Skip to content

Reader suggests new hiring; better hours at local youth centre could help curb youth crime

With a great deal of interest I have read recent letters to the editor and your editorial with regard to the so-called youth problem in the town of Rimbey.

Dear Editor;

With a great deal of interest I have read recent letters to the editor and your editorial with regard to the so-called youth problem in the town of Rimbey.

I have used this space before on numerous occasions to address the issues concerning “at-risk” youth, so forgive me if I repeat myself.

As long as there are people on this planet who inflict pain upon other human beings, there will be a need for painkillers. These painkillers come in many forms: alcohol, cocaine, crystal meth, heroin, promiscuity, gambling and other danger-loaded behaviours and many of you out there can list a few more, I am sure.

Many adults using…naw, let’s call a spade a spade: are addicted to these painkillers, started doing so at very tender ages.

Several, probably well-meaning members of our community have used this space to express their opinions, but very few, if any, have suggested possible solutions.

Study after study has found that one of the best avenues toward a solution is the connection an “at-risk” youth can make with even one caring adult.

So, where are all the caring adults who can make a world of difference in the relationship between youth and their community? Where?

Where is the commitment of this community to creating a more positive environment for our “at-risk” youth?

What good is a drop-in centre if it is not open during times it is most needed?

How about if you town and county councilors and board of education members forfeit attending just one of their conferences in exotic places and donate the money to the Rimbey Youth Centre, specifically for the hiring of a youth worker so the centre could stay open longer?

Ecdo Deweert,

Rimbey