AT RISK YOUTH - POTENTIAL TROUBLE OR UNTAPPED POTENTIAL?

The Regent Park Youth Centre was originally developed as an idea that would serve to fill the void of after school activities which youth would be attracted to attend. The design was inspired by the Montessori Philosophy which states that spaces should be created for self exploration instead of pre-determined floor plans. This theory highlighted the importance of children having the freedom to explore on their own without being pushed into activities that do not interest them. Similarly, Lady Allen of Hurtwood stressed the importance of having an "organic playground". She believed in a space in which children could move things around and make them obedient to their own wills. Built entirely out of recycled materials, the Regent Park Youth Centre serves as a type of "assembled junkyard" where children can take on arts and crafts, dance, graffiti, skateboarding, and many other engaging activities contributing to their social, physical and emotional development. Taking into consideration that funding may be limited, the majority of the centre would be built out of reclaimed materials from the demolition of the Regent Park towers which are to come down as part of City of Toronto‘s plan to revitalize the neighbourhood. The centre would reuse bath tubs for planters in the greenhouse and rooftop, windows in their original frames to bring light in, doors as tabletops, cabinetry drawers to form storage walls for arts and crafts, garage doors to open up the painting area and assembly shop, etc.