Background

Youth are the catalysts of change. With each new generation, youth both create and embrace change. They introduce new ideas, challenge old standards and create a culture that is often very different from that which preceded it. The youth of today, including youth with disabilities, represent a segment of our population and society which must find a balance between the society that has been created for them by their parents, and a future that they have not yet fully conceived. They represent a mechanism through which societies continue and evolve and more importantly they represent our hopes for a brighter and more advanced future.

About Youth Engagement & Achievement (YEA)

The goal of the RCD Youth Engagement & Achievement Project (YEA) is to acknowledge the key role that is played by youth with disabilities in transforming our society, in moving beyond systems and supports created by previous generations whose understanding and acceptance of disability was very different than that of today. The RCD encourages and facilitates the creation of a youth voice and presence in the community, and provides a mechanism whereby youth can create an agenda for change and develop the capacity to design, lead and implement that agenda.

The main part of the project is the establishment of a Youth Group with a goal to promote, encourage, assist and provide opportunities to youth with disabilities to have more active engagement with the community. The Youth Group is governed by a Youth Council.

RCD Youth Group

Guided by a Youth Council, the RCD Youth Group provides a place for youth with disabilities to comfortably make the transition into adulthood and have the opportunity to engage and socialize in activities and events.

Click here for more info on the RCD Youth Group

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Challenge

The DOE Award is a program that encourages youth to be active, to participate in new activities and pursue current interests in four different areas – Community Services, Skill Development, Physical Recreation and Adventurous Journey. All you have to do is choose one activity that is of interest to you in each of the four areas of the program, set a personal goal and then work to achieve it.
The RCD supports youth with disabilities to embark on the fabulous journey of attaining the DOE awards in the capacity of a recognized Award Group of DOE.

Click here for more info on the DOE Award Challenge

YEA Project Sponsor

Thank you for the generosity of Coast Capital Savings, key sponsor of the YEA Project; their funding enables the implementation of the project, benefiting youth not only in our community, but from “Coast to Coast” in our county.