Celebrating 25 Years of Serving Youth-At-Risk
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Building Foundations for Youth

Living Rock offers youth-at-risk a place of belonging, safety, and a bridge to the community, while supporting youth to develop a personal vision for their lives. Living Rock is located in downtown Hamilton at 30 Wilson St. (at Hughson).

Rev. Alan Craig Founder and director of Living Rock Ministries. He is an ordained minister, trained chaplain and musician. His personal background on the streets and employment experience working in ministry, addictions and corrections have equipped him for this outreach. There is a powerful anointing on his speaking and music ministry Al has recently joined together with Suzie Chiodo to write his book, Living Rock: Between Me & a Hard Place. Please click Here to find out more.

Karen Craig Karen Craig (BA/BSW) is a social worker in addictions with a youth specialty. She speaks to groups and women's ministries.

Who are street-involved youth

They are youth who find their identity on the street. They seldomly trust traditional forms of support; including their families, social services, schools or churches.
Hungering for fun and friendship, these children roam the halls of our schools and the streets of our cities in pursuit of meaningful human bonds. The tragedy is that, for many, their only option is to seek out relationships with other outcast and unclaimed youth. (Reclaiming Youth at Risk)

A Portrait of ‘lost’ youth showed that 67% of street youth are abused on the street, 80% use drugs and alcohol, 43% attempted suicide, 83% were not in school.1
72% of male adolescent prostitutes have been physically or emotionally abused by family members.2
75% of female adolescent runaways in Toronto experienced childhood sexual abuse.3
The primary reason street youth gave for leaving home was an ongoing or a trigger episode of conflict with parents or caregivers.4
There is a 30% drop out rate in Ontario schools.5
More than 100 teenagers (age 15 to 19) become pregnant every day.6

1. Addiction Research Foundation/ Hospital for Sick Kids, Toronto Star (95/03/04))
2. vis-à-vis quoted Children of the Night: A Study of Adolescent Prostitution
3. vis-à-vis quoted Adolescent Runaways - Causes and Consequences
4. HIV Prevalence in Toronto Street Youths
5. R. Smart
6. Impact and Benefits of Physical Activity and Recreation on Canadian Youth at Risk

"If it wasn't for The Rock, I would not have made it in Hamilton and I would have gone back to drugs and alcohol." ~ Street Youth