“I had to make the call to social services and explain the situation that my brother and I were in…I was accepted into the Lodge and, at first, I was scared to be there. I have been at the Youth Lodge for a semester of grade 12 and it is fun but I still have things that I’m struggling through.

[At the Youth Lodge] I am not around alcohol and drugs. I get allowance twice a month and I don’t have to worry about what to eat because I am being fed three meals a day. My favourite meal is when staff make breakfast for supper, it makes it feel more like a home for me… I like that we have interactive group discussions where we learn practical life skills. My education is going well and I am learning new things every day. I am on track to graduate in June of 2019. 

I’m strong because of the stuff I have been through. I feel the future generation deserves to have someone to look up to.”