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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
With gloves, garbage bags and brooms in hand, youth and the Side Door Youth Centre staff took to 50 Street using the old rivalry of girls versus guys to get both sides of the street clean.

Katimavik volunteer Dylan Overacker, left, helped Julian Bekale and Devon Bauhaus who both attend the Side Door Youth Centre, to clean up 50 Street on Wednesday. - Heather Lange/NNSL photo

BHP Billiton, the operator of Ekati Diamond Mine located 300 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife, has teamed up with the Side Door Youth Centre to keep the notoriously dirty Yellowknife street, otherwise known as Range Street, clean.

BHP was approached by the City of Yellowknife three years ago when the company was looking to businesses to do their part in cleaning up the streets of Yellowknife and BHP has been cleaning 50 Street in the summer months ever since.

This year, they decided to partner with the Side Door Youth Centre, donating to the centre for their help in keeping 50 Street clean.

Katimavik volunteer Dylan Overacker,18, has been working as a volunteer at the Side Door Youth Centre for the past two weeks and was keeping the boys on task as they went along.

"I feel like I can make a difference," said Overacker.

Robert Beaulieu, community relations advisor for BHP Billiton said partnering with the Side Door Youth Centre is about helping fund the youth centre and instilling values in youth.

"It was to assist in their funding and to help instill a sense of pride and and having pride in a clean street," said Beaulieu.

Currently, BHP has expanded to three blocks, adding 49 Avenue from the Side Door Youth Centre, down 50 Street to 52nd Avenue, concentrating on the sidewalks on both sides of the street. The group goes out twice a month, filling three garbage bags on an average cleanup.

Gary Hubert, the executive director of the Side Door Youth Centre could see the benefits right away to getting the youth who access the Side Door programs involved.

"It's another type of life skill training we try to instill in the youth coming through our doors to lead them on to bigger and better things.

"For the youth, it's going to give them some self worth knowing they are doing good things for the community and giving them a sense of responsibility to help keep one of the city streets clean," said Hubert.

Hubert said some of the people who hang out on 50 Street have commented to the youth about the cleanup.

"Many people on the street have said 'thank you' and 'great job,' giving very encouraging words to the youth, that's nice to see," said Hubert.

Hubert said the funding that BHP contributes to the youth centre is used for their general programming and that they are planning to continue to do the cleanup until the first snowfall.

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