The Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre in Carleton Place is inviting the community out to a Family Fun Day as a thank you for their years of support, and for the centre to meet the neighbours.
The Fun Day will take place at Fulton’s Pancake House, 91 Concession Road 6 in Pakenham on this Sunday, Sept. 25, from noon to 4 p.m.
Activities will include an ‘Ask the Expert’ session with centre clinicians, a barbecue with Smith himself manning the grill, free wagon rides and other wholesome family activities like nature walks, a bonfire (weather permitting), bobbing for apples and three-legged races.
“It’s a free activity,” said Carolyn Piche, development manager for the Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre, except for the barbecue lunch, which costs $5 for children, $7 for adults. “We want families to come out and have fun.”
She pointed out that the ‘Ask the Expert’ sessions will allow people to ask questions about talking to their kids about drugs, and “you want to know when to panic,” if you think something is up with your child.
“We want to let them know what we’re all about and what we offer,” said Piche. “The community has been so supportive of us. We feel valued by the community and included.”
Dave Smith took over the Allwood Youth Treatment Centre just outside of Carleton Place in September 2010. There are 14 beds for boys, while a 10-bed facility for girls is situated in Carp.
“(There are) plans to build one main facility in Carp to bring it all in under one roof,” said Piche. The centre has three sites, in Carleton Place, Carp and on Bronson Avenue in Ottawa. The plans for the new centre are in the preliminary stages, with sketches already drawn up. Piche and Smith hoping to break ground next summer.
“We’ll still be here (in Carleton Place) for a couple of years,” said Piche.
He said that the changeover from the old Allwood management to the Dave Smith approach has been very positive.
“We have been able to infuse some much-needed resources that they didn’t have before,” said Piche, like the addition of a high school classroom, new technology and the hiring of a therapist. “We’ve had several students graduate while they have been in treatment.
“You cannot treat a teen the same way you would treat an adult,” she added of the young people aged 13 to 21 who use the facility. The Dave Smith approach is “to address the entire individual,” and not just the addiction, but any mental, nutrition, education and recreational requirements that are needed to get the young person back on the road to recovery.
Even after their time at the centre is up, there is plenty of follow-up once they are back in the community, with a therapist provided not only for the young person but another one for the rest of the family as well.
“It’s not just, you come in, you get healed up, then you’re out,” said Piche. “They’re able to re-engage them into school, work, housing …When you see it in action, it’s amazing.”
While day treatments have their place, for the Smith facility, round-the-clock care is the preferred approach.
“It’s not enough,” Piche said of the Smith model. “You need to give them three months to heal.”
But, surprisingly, for all of the problems faced by the teens who come to the Dave Smith Centre, many come with one major deficiency.
“They don’t’ know how to have fun,” said Piche, something they try hard to correct, through initiatives like the family fun day.
“Addictions are not all about despair,” said Piche. “It is about hope. There is fun at the end. It’s about healing as a family. If you have a teen, you may not believe it but parents are still the most influential person in a teen’s life. Don’t stop talking to them.”
The centre is looking at opening up more beds and more projects in the future.
“Folks should stay tuned,” said Piche. “We have a lot of wonderful things we want to do for the community.”
For additional information, please call Piche at 613-594-8333, ext. 1201, or by email at carolyn.p@davesmithcentre.org.