Eva's Initiatives, Sprott Foundation and Virgin Unite Announce Winners of the 2012 Awards for Ending Youth Homelessness

Four Canadian organizations recognized for excellence in working to prevent and end youth homelessness

TORONTO, May 15, 2012 /CNW/ - Eva's Initiatives, the Sprott Foundation and Virgin Unite & Virgin Mobile's RE*Generation are pleased to announce the four winners of The Eva's Initiatives Award for Ending Youth Homelessness. Valued at $25,000 each, the awards recognize Canadian organizations that demonstrate leadership in working with homeless and at-risk youth.

"This Canadian awards program puts the spotlight on initiatives that actively work to prevent and end the homelessness that youth experience," explained Rachel Gray, Eva's Director of National Initiatives. "The winners this year demonstrate different ways to integrate comprehensive supports into program delivery with the goal of achieving longer term positive impacts for youth and our communities."

The four winners for 2012, from four different regions of the country, challenge us to think beyond the emergency needs of youth and instead find ways to equip them to achieve greater success in multiple domains of their life, from housing and employment, to education and social integration. The 2012 winners are:

• Calgary, Alberta - The Back Door for The Doorway: Cultural Integration for Street Dependent Young People
• London, Ontario - Youth Opportunities Unlimited for Cornerstone
• Québec City, Québec - Centre résidentiel et communautaire Jacques-Cartier for Volet résidentiel: approche <projet de vie> et soutien à la vie associative des locataires
• St. John's, Newfoundland - Choices for Youth for Train for Trades

"The unique solutions that these organizations use to approach the issues of youth homelessness are exactly what RE*Generation is looking to support," said Andrew Bridge, Virgin Unite Trustee and Managing Director of Virgin Mobile Canada. "We applaud the innovative work that each of these organizations has done and look forward to continuing to work with them to extend the reach of these programs."

An eight member panel, knowledgeable about services for homeless youth, reviewed the applications and selected the winners from among more than 85 applications that demonstrated a wide array of impressive and innovative projects underway in communities across the county.

The Eva's Initiatives Award for Ending Youth Homelessness is generously sponsored by the Sprott Foundation in collaboration with Virgin Unite & Virgin Mobile's RE*Generation. Each winning organization receives a prize of $25,000, presented at an awards ceremony in their community.

To learn more about the RE*Generation Movement go to virginmobile.ca/regen

www.evasinitiatives.com

Rachel Gray
Director of National Initiatives
Eva's Initiatives
[email protected]