Important!
The Youth Centre serves youth, ages 13 - 19 in Ajax and Pickering. The exceptions to this are for the prenatal and young parent programs and for our special needs drop-in.

Our phone number is blocked, so if we call your house the name of the Centre or our phone number will not be displayed. The Youth Centre does not use caller ID.

General
The Youth Centre is a non-profit charitable community health centre for teens living in Ajax and Pickering. We are funded by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care and provide a range of medical and counselling services and health promotion programs, consistent with the broad determinants of health, including employment, social supports, education and income level.

We are one of 56 community health centers (CHC) across the Province, all of which have multidisciplinary teams of service providers including physicians, nurse practitioners, social workers/counsellors, health promoters and community workers. The Youth Centre is proud to have been accredited by Community Organizational Health Inc.

For more information about CHC's, please go to the Association of Ontario Health Centres' website www.aohc.org.

Mission
The Youth Centre is a community health centre accessible to all youth of Ajax and Pickering. Our inter-disciplinary team of professionals offer health and wellness programs in a non-judgmental environment. We provide youth the opportunity to make informed choices that lead toward their personal growth and well-being.

Vision
Youth in Ajax and Pickering will have access to programs that assist them to make informed choices that lead toward their personal growth and well-being. The Youth Centre, a not-for-profit organization governed by a Board of Directors, will achieve this through:

• provision of programs and services by an inter-disciplinary team of professionals and others who have the appropriate combination of knowledge and skills to meet the needs of youth
• provision of the first level of care, including health promotion and illness prevention, health assessments, diagnosis and treatment of episodic and chronic conditions, appropriate referrals, and supportive care
• a high standard of care, consistent with established best practice
• multiple, accessible service sites and outreach programming
• multiple communications strategies
• partnerships with health and youth-serving agencies, businesses and other organizations in Ajax and Pickering
• a diversified funding base.

Values and Principles
We believe that each youth is a unique and valued member of the community and will therefore be treated with respect, openness and care.

We will create a non-judgmental, confidential and trusting environment.

We support the diversity of our communities. We will strive to ensure programs and services are accessible to all youth of Ajax and Pickering.

We strive to ensure access to current information and services, consistent with the broad determinants of health, and support the rights and ability of youth to take responsibility for their own health and health care choices.

Funded by: The Central East Local Health Integration Network