Local dignitaries, public health staff, community supporters and youth officially opened the East Kootenay Foundry in Cranbrook on Thursday, May 23.
The Foundry will provide accessible early intervention, mental health, substance use, peer support, primary care and social services to youth, age 12-24, in Cranbrook and the surrounding area.
The Ktunaxa and Kinbasket Child and Family Service Society will serve as the lead operating agency in partnership with public health programs and non-profit organizations.
The Foundry East Kootenay program is the first Indigenous-led Foundry out of the 16 programs currently in operation across the province. A further 18 Foundry projects are in development.
The Sookeani Singers opened the ceremony, which was followed by speeches from dignitaries and Foundry staff in front of a crowd of community supporters and donor partners.
The two-storey building at 100 12th Ave. S features spaces that include a large kitchen, consult and clinician rooms, laundry and shower facilities, harm reduction supplies and services, as well as youth gathering areas alongside many other amenities.
Most of the building’s design and colour scheme was led by a youth advisory committee.
Speaking on behalf of the committee, Isabella Willoughby said the Foundry East Kootenay will provide important resources for local youth.
“The greatest act of love you can show to yourself and those closest to you, is advocating for yourself,” said Willoughby. “Foundry East Kootenay provides opportunity for young individuals to voice their personal needs in a judgment free environment, where professional support and guidance is provided to help youth progress.”
The Foundry building has been named “t̓ikxawiȼikimik” — a Ktunaxa phrase meaning “for all things to be connected.”
Calvin Domin, who single handedly raised $40,000 for the Foundry East Kootenay project by running from Sparwood to Cranbrook overnight in 2020, cut the ribbon alongside local youth to officially open the facility.
The East Kootenay Foundation for Health launched a significant fundraising campaign, working with community resident and business donors to raise $2.3 million.
“One of the most amazing things about this community and this area is the overwhelming support for projects such as t̓ikxawiȼikimik. Over 1,000 residents, business owners, non-profits and sports teams contributed and donated. We cannot thank you enough,” said Colin Sinclair, chief administrative officer with the KKCFSS.
Nasukin Jason Louie with Yaqan nu?kiy (Lower Kootenay Band) spoke about growing up in poverty and how that shaped the way he would dream.
“The saddest part of that story I told you, I’m not the sad part,” Louie said. “The sad part of that story is my peers, because I wasn’t the only rez [reserve] kid living in a broken home. Many of them didn’t make it. Many of them took their own lives. Many of them overdosesd. Many of them drank themselves to death. That’s the sad part of the story.
“We could only dream of a facility like this back in those days because it was unheard of. So today, to the youth that are present, please do not be afraid to come through these doors. This place is here to help you, to guide you, to mentor you.”
The province contributed $800,000 towards the Foundry East Kootenay program, and has earmarked $75 million to expand and enhance Foundry services across B.C. over the next three years.
“The youth-focused mental-health and addiction interventions offered through Foundry Cranbrook will connect young people in this community with wraparound, evidence-based health care,” said Grace Lore, Minister of Children and Family Development, in a news release. “Tailored, integrated services like those delivered through Foundry improve the health and well-being of our young people and our communities.”
