MAPLE RIDGE, BRITISH COLUMBIA

Community mapping presentation 2011

By: Melina Dale

Maple Ridge Located 45 KM east of Vancouver, Maple Ridge is a small town that is well known for its beautiful scenery and countryside. This

town is full of people ranging from all different races, genders, and ages. Together, this community can accomplish great things. Although, there are a few things within the

community that could use some work.

STRENGHTS AND ASSETS.

GREG MOORE YOUTH CENTRE The Greg Moore youth centre provides a safe

place for youth to be rather than out roaming the streets. It contains a calibre gymnasium, swimming pools, a sauna, rauqetball courts,

and a games room. The youth centre is open daily and provides many other services for

youth in the community other than fitness and fun.

Other services the Greg Moore Youth Centre offers include :

Friday night dances for teens aged 12-18

Leadership courses

Babysitting courses

Youth Outreach Initiative Program

Movie Nights

Basketball Soccer

Skateboarding

Rock Climbing

Counselling

Social Services of Maple Ridge The ministry of family services and development has

an office in Maple Ridge for children and families who are not functioning to their full potential. I made a visit to this office to find more information about what programs they offer to families and teens who are seeking help. When I entered this office I felt very comfortable as I was immediately greeted by the receptionist. I noticed many posters directed towards teenagers about sex, drugs, and smoking. As I was talking to the receptionist she informed me of a few places and programs which help the teens and families who go there on a regular basis.

IRON HORSE SAFE HOUSE The Iron horse safe house is one of the places

that the receptionist at family services told me about. This is a safe house for teenagers aged 13-18. It is a five bedroom house which opened on June 15, 2005. Over 640 teens have stayed in the safe house since then. The safe house

provides a bed, shelter, and food for those who can not have it provided or provide it for

themselves. Teens can stay there for up to one month as long as they follow the rules of no

drug and alcohol use and a 9 o`clock curfew.

Counselling

The receptionist at family services mentioned that many families get referred to family counselling. Some counselling agencies which she told me about include:

• Generate hope counselling services• New hope counselling• Touch stone counselling

Teen Parent Program

Maple Ridge Secondary School provides a program for teen parents who wish to

complete their high school education. The teens can take self-paced or regular paced courses through the school while they are

provided with free, fully licensed daycare on the school grounds.

MEALS ON WHEELS

Meals on wheels is a program that delivers meals to the elderly or disabled who live independently. Meals are delivered Monday through Friday between 11:30 am and 1:00 pm. Extra meals can be provided for holidays and other special events. Participants in this program receive each meal for only $6.50. All meals are hot, nutritious and have been prepared by the Maple Ridge Senior Centre.

St. George Anglican Street Ministry Through the help of many volunteers ,

St .George`s can provide soup or a hot meal, sandwiches and coffee to over fifty homeless people every Saturday evening, throughout

the whole year.

The Salvation Army The Salvation Army is a great help for many of the

underprivileged people in Maple Ridge. The Salvation Army helps provide shelter and clothing for those who cannot afford it. They will soon be building a `Salvation Army Caring Place` for families who do not have a comfortable or safe home to live in. There is a salvation army store in Maple Ridge which collects clothes for the less fortunate as well as sells them, with the profits going towards those who need it most.

COMMUNITY CLEANING The Maple Ridge community has many homeless and drug

addicted people running around its streets. Because of this, there are parts of the city that have been very run down

and not kept up to par. People generally try to avoid these areas but, not too long ago the Maple Ridge council bought

10 run down properties. They tore town the houses and other infrastructure on these properties and are now

prepping them for new houses. While much of the population believes this would be a better spot for new

stores or a new shopping center, the majority of the community is happy that these run down houses in the

heart of the city are finally gone.

Diversity in the Community Maple Ridge is a very diverse community. From the people, to the shops and restaurants you will never find anything or anyone

who is the same. Most people in this community accept the diversity and the fact that everyone has the same rights,

although there is a select few people who do not agree with that. Personally, I enjoy the fact that I can go into this community and meet new people of all different ethnicities. I also enjoy that

in the community you can experience all different kinds of culture. There are Chinese stores that sell tradition Chinese art,

your tradition American clothing stores, and all different types of places to eat such as: Thai food, Greek food, Japanese food,

Italian food, Chinese food, and American food.

Events and Holidays

Events and Holidays really seem to bring this community together. Weather its the Olympics or Canada Day, there always seems to be some sort of celebration. The community puts on many events such as concerts, festivals, and family gatherings throughout the year. They host these events at memorial park, a small park beside the municipal hall. Thousands of people come out to these events with their families and friends and have a great time!

Helping Ourselves, Help Others As mentioned earlier, Maple Ridge has many homeless

and drug addicted people wandering its streets. One of the main reasons for this is that there are very few places that they can go to receive help and shelter. Maple Ridge is in desperate need of a rehabilitation center for those who wish to receive the much needed help. Although there is many people who do not want the help there is just as many that do, but are clueless on how to receive it. It needs to be made clear to these people that help is available.

Bullying I have been told, and witnessed myself that bullying is a large

problem in this community. There are many children who are not as fortune as others and they seem to be put down an awful lot because of it. People are also bullied because of family traditions, their ethnicities, etc. Bullying generally starts in schools and is then carried out in more serious and violent matters. I think the schools in this community must take bullying as more of a serious offence than they currently are. Perhaps, they could have classes that teach kids the effects that bullying can have on children. They could also teach the children about other cultures and why things are that way in certain cultures. I think that would help the bullying situation in this community quite a bit.

More Shops, More Jobs The Maple Ridge community is growing quickly. With

the rapid rate that it is growing at, there is more people than jobs. Many people in the community must commute to other communities in order to work. There is currently two very small malls in this community. Maple Ridge needs a new shopping center. The community has been told for years that they will be receiving one but, it has yet to happen. New houses continue to be built and if the city council doesn’t decide to build the new shopping center soon, this city will soon be very over populated.

CRIME RATE The crime rate in this community has been rapidly climbing

within the past few months. Lately there has been many crimes ranging from armed robbery and theft to manslaughter and seventeen-eighteen year old boys being stabbed. When asked, citizens of the community said that “it is absolutely ridiculous, the police really need to step up their enforcement” and “its so sad to hear about everything that is happening, you would think it would be an eye-opener to the general public”. The crime rate has gotten so bad that there have even been incidents of teens being “jumped” outside of the police station.

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