned including Art Battles, Escape Rooms and multiple themed Murder Mystery Dinners including ‘Murder At the Teen Idol Awards’, a fundraiser run by the youth participating in the exchange and aimed at youth 13-18 on New Years Eve. Emms is hopeful through donations and ticket sales they can find the funds to continue operating in their downtown locations.