It’s a Thursday afternoon at the cozy lakeside hub that Youth Unlimited runs in Haliburton village – volunteers are milling around, preparing food for the expected rush of hungry high schoolers, one helper is putting board games onto tables, while Leanne Young, who founded the space last year with her husband, Kyle, waits eagerly to greet her teenaged guests.
The Bridge Youth Centre will celebrate its first anniversary in January – the facility, located at 2 Victoria St. overlooking Head Lake Park, has become a popular landing spot for youth in Grades 4-12 seeking company, or a warm place to hang out with friends once the school day is over.
Young said there are now three distinct programs – one more than when they launched 11 months ago. Mondays are for Grades 4 and 5, Wednesdays are for Grades 6-8 and Thursdays for Grades 9-12. Programs run from about 3:15 to 5:30 p.m.
The hub boasts a homey entryway, large common room, a video game room and kitchen, which is used to prepare full meals on Thursdays – it was tacos last week, while there’s also been hot dogs and Italian food on the menu recently.
Young said she and Kyle started preparing meals for high schoolers months ago after learning that many of their visitors go hungry at some point during the day.
“I had a kid tell me last week that they feel guilty for eating the food in their house, because there’s not very much of it and they’d rather their parents have it,” Young said.
About 20 kids stopped by on the centre’s first day in January, with 65-70 now enrolled regularly. There’s more structure for the youngest cohort, with Grade 4-5 kids needing to be registered. They do outdoor sports, arts and crafts and baking every week. The older groups are less about programming and more focused on unwinding, Young said.
This summer, Young went into Head Lake Park wanting to engage with the dozens of youth hanging around. She connected with two boys, who were looking for something to do – so Young gave them fishing rods.
“They loved it – so much that they kept coming back every Thursday after that,” Young said. “I asked them one day what they would be doing if they weren’t here and they said, ‘probably smoking dope, getting high and getting into trouble.’ These kids aren’t bad kids, they’re just bored. Some of them come from broken families or difficult situations… and they just need that guiding hand.”
Shannon Cole said her 10-year-old daughter has been enrolled in the Grade 4-5 program since September and loves it. Going to the Bridge has extended her daughter’s social circle, Cole said, and added another adult role model to her life.
“Everyone needs that second mom – and Leanne is that to all the kids at Bridge,” Cole said.
While programming is free to youth, there is a cost to everything the Youngs do. Rent is $2,000 a month. Fuel For Warmth covers all heating-related costs, while food is usually donated by Haliburton Foodland and Todd’s Independent.
Young said the Bridge currently has two fundraising campaigns on the go – there’s a Christmas concert and market Nov. 29 at Lakeside Church, from 2 to 4 p.m., with proceeds supporting operations, and a banner advertising program, with local businesses stepping up to help. Young said she’s raised $14,500 through that and hopes to get to $24,000, to ensure rent is completely paid for through 2026.
They have a lease on the Haliburton space until January 2028, though Young said they have no plans to leave. In fact, she wants to continue expanding.
“We need more staff just to maintain what we’re doing – building our team is the next priority,” Young said. “Our dream would be to one day expand into Minden, even if it’s just bringing a program to an existing facility one night per week.” For more information, or to donate, contact Young at leanne@youthunlimitedkaw.com.
