900 Dufferin Street, Dufferin Mall Unit 72 Toronto Ontario M6H 4A9 (416) 535-1140 (416) 535-9212
HONOURABLE MENTION FOR 1996
Dufferin Mall Youth Services (DMYS) is a multi-faceted storefront program for youth. It represents a unique partnership between 11 social service agencies and the business community. One of the first community services to open in Dufferin Mall, it has set an example for others to follow. Services are accessible, culturally sensitive and tailored to the needs of youth and their families.
The concept of shared responsibility for community is the underlying philosophy of the DMYS program. Eleven social service agencies pool their resources to provide essential counselling and support. The mall provides space rent-free. The business community believes that the better the quality of neighbourhood life, the better the business environment. This reciprocal relationship is the backbone of the DMYS concept.
Dufferin Mall Youth Services is at the forefront of community programming which has led the mall to become a model for city planners and social workers from around the world. DMYS is one of the many programs that have sprung up in the past several years in Dufferin Mall, contributing to the innovative town-centre approach.
