 Surrey Youth Alliance webspace sponsored by:
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Surrey Youth Alliance plays host to anywhere from 8-30 youth between the ages of 14 and 22 at our normal Wednesday drop-ins. These youth are as diverse as any high school in Canada, with different ages, genders, races, and religions meeting for a common reason: support for gay teens. Alliance isn't a support group, although it *is* a great place to come if you need to get something off your chest. Instead, it's a drop-in. The youth are free to come and go as they please, and we try and maintain a casual, feel-good atmosphere at all times. Some of the youth come because they need a place to feel safe, and some of them come simply for a place to see their friends, to hang out on a Wednesday night. Surrey Youth Alliance started off as a Youth Quest group, with several members of the Out In Surrey Rainbow Cultural Society (O.I.S.R.C.S.) volunteering. Eventually, after Youth Quest closed down their Surrey group due to financial reasons, O.I.S.R.C.S. stepped in and decided to take the Youth Group on as a project. On January 1st, 2005, the group was re-named 'Surrey Youth Alliance', and sole sponsorship was taken on by OISRCS. They made a huge impact on the gay youth in the area, making sure that they continue to have a place to come and be safe, and they continue to support the youth group in every way. In Nov of 2007 SYA teamed up with Pacific Community Resources and will now be operating on it's own, under the umbrella of PCR. SYA is friendly to youth of all genders and sexual orientations. It's also a great place for questioning or unsure youth to come and ask questions. Snacks are supplied at every meeting, and a 30-minute group circle is usually held, discussing ideas for upcoming events, suggestions for drop-in activities, and a quick once-over of current events both in the community and in the world. The youth can discuss their weeks, ask for advice or ideas for projects or obstacles, and occasionally a topic discussion will be put on the table, for all the youth to listen and participate in. We try and keep Alliance a positive and friendly place to be, and as a result, several rules are in place:
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