The Benefits of Positive Relationships for Youth at risk.

Youth aging out of care are 200 times more likely to experience homelessness

“Youth homelessness” refers to the situation and experience of young people between the ages of 13 and 24 who are living independently of parents and/or caregivers, but do not have the means or ability to acquire a stable, safe or consistent residence.

Youth in Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

Cape Breton Regional Municipality has one of the highest child poverty rates in Nova Scotia, with 31.5% of children living in poverty. When faced with statistics like that, it is hard not to wonder how we can help break the cycle of poverty. As discussed in the article Homeless and Street-Involved Youth in HRM, one key factor in overcoming this cycle is having supportive adults in a young person’s life. These positive relationships help youth build confidence and believe that they can achieve their goals.

This idea is also supported by international research. The Youth Transitions Study examined the benefits of positive relationships for at-risk youth and found that strong support systems can play a significant role in helping young people succeed despite the challenges they face.

Through the Youth Transitions Study came the development of PARTH, a framework that was created to emphasize the difference that positive interactions can make for rangathi at risk. We chose to place this framework in the context of Cape Breton because of our lived experience working with individuals that are at risk of poor outcomes because of the circumstances they are faced with in their life. Through pictures we looked at how we felt the framework would be portrayed visually. More information can be found in our zine which is a picture-focused version of our research the information that is with the pictures is from my perspective as if someone that works with youth no two stories are the same and this is something that is very important to understand.