On November 15, 2022, the Timmins Youth Wellness Hub (TYWH) celebrated the grand opening of their new permanent location, “Hub Headquarters,” located at 45 Spruce Street South in Downtown Timmins. The event was a great success, and was well attended by youth, families, TYWH service partners, and community members.
Elise, a youth participant, spoke about her experience attending the Hub and shared: “the Hub is amazing, and all of the staff and participants are kind, helpful, and welcoming.”
Brian Marks, TYWH Board Chair and Cochrane District Social Services Administration Board Chief Administrative Officer, spoke about developing a Youth Wellness Hub in Timmins in 2018: “Without exception, establishing the TYWH was by far one of the easiest initiatives that we’ve had [in our community]. We expected to encounter a lot of questions and resistance, but there was none – instead we encountered so many people and organizations lining up to contribute.”
Anne Vincent, TYWH Executive Director and Hub Manager, reflected on the journey of the TYWH: “This is a momentous day. Who would’ve thought, back in September 2018 at our first ever Hub at O’Gorman High School, with 39 youth participants, that we would be here today. Thank you to our Community Partners, who are the wind beneath our wings; to the youth who we are so honoured to work alongside every day and who continue to inspire us; to our staff team, who are on my gratitude list every day; and to YWHO who is the jet fuel under the wind beneath our wings. This is a reflection of this amazing community that has come together. I’m thinking back to a particular Hub in October 2018. We were making Thanksgiving dinner, and a youth who was new to the Hub sat next to me. She shared that if it wasn’t for the Hub, she wouldn’t be having Thanksgiving dinner at all. This is the impact that our Hub has on our community. We wrap our offerings around our youth and we meet them where they are.”
“Your dedication and commitment has brought you to today, where we are lucky to celebrate the opening of your new space with you. It is a great example of what YWHO is working to achieve,” acknowledged Maria Papadimitriou, Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (YWHO) Director of Strategy and Transformation.
This new space will enhance the TYWH’s current rotational model. Pop-up “Hubs” have been offered at spaces throughout the Timmins community since 2018, and now, a full range of integrated services and programming for youth will be offered out of this new space, in addition to rotational offerings.
The ability to open a permanent location and enhance staffing complement to create a Youth Wellness Team was provided through funding from Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario, via the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and the Ontario Ministry of Health.
Contact: Anne Vincent (anne.vincent@ywhtimmins.ca, 705-266-5743)
