Undercurrent Youth Centre in Glace Bay wants to see more CBRM sites

The success of theUndercurrent Youth Centrein Glace Bay is leading to expansion plansacross the Cape Breton Regional municipality.

Every week, 300-400 kids use the programs at the youth centre, executive directorDavidSawler said.

• Glace Bay church reborn as youth centre

"Our building is used all day, every single day of the week" he said.

He wants to open more locationsin Sydney, NewWaterfordand on theNorthside, to make the programs widelyaccessible to more young people.

"We know, to affect more kids, we actually need more space and we will do a better job if we are actually closer to the kids."

Sawlerwants to see fivemorecentresacross the municipality,reaching 1,000-1,500 kids by the year 2020.

A safe place to go

He estimates the centre will need to raise $1 million in the next few years.

The goal is to stem a growing drug addiction problem in the area, tokeep kids off the streetsand out of jail.

"There's no day that I can walk through my town and I don't see the effects of addiction," Sawler said.

"Over 50 per centof young adult males in Cape Breton have a drinking problem."

Undercurrent offers after-school and indoor recreation programs, includingrockclimbingand skateboarding.

"We are actually trying to turn [around] what is normal for a generation of young people... that there actually is something different. So our main goal to to provide safe space but also get kids around some good people and give them some healthy alternatives," Sawler said.