Montreal black youth group launches 'Keep DESTA alive' campaign
Little Burgundy community organization scrambling to raise $20K by June 21
Cineus Barkley Jr. says he owes his success as a 29-year-old business man to the eight years he's spent involved with the DESTA Black Youth Network.
Now, the community-based organization considered a lifeline for many black youth in Montreal is fighting to keep its doors open.
DESTA serves marginalized youth ages 18 to 25 and operates several programs, from helping dropouts graduate school to counseling services to job and housing resources.
The organization, founded in 2006, underwent several changes in the last year including adding a new executive director and board members.
"It's made it very hard for us to bring in funding that we normally are able to bring in," Cineus Jr., who is a DESTA board member and became involved with the group as a 21-year-old participant.
"We have great staff at DESTA, but you can't ask people to work for free," he added.
'It would be sad that other youth wouldn't get the chance'
Now faced with a $20,000 shortfall, the organization is hoping to raise that money through three events within the next month.
The campaign kicks off Saturday at 4 p.m. with a community BBQ, followed by a basketball tournament and ending with the annual DESTA FEST on June 21.
"When you are a product of an organization and the support it has given you, you want to see it continue to support individuals like my brothers and sisters and other people in the community," Cineus Jr. told CBC Montreal's Daybreak.
Cineus Jr. said he benefited from the organization's entrepreneurship program.
"I was able to start a transport service where now I can employ my peers," he said
The owner of Boom J's Cuisine, a Jamaican restaurant near Little Burgundy that will serve food at the BBQ, came through the same program, according to Cineus Jr.
Looking back on his own experiences, Cineus Jr. said he knows how difficult it would be for youth to regain momentum if DESTA were to close its doors.
"When you have youth that are still coming and doing these programs, it's hard to just stop… and say 'OK well, we don't have the funding yet' — especially when you're dealing with my peers that face a lot of disappointment in their lives," Cineus Jr. said.
"It would be sad that other youth wouldn't get the chance to also get that support."
For more information, visit the KEEP DESTA ALIVE Facebook event.
With files from CBC Daybreak