Clean Up

Youth Community Clean-Up

It’s that time of year again when HomeBridge youth and employees are preparing to roll up their sleeves and hit the streets with garbage bags in hand to make the world a cleaner and greener place through our Youth Community Clean-Up program.

This annual initiative that is supported by the Youth Development Initiative is HomeBridge’s way of giving back to the communities that surround our residential facilities. Youth and employees from all over the HomeBridge Community will be gathering at Sullivan House in Halifax on July 15th. Their efforts will be concentrated on the central Robie Street area with a mission to rid the neighbourhood of litter. This will be the fifth such cleanup that HomeBridge has held in the past three years throughout HRM.

The program begins with an information session held the night before the clean-up to educate the youth participating on environmental issues, HRM waste management and sorting practices and the role we all play in waste reduction. This year’s guest speaker will be Marcek Maessen, Education Officer for HRM Solid Waste Resources.

In previous years our teams have gathered as many as 50 bags of litter and dozens of bags of recyclables in one clean-up. There are games and challenges throughout the day to make it fun for all involved and a BBQ in the end to reward everyone for a job well done. This program has helped us to create positive relationships with our neighbours and show our appreciation for their acceptance and support. These types of positive interactions help the young people we serve feel connected and take pride in their community.