The Pathway Project is almost gone, but it wonB次元官网网址檛 be forgotten.

The employment and life skills program, which has focused on at-risk youth in the community, closes its doors soon. A final reunion will be held Monday to celebrate the 49 groups and hundreds of youth that benefitted from the program over the past 13 years.

B次元官网网址淲e just wanted to have some kind of closure around that,B次元官网网址� said Pathway Project co-ordinator Randy Waldie. B次元官网网址淔or some of the youth (itB次元官网网址檚 been) a long time. Some have not lived in one place for six months (at a time). The physical building represents, for some, a place that is stable. Saying goodbye to it seemed the appropriate thing to do.B次元官网网址�

Changes made this year to government funding for youth employment left Pathway, which operated most recently under the WorkLink community employment centre on Sooke Road, without the money to continue.

Although many of the decorations and photographs that once lined the walls of its Goldstream Avenue office have already been taken down, meeting one last time B次元官网网址� amongst friends who share a common bond B次元官网网址� was an important part of the process of letting this B次元官网网址減iece of the fabric of the communityB次元官网网址� go, Waldie said.

B次元官网网址淲e built such a community with the youth over the years (that) we are in pretty regular contact with youth from just about every group. That is going back seven, eight years and even beyond that. One of our traditions with Pathway is work within a circle and we can sit in the circle one last time.B次元官网网址�

The free public event takes place at 847 Goldstream Ave., behind Tim HortonB次元官网网址檚 on July 28 between 4 and 6 p.m.

alim@vicnews.com