Staff
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is organizing over 30 Hockey Challenge events across the province in partnership with local communities to raise awareness about youth homelessness.
The Hockey Challenge events began in December and will run through March. Rogers Sportsnet will produce a feature airing on February 18, Hockey Day in Canada, that highlights the Hockey Challenge and the OPP’s involvement with The Push for Change.
The Grey County OPP hockey challenge event is scheduled to take place on February 16, from 1 – 2:30 p.m. at the Meaford Community Centre, between OPP officers and Georgian Bay Community School students.
As part of its community safety partnership with The Push for Change, the OPP is mobilizing and engaging with youth and various stakeholders in more than 170 community-based events such as hockey games and community meals. These events raise awareness about the risk factors and vulnerabilities affecting homeless youth, while fostering positive connections between the OPP, youth, families, stakeholders, and communities.
The Push for Change is a national awareness and youth empowerment campaign focused on ending youth homelessness. From May 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017, Joe Roberts – a former street youth turned successful entrepreneur – is pushing a shopping cart 9,000 km across Canada to raise awareness of and to help end youth homelessness.
The OPP Push for Change Hockey Challenge helps create positive momentum and multiplies efforts to educate people about and eliminate youth homelessness, one community at a time.
“The Push for Change is a perfect opportunity to engage with community stakeholders and partners to spread awareness about homeless youth and help mitigate the underlying risk factors that lead to the vulnerability of homelessness,” said J.V.N. (Vince) Hawkes, OPP Commissioner.
“Having the OPP as a community safety partner helps both our organizations engage Ontario communities with a shared message on what we need to do to prevent, reduce, and end youth homelessness.”
“Each year Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada features positive initiatives across the country where hockey can help make a difference and The Push for Change is a great example of how the OPP and Joe Roberts are making an impact,” noted Joel Darling, Executive Producer, NHL Special Events – Rogers Sportsnet Hockey.
Information about The Push for Change campaign is available at www.thepushforchange.com.
Further information about the OPP Push for Change community safety partnership may be found at http://www.opp.ca.
