COVID-19 outbreak affecting work with at-risk youth

Mar 16, 2020 | Features, News

Keep6ix is a non-profit organization with a goal of helping at-risk youth choose a better path in life (Sydnee Walcott)
Sydnee Walcott

With the COVID-19 outbreak becoming more serious, at-risk youth are starting to feel the effects with programs that are aimed at helping them do better at life are either being cancelled or postponed.

Keep6ix, which does work in helping at-risk youth through mentorship and employment programs, including connecting young people to the construction trades, has had to cancel meetings and programs and place them on hold due to the outbreak.

It comes at a time when COVID-19 has closed schools and libraries and events across the GTA are being cancelled or postponed to help stop the spread of the virus.

Richard Miller, the founder of Keep6ix, is concerned about the outbreak because it’s more difficult to reach out to those who need them.

“The fact that a lot of people are concerned, we try our best to still gain contact with individuals in the community via telephone,” said Miller.

“I’m hoping that this is something that doesn’t prolong very long and we’re able to ride it out and get through it smoothly,” said Miller.

Miller said he was inspired to create Keep6ix after experiencing racial discrimination in the justice system after he was incarcerated.

“I created Keep6ix to address what’s really going on and to make a change in young people’s lives and prevent them from going through the system to experience what I have experienced,” said Miller.