Rambling Rat

Tim is currently on his second adventure connecting the Arctic to the Antarctic, he will be traveling by ship to Antarctica at the end of 2010

Young British Philanthropist Tim Dennis is interviewed by BBC Reporter Willie Johnston about his Around the World adventure concept called the RamblingRat Project benefiting Street Kids International.

Around the World on a Mac (The official Apple Store Event)

You’ll enjoy this! It’s a short (9:30) movie I  created  as a celebration of what has been achieved by going around the world promoting the work of Street Kids International.

The opportunity to also present this movie in key Apple Mac stores is a great way to promote individual freedom and raise awareness into issues of marginalized youth worldwide.

I changed my life to empower others, and you can change a young person’s life too forever.

Here’s how you can help: It costs about £35 ($60) to train a street child, to equip him or her with the tools to give them the opportunity for the kind of  future that they can only dream of.

Please help me to help Street Kids by following this link Donate

“Dylan the Rat” The RamblingRat theme song

The RamblingRat project arrives in Sackville New Brunswick Canada to meet folk musician Pat Le Poidevin. Pat plays to RadioRatcast to promote awareness into marginalized youth from around the world. Pat plays “Dylan the Rat” a song that is about the RamblingRat projects lead character “Dylan” who is a lovable cartoon rat who helps all the rats in need that he meets on his travels around the world. This has inspired the CJ Skatepark in Canada to use “Dylan” in a new book that will help kids to learn how to skateboard safely. Pat has an exceptional voice and his love of playing the Ukulele really shows. Most of Pats work is inspired by children’s stories that just come to him in his sleep.

Port Hawkesbury Canada

Jimmy Rankin plays his single “Slipping Away” to raise awareness of streetKids International.
Jimmy plays to Radio Ratcast in Port Hawkesbury Nova Scotia Canada which is Tim Dennis’s media channel for the RamblingRat overland project.

For more information about Jimmy Rankin and his new Album “Edge of Day” www.jimmyrankin.com

Tim Dennis meets up with the man who inspired him to travel the world.

A Travellin’ Man

When Scotland native Tim Dennis was looking for a new direction in life he didn’t know the answer would be in a Tilley hat.

But that’s exactly where he found it.

A label in the hat for street kids international sent him off on a journey around the globe to talk to and bring awareness too the global problem of homeless youth.

Article by Angela Pezzotti
Soonews.ca www.soonews.ca

Tanner and Tim’s story “Sound quality is a bit poor with the wind oops”

I met up with Tim at lunch on Sunday in the shelter in the soup kitchen, Not to be confused with me but another Tim a lively lad now with a life full of hope, Tim shared his story with me of how he ended up staying in his friend Tanners shed for a couple of weeks to get away from a worsening home situation, eventually he came to realize that the Homeless shelter was his only option for him, he spent a month in the shelter and got connected with The Children’s Aid Society’s Outreach Youth Worker “Marcel Nigro” they have helped him get himself on his feet and find him somewhere to live and prospects for a better future, Tim has his own dreams of being an actor and he told me that he is creative and is looking to utilize these gifts. 

Thank you Tanner “Have and Tim for allowing me to interview you both for the RamblingRat Project, you are ambassadors for youth.

Youth Outreach Services “Thunderbay”   Children’s Aid Society   www.thunderbaycas.ca

I met up with Marcel Nigro who works for The Children’s Aid Society and has been working in the local thunderbay community with street youth for the last 14 years as an outreach worker he is totally committed to his work and has some good ideas of how he would like to create a youth street directory for youth all over Canada to give them access to all their essential needs and rights. What a great idea Marcel. 

I would like to thank Marcel for hooking me up to speak to the local street youth community. 

An Overview

The Outreach Program was developed to meet the diverse needs of youth at risk who have a variety of issues that are not being met. The fundamental purpose of the program is to enhance all aspects of these youths’ lives, including their physical, social and emotional development. The Outreach Program’s aim is to reach youth who have “fallen through the cracks” of traditional service programs, connecting them with services that they may be unaware of or have had difficulties accessing. The Outreach Worker’s challenge is to guide and support these youth back into the use of traditional and non-traditional supports and services. Through the use of these supports, youth at risk will be able to achieve a more productive and meaningful lifestyle.

We made a stop over the weekend to visit Shelter House in Thunderbay Ontario Canada, We arrived on Sunday and was lucky to be invited into the Shelter by operations manager Wojciech Czupryski, i was shown around and had lunch with many of the homeless local folk in the city, the soup kitchen that day was manned by the volunteer police trainee’s and they had made a good job of preparing the days food which is donated from the local community.

Shelter House Thunder Bay

Shelter House began its operation in 1980 under the name Thunder Bay Emergency Shelter, when several concerned individuals recognized a need to provide overnight shelter against the cold winter nights. It was originally built to service a ‘temporary’ homeless problem. In 1984, Thunder Bay Emergency Shelter became incorporated and was relocated to the corner of Victoria and Simpson Streets. This building was constructed by volunteers on a limited budget, using donated materials. Upon completion, 28 male beds and seven female beds were available. Two youth focused dorms for 5 males and 5 females.

Our Mission

Shelter House is a temporary and transitional service that exists to provide short term relief to those people in need of shelter, food, clothing, and to support access to the resources and services these people require in order to improve their own capacity to meet their basic needs.

Shelter House is guided by the following principles and values:

1. There is a collective responsiblity to help people in need.

2. All people have self worth and are deserving of respect and dignity

3. All people have the right to adequate shelter, food and clothing

4. All people has the right to make choices about their lives.

5. Both the individual and the community benefit from our work.

6. Poverty, injustice and oppression are social problems not a result of individual failings.

7. Through our work we can affect change to eliminate poverty, injustice and oppression.

8. We do not work in isolation to affect this social change.

The Vision of Shelter House is to create a caring community whereby people are able to meet their basic needs.

We work to ensure that:

Peoples basic needs are met

People who are homeless or a risk of homelessness are supported to move forward in ways that they choose.

The community, governments and policy makers are more aware of the root cause of poverty and homelessness and the resulting impact on people and our society.

Shelter House …

acts as a lifeline for hundreds of men, women, and youth. People come to the Shelter to have their basic needs met. These men, women and youth are often struggling through an emotional or financial crisis. Shelter House is often their last hope for help and assistance.

To contact Shelter house their web site is www.shelterhouse.on.ca

I would like to thank Shelter House for inviting me and allowing the press to raise local awareness into youth homeless issues.  Thank you Cal and Lucus

Executive Director:  

Cal Rankin  

E-mail:  shed@tbaytel.net

Marketing & Development

 Lucas Jewitt

E-mail:  marketing@shelterhouse.on.ca

Tim Dennis visits the MacDonald Youth Shelter in “Winnipeg”

Tim Dennis is traveling the world to raise awareness and support for the challenges facing street kids.  Tim, who hales from Scotland has been in Canada since November 2008 spreading the word and doing it while driving a home on wheels throughout his travels “for the kids”.  While meeting with the media and staff at the MYS campus Winnipeg, Tim shared timely information and made us all even more aware about the risk kids take when they head to the streets and some of the reasons they do it.  Tim was also impressed with out own YRC and the work we do at MYS. 

MYS takes this opportunity to wish Tim all our best in his travels.  Should any one want further information about MYS contact www.mys.ca or this link about todays events with photos. 

Click the below link to see more of Tim’s visit to MacDonald Youth Services

www.mys.ca/newsevents-releases.php?entry_id=2359

History

MacDonald Youth Services (MYS) was established in 1929 under the official name of Sir John MacDonald Memorial Hostel, A magistrate and advocate for youth,Hugh John MacDonald would often go out of his way to find jobs for young offenders and was known to give homeless offenders tempory shelter in his own home.

After his passing his legacy is continued in honor of his name, 75 years on and  providing services to youth families and the community. 

Youth Resource Centre and Shelter

The YRC/Shelter offers short term, overnight,emergency shelter to youth 12 to 17 years old. Crisis intervention counseling, case management, food, clothing and hygiene needs are all services offered to youth 12 to 20 years of age on a walk in basis.

RamblingRat benefiting streetKids International

I would like to thank all the staff at the MacDonald centre for allowing me to visit your facility and having so many press and TV people trudge around, it was obvious that this is a very clean friendly and well run shelter. 

Special thanks for setting this up

Leila Dance                                        

External Relations Specialist                               

Macdonald Youth Services                   

175 Mayfair Ave.                          
Winnipeg, MB R3L 0A1
ph: 204.949.6527
fax: 204.284.4431
leila.dance@mys.mb.ca

Cynthia Drebot   Coordiator    cynthia.drebot@mys.mb.ca    

Bruce Henry   Camera and Video and for being my accommodation sponsor for Winnipeg.