New to North 性视界传媒 is a different kind of bistro where young people gather, learn restaurant skills and enjoy food and beverages for free.

A 鈥渉omecoming鈥� event was held Feb. 7 at , with a red carpet, appetizers, mocktails and the organization鈥檚 signature pies.

Fuelled by fundraising efforts, the drop-in space was two years in the making, according to Bobbi-Rhea Mackie, co-founder and executive director of youth social house.

The bistro offers job skills, employment programs and a gathering place for young people who might be struggling in at-risk situations, she explained.

鈥淓verything here is free for young people, and it is run under the leadership of adults,鈥� Mackie told the Now-Leader.

鈥淵ou鈥檒l see young people serving young people,鈥� she added. 鈥淵oung people prepare all the food, all of the chores, cleaning, bussing, serving, running the POS system (point of sale), it鈥檚 a full youth-led bistro. Everything we serve on the menu is made from scratch, down to our dressings, and our kids are doing all that. It鈥檚 kind of a beautiful thing.鈥�

Mackie said youth in the job-skills program earn 鈥渋ncentives鈥� for every shift worked, for 鈥淕uildford mall cards, things that kids need or want, phone minutes, sometimes grocery cards, bus passes. We also employ nine of our alums, often young people more toward the age of 19 through 24.鈥�

The bistro was built after Mackie鈥檚 Place had to vacate from space at a nearby church more than two years ago, on short notice.

In North 性视界传媒, 鈥渋t鈥檚 not easy to find new space, so it鈥檚 been a journey to get here, and we鈥檙e just so grateful,鈥� Mackie said.

鈥淲hat was amazing is that for the last two-and-a-half years, we鈥檝e been able to pivot and partner with different organizations in 性视界传媒, and we鈥檙e currently running out of five different sites,鈥� she added.

鈥淎t the bistro we鈥檒l be able to have our doors open Monday through Friday with different levels of programming, doing different things on different days. Our goal is to open seven days a week. It鈥檚 all due to funding, because we鈥檙e a privately-funded organization鈥�. We started with a budget of $7,000 seven years ago and our budget is now $1.5 million.鈥�

To benefit Mackie鈥檚 Place, Beedie Cares has launched . Led by Ryan and Cindy Beedie, the foundation pledges to match all donations up to $70,000, for a potential $140,000, by the end of 2024.

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from on .

On the Vimeo platform, the new bistro is shown in this month.

The total project budget was $325,000, including leasehold improvements, appliances, furniture, signage, tech equipment, moving costs and more.

鈥淚t鈥檚 professional, the same caliber as a coffee shop around the corner,鈥� Mackie raved. 鈥淲e鈥檙e so proud that we have had a community to back us to create this space for them. When the kids walk in, they just are so excited and feel cared for. They鈥檒l say that it feels like a second home, a safe space, and that鈥檚 what we wanted to create.鈥�

Mackie鈥檚 Place was born 鈥渙ut of two women鈥檚 lives that had been transformed by the radical love of God,鈥� according to .

鈥滻n 2014, Bobbi-Rhea and Favian (Kleine, director of care) were sitting together in Favian鈥檚 home dreaming of how they could support young people in our city,鈥� the website says. 鈥淭hey chatted about injustice and the tragedies that so many young people are facing in our own backyard.鈥�

The previous night, Mackie had watched a 鈥�20/20鈥� episode featuring Urban Promise, an organization in Camden, New Jersey, which she had interned with as a young woman. Urban Promise aims to help kids, youth and their families in the inner-city.

鈥淔or many years, Bobbi-Rhea would watch the annual feature on the organization and weep, knowing that one day she wanted to be back on the ground seeking change for the at-risk community,鈥� the website says. 鈥淟ikewise, Favian had a vision for at-risk youth in our city and had begun drafting a plan. Her vision was a youth hub that would be a platform for an idea that she had long been brewing in her heart.

鈥淭his idea would bridge families from diverse communities to walk together, encouraging both parties to grow, be challenged, and ultimately transformed. From that day forward, the heart of Mackie鈥檚 Place began.鈥�