A program that aims to help at-risk youth in Wallaceburg is now at risk itself of being phased out because of a lack of funding.
The P.A.C.E. program, which has been credited with helping to dramatically decrease the number of suspensions and drop-outs at Wallaceburg District Secondary School (WDSS) over the past decade, is slated to shut down as of October 28, 2016.
Program Co-ordinator Ken O'Neil knows first-hand the significant impact the program has had since it was founded ten years ago.
"Just engaging students and keeping them in school, we're on average retaining about 5-10% each year -- that's a big deal," says O'Neil. "We're talking 12 to 15 students each year who, if they didn't have those supports, might not be here."
O'Neil estimates they need to raise about $60,000 to keep the program going. It has been supported by the Lambton Kent District School Board, Ontario Trillium Foundation grants, and business partnerships in the past, but as of right now, it doesn't have enough support to continue.
Students and community members aren't giving up on the program just yet, though. They've started a GoFundMe page, which they're hoping will secure enough money to keep P.A.C.E. going.
You can find that page here.
Those efforts aren't going unnoticed by O'Neil, who is clearly touched by the gesture.
"I wouldn't say it surprised me, but I'm very honoured by what the students and staff have done since I made the announcement that the program is closing," says O'Neil. "It's very rewarding for me to have a program like this for 10 years and then having the students be the ones who are want to keep the program alive."
Statistics from the "Save P.A.C.E." GoFundMe page:
- Since the P.A.C.E program opened in 2007 WDSS has had 0 student suicides.
- The number of suspended students has dropped from 376 in 2007/08 to only 98 in 2015/16.
- Crisis situations have dropped from 120 in 2007/08 to 75 in 2015/16.