Central Toronto Youth Services

Founded in 1973, Central Toronto Youth Services is an accredited children’s mental health centre serving youth throughout the Greater Toronto Region. CTYS operates 3 offices with Headquarters at Church and Wellesley Streets, and satellite locations on Adelaide Street and in Newmarket. CTYS also provides services in a number of schools within the Toronto District School Board and within the broader community. [ [http://www.mhsio.on.ca/DART/owalive/mhsio_org_info_v2.show_org?p_org=50283 Mental Health Service Information Ontario (MHSIO) - Online Service Directory - Central Toronto Youth Services ] ]

CTYS serves at risk youth aged 12 to 24, focusing on meeting the needs of the hardest to serve young people in Toronto.

ervice Philosophy

Mission Statement

"CTYS is a community-based Children’s Mental Health Centre at the forefront of servicing at-risk youth. We give youth a chance to recreate their lives in an environment where they are engaged, then challenged and nurtured to take control of their own destiny." [ [http://www.ctys.org CTYS - Central Toronto Youth Services ] ]

Vision

CTYS will be a leader in providing accessible, innovative services to at-risk youth and groundbreaking research to educate our community. Our efforts on all fronts are based in a belief in our young people, and enabled by a commitment to work collaboratively with partners in the community, including youth themselves.

Values

CTYS states as its values:

• The richness of diversity, • Client-centredness, • A seamless spectrum of flexible, relationship-based prevention and clinical services, • Accessibility – timeliness and location, • Innovation and leadership, • Knowledge and excellence, • Collaboration and partnerships, • Continuous learning, • Accountability, • Value and impact, • Passion, enthusiasm and respect, and • Human capital

History

In 1973 CTYS was incorporated and licensed as a Children’s Mental Health Centre.

In 1987 the Sexual Orientation and Youth Program (SOYP) of CTYS gained core-funding from MCSS, a unique status as the only core-funded program for lesbian, gay and bisexual youth in Canada.

In 2007 CTYS was hnoured at the City of Toronto Access, Equity and Human Rights Awards ceremony as recipients of the Pride Award for their work with Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Youth. [ [http://www.thestar.com/News/article/284822 TheStar.com | News | Community invigorated by advocates ] ] [ [http://www.toronto.ca/civicawards/2007winners.htm#pride City of Toronto: Access, Equity and Human Rights Awards 2007 winners ] ]

Leadership

Board of Directors

Central Toronto Youth Services is lead by a 9-member volunteer Board. Margaret Leitenberger, the retired Director of Children's Aid Society of Toronto's Toronto Branch, is the Chair of the Board. Other Board Directors include Dr. Ned McKeown, James LeNoury, Peter Chaban, Mary Murphy, Magda Zecevic, David Fung, Josh Bohnen, Brian O'Connor.

The Board of Directors exercises its authority within the Corporations Act of Ontario (R.S.O. 1990, Ch B. 16) and the By-Laws of the Corporation. The Board delegates the day-to-day operations of the agency, and the execution of the Strategic Plan to the Executive Director and a 3-member Director team.

Director Team

Ms. Heather Sproule, MSW is the Executive Director of CTYS. Over the past 17 years, Heather has served as the Founding Executive Director of Kids Help Phone, the National Executive Director of Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada and the first President, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Toronto. She joined Central Toronto Youth Services in April 2007.

Heather leads a 3-member Director team which includes Dr. Fred Mathews, Director of Research and Quality Assurance, Joan Marshall, Director of Administration and Human Resources and Irwin Elman, Director of Client Services and Community Development.

References

Publications

*Options: Control Problems and Alternatives to Section 8, 1975
*Priorities: The Effects of Funding Structures on Services to Adolescents In Ontario - A Proposal for Re-allocation of Resources, December 1976
*Mirror to the Night: A Psycho-Social Study of Adolescent Prostitution , 1986
*Often Invisible: Counselling Gay and Lesbian Youth, 1988 [ [http://www.ucalgary.ca/~ptrembla/homosexuality-suicide/Conference/notes.htm The Homosexuality Factor in the Youth Suicide Problem: Notes ] ]
*Pride and Prejudice: The life and times of gay and lesbian youth, 1992 [ [http://www.ucalgary.ca/~ptrembla/homosexuality-suicide/Conference/notes.htm The Homosexuality Factor in the Youth Suicide Problem: Notes ] ]
*No Safe Bed: lesbian and gay youth in residential services, 1993 [ [http://www.youth-suicide.com/gay-bisexual/journal.htm Journalists, Advocates, and Activists ] ]
*Opening Doors: Counseling lesbian and gay youth, 1994 [ [http://ohpe.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=93&Itemid=61 Ontario Health Promotion E-Bulletin ] ]

External links

* [http://www.ctys.org The Official Website of CTYS]
* [http://www.kidsmentalhealth.ca Children's Mental Health Ontario]