Our Projects
We are thrilled to announce the relaunch of the Youth Social Space for its third round! For those who are not yet familiar, allow us to introduce you to VIBE, a social space for youth designed by youth! A pilot program where anyone can show up as their authentic self without fear of judgement. We are a free for all, social space located in Tillsonburg public library as our primary location.
At VIBE you can have free social time to hang out and get to know each other as well as a variety of programming, games, food, drinks and snacks to be always provided.
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Updated Vibe details:
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Hours and Days: Thursdays at 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
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Program Length: Starting January 11th to March 28th, 2023, with the potential to be extended
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Age Range: Anyone ages 15-18
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Primary Location: Tillsonburg Public Library
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Registration: no prior registration is required - just show up and sign in where you are here
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Feedback and Improvement: We value your feedback and suggestions. Your input will be actively considered on a weekly basis.
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In the information we gathered from the community and our research, there was a clear need for safe, free, and youth-led social spaces. We launched this project so youth in Oxford County have access to a free safe space, made by youth for youth, that addresses some of the challenges rural youth face and brings a sense of inclusion and belonging. Tillsonburg was chosen by the CBYF Youth Innovators and Community Allies as the ideal community to host the Vibe event for a variety of reasons. These reasons included the understanding that Vibe would greatly benefit a large number of youth, addressing the local need for a dedicated social space for youth, providing easy accessibility for both Tillsonburg residents and those from surrounding areas, and leveraging the extensive support from community members and local businesses that Vibe received. Please follow our social media pages to get weekly updates on this exciting project!
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This was tied mainly to our two priority areas of Rural Challenges and Youth Inclusion:
Rural Challenges
It was identified that rural youth have a lack of recreational opportunities in their community, a need for afterschool programming, a need for neighbourhood-centric programming, and have a general sense of isolation. By providing free, safe social spaces in these rural communities, it can address a number of these challenges.
Youth Inclusion
Youth in our community are rarely involved in the decisions that affect them, and of the limited free youth social spaces that do exist in Oxford, few are actually youth-led. By creating a social space that youth can provide ongoing feedback to and be active participants in decision-making processes, we will begin the changes needed in this area
