The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.oakvillebeaver.com Living Oakville Beaver LIVING EDITOR: ANGELA BLACKBURN The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday December 19, 2007 - 11 Phone: 905-845-3824, ext. 248 Fax: 905-337-5567 e-mail: angela@oakvillebeaver.com PHOTOS BY RON KUZYK / OAKVILLE BEAVER PITCHING IN: Youths involved in Y.A.R.D., a 12-week program for those aged 13-21 with special needs, sees the Oakville Youth Centre on Cross Avenue as the place to hang out and get involved in the socializing that takes place in supervised programming and activities for the youths on Tuesday nights. Above left, Boran Sarcevic celebrates a great bowling shot on Wii with his respite worker Marjorie Richards. At right, Shayne James watches as Scott McNeill gets some pointers on his pool shot from Ryan Luyk, Y.A.R.D. assistant program co-ordinator. Fun just a Y .A.R.D. away for teens at youth centre By Melanie Cummings SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER L ike most teenagers 15-yearold Shayne James wants to spend all his waking hours with his friends ­ especially his best buddy Cam. Tuesday nights from 5-8 p.m., the pair is guaranteed some social downtime, thanks to the Y.A.R.D. program. The acronym stands for Youth in Active Recreational Development. James is among a group of teens aged 13-21 who face challenges such as Autism, Down Syndrome, developmental delays and mild intellectual challenges. Outside of school, James' social life wanes, due to his own physical and intellectual challenges. But the youth centre at 177 Cross Ave. has become a clubhouse for teens like him, for three hours once a week. Shayne's mom Nancy James has seen her son benefit greatly from the social benefits of this weekly interaction. "It's nice to have him asking to go and building a friendship network where he connects with people," she added. This is especially important because Shayne heads out of town daily to Brampton, where he attends a school for the visually impaired. It's the same for Diane Whyte, who's son Kyle, 18, looks forward to Tuesdays. "My son has Down Syndrome and Y.A.R.D. teaches him to take turns playing games. Best of all, I know he's in a safe place," said Whyte. This is the first year for the pro- "It's nice to have him asking to go and building a friendship network where he connects with people." Nancy James, Oakville mom gram, which was the brainchild of Ryan Luyk. It was developed over one year by him, his boss Kim Lavecchia and her boss Carol Gall, who is a supervisor with the Town of Oakville's recreation department. Lavecchia is the program co-ordinator and Luyk is an assistant in the Youth Services division. This past fall marked the first session of the Y.A.R.D. program. Another 12-week session begins in January 2008. The response to Y.A.R.D. has been immediately great, said Lavecchia. "This program was developed so youths with special needs in this community can have another option for a recreational program and have a place to hang out," she said. Beyond the glass door at 177 Cross Ave. (Unit 3) lies a haven for all things recreational in a teen's view: interactive video, karaoke, food, movies on a big screen television, games like pool and foosball, Internet access and crafts amid brightly painted walls. A floor to ceiling wall-length chalkboard is replete with coming events. "Everything I do here is so much fun," said Dylan Hanson. The 15-year-old student from White Oaks Secondary School already knew some of the kids who come here on Tuesday nights from school but has made new friends too. It's the same for Lindsay Anral, 19. "I don't get to see my friends much outside of school. I just like to be with them," she said, as she concentrated on playing her Gameboy with pal Meaghan. Wii nights are a favourite for Boran Sarcevic, 15, from T.A. Blakelock High School. He'll be back in January for the next 12week session. Marjorie Richards has been Sarcevic's respite worker for seven years and is certain he'll make friends through Y.A.R.D. The next 12-week session costs $60. To register, contact Y.A.R.D. coordinator Kim Lavecchia at klavecchia@oakville.ca, or call 905 8456932. Log on to www.oakvilleyouth.ca for more information.