The Purple People, as they’re fondly known, are helping Tri-Cities teens grapple with loneliness, peer pressure, family issues, substance use and other problems.
In the distinctive Access Youth Outreach Services Society bus, outreach workers are dispensing snacks, water, toiletries, warm clothing and any other help needed to support youth gathering at local youth centres, parks and school yards in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam.
On warm weekend evenings, when problems can emerge and tempers run hot, these youth workers are on the front lines, keeping kids safe. And in their bright purple t-shirts, they can be the most positive and influential adults in the these teens’ lives, steering street youth towards mental health supports, education and other resources while providing them with the kind of supportive environment that all too often is promised by gang recruiters.
“We have a great group of outreach workers who want to connect with youth,” said Mark Lindsay, who recently took over the Access Youth Outreach Services Society as executive director from longtime manager Jerome Bouvier. “We are working with those kids who may not be going home to a full fridge and mom and dad.”
Providing a warm space out of the rain or a cool spot out of the heat, the bus has dealt with its fair share of youth crises, Lindsay said, including calls to prevent fights and to provide aid following an assault.
For many who grew up in the Tri-Cities, the bus is a visible reminder of how the community has come together to support kids. Although there is no permanent government funding, the 27-year-old organization runs on the support and goodwill of charitable foundations, government contracts, service group donations, city hall and business help, and an annual fundraiser, this year planned for Sept. 21.
Lindsay said the Under the Sea Gala at Sky Helicopters (18799 Airport Way, Pitt Meadows) will provide funds to support the bus, similar outreach work at Coquitlam Centre mall and a youth empowerment worker who mentors teens one-on-one.
“We are very well supported by the community,” Lindsay said.
And while lack of core funding is a constant worry, he said a number of new initiatives are underway, including a work skills-building program funded by WorkBC and after school programs.
But it is for work with the the outreach bus that Access Youth is most recognized, efforts Lindsay says are critical, especially these days, as more youth seem to be dealing with mental health issues, often from 24/7 connectedness to social media. And while not all youth will turn to drugs to ease the pain, many do, and that brings about another set of problems.
Lindsay should know — he fought his own battle with an oxycontin addiction several years ago, a recreational experiment that went awry and cost him his job in finance.
He says he understands the lure of drugs to “take the edge off” but now, many years sober, he sees the problem of substance use from the other side. He turned his experience into the Alley Outreach Project in Vancouver, educating youth about the risk of addiction and managing mental illness, and as a frontline youth empowerment worker.
Now, a month before summer turns to fall and youth deal with the pressures of school and other concerns, the Access Youth bus will continue to do its rounds Friday and Saturday nights, ensuring that there are always some Purple People available to help Tri-City teens when they need it.
• For more information about Access Youth Outreach Services Society, visit accessyouth.org.
