The Youth Project will hold its annual “Game of Life” community outreach event at Canyon High School’s Main Gym on Tuesday, March 3, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Sponsored by the Santa Clarita Valley-based nonprofit Youth Project, Game of Life has been going strong for nine years and hopes to expand to more schools in the coming years but will end with Golden Valley in mid-April.

At least 14 youth-focused agencies in the SCV and surrounding areas come together for a day-long activity dedicated to helping teens help themselves learn how to cope in stressful or crisis situations.

Students in 9th and/or 10th grade will spend their PE class participating by partnering with fellow classmates to problem-solve real-life scenarios by visiting each of the agencies in the room connected with that particular situation.

For example, teens needing to solve a crisis situation involving substance abuse could visit The Way Out Recovery; or kids seeking tutoring or after school programs could visit the City of Santa Clarita or the Boys & Girls Club. If kids need extra support with anxiety or unhealthy relationships, they can visit the Youth Project or Child and Family Center.

Each scenario allows the students to visit various agencies and receive information and resources for all types of services including mental health, LGBTQ, domestic violence, family planning, sexual assault, health and wellness, substance abuse, and more.

“Many years ago, our agency recognized that part of helping kids day-to-day with the stress and anxiety they feel, is to help them themselves in ‘future crisis situations,’” said Kim Goldman, Youth Project executive director.

“Se we decided to create our own community resource opportunity and invite colleagues that work with the same population and educate them head-on so they are better equipped,” Goldman said. “The stories we use are pulled from our files, which really allows for the participants to get a real-life feel and then a real-life response and resolution. (I am) super proud of how serious the kids take this and how much they get out of the experience.”

The Game of Life started in 2011 on Canyon High School campus and has grown to include Golden Valley and Hart High School.

Each year different organizations that can directly address situations that young teens are dealing with on a daily basis are invited to attend, including but not limited to Action, The Way Out Recovery, The city of Santa Clarita, the Boys & Girls Club, the SCV Pregnancy Center, Strength United, Samuel Dixon Health Center, Bridge to Home, the SCV Food Pantry, the Youth Project, the California Highway Patrol, the LGBT Center (Los Angeles and San Fernando), the Department of Child and Family Services, the Child and Family Center/Domestic Violence Center, the LA County Sheriff and school-based counselors.

“It’s amazing to watch how young people process crisis, and actually what they consider a crisis to be, and then to help them find the resources to solve their problem,“ said Anita Lombardi, Youth Project board president.

The Youth Project is celebrating more than 20 years of successfully providing free services to teens in the Santa Clarita Valley. Since its doors opened in 2000, the Youth Project has assisted more than 35,000 local families, including 29,000 youth and 5,500 adults. In 2018/2019, with services on six high school and four junior high campuses, the Youth Project provided more than 3,000 hours of service to more than 1,000 young adults in the SCV who faced serious life challenges, including depression, suicide, grief/loss, peer pressure and drug/alcohol abuse.

About the Youth Project
The Youth Project helps kids facing such serious issues as drug/alcohol abuse, anger, family issues, peer pressure, grief/loss, domestic violence, bullying, suicide, depression, etc. The Youth Project offers free, bilingual, one-to-one or group counseling, and provides outreach and education at junior high and high school campuses in the Santa Clarita Valley. For more information, about the SCV Youth Project, visit www.HelpNotHassle.org.