The House Youth Centre

The House was founded in 1971 by Father John Ware, who was a priest and a clinical psychologist, when he saw the need for a youth centre. His vision was a sort of second-home for the “in-between kids”– those who were too old for childish activities, but too young for all of the adult responsibility. He saw that the journey from childhood to adulthood can be littered with challenges and emotional pitfalls. It occurred to him that young people needed something beyond the educational and athletic atmosphere. The House quickly became that something. A lot has changed in our world since 1971, but the fundamental needs of youth has not. Our unique peer support system remains overwhelmingly unchanged from what was designed by the first groups of volunteer leaders over 40 years ago. The House strives to maintain an atmosphere that is welcoming of all youth, regardless of their culture, belief’s, ethnicity, or lifestyle. We run weekly peer-support meetings for youth in Grades 9 – 12; these meetings are geared to address issues that our youth are currently facing. These meetings provide a non-judgmental forum for youth to explore what is going on in their world, how they feel about it, and what can be done.