ELORA – Sivahar Thiyagarajah shared his story of struggling with addiction and receiving support from Portage during a community lunch and learn here on April 14.
“As soon as I got here I was welcomed with open arms,” he said – and he quickly noticed “all the opportunities Portage provided.”
Portage is a non-profit organization that has supported tens of thousands of people with addiction services since 1973.
The Elora location opened in 1985. It offers residential, voluntary addiction rehabilitation, free of charge, to youth from across Ontario.
Funding comes from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies, and the Portage Foundation of Ontario.
The facility has the capacity for about 35 youth.
“Portage has a policy that we will not turn anyone away,” said director of development Sourav Addy in a phone call with the Advertiser.
“Anyone coming in, they get treated immediately… if they are a fit and we can be of service to them,” he said, noting there are “no waitlists” because “these kids are in crisis.”
He added if support is not offered immediately “things can happen,” like the kids can end up incarcerated, or worse, “in a morgue.”
Associate director Ashley-Ann Maginnis said the purpose of the lunch and learn is to provide the community an opportunity to see how Portage is “influencing and changing lives of the youth in Ontario.”
Stacylee Jourdain, director of Elora Portage, said the facility uses a therapeutic community model to support youth ages 14 to 18 “who are living with substance use disorders.”
The residential portion of the program is six months long, followed by 18 months of aftercare, or longer as needed, Jourdain said.
“Social reintegration is very critical,” she noted – “preparing them to go back into communities and to be successful.”
Sivahar Thiyagaraja and other Portage residents in Elora proudly displayed their living quarters to visitors, where beds are all neatly made, and clothes and belongings are folded and arranged carefully on shelves. Photo by Robin George
Thiyagarajah, or “Siv”, as everyone calls him, understands this.
“Once you get out of here, that’s when the real journey begins,” he said.
Residents are taught “21 competencies – everything you need to know to fit into the community,” Thiyagarajah said, noting he “never really learned those things” before coming to Portage.
“When I get out of here, I want to become a paramedic,” he said.
“Everything is one step at a time,” he noted, and he hopes to begin working at a hospital next year.
“Portage is really flexible for the things they will do to help with your sobriety.”
Siv’s journey
As a child of immigrants, Thiyagarajah said he struggled with his identity in elementary school and “started getting bullied in Grade 5,” and then “started using in Grade 7.”
He said things just kept getting worse until Grade 12, when “it got out of control.
“I felt alone and desperate,” he said, but fortunately he “had an amazing probation officer who advocated for me to come to Portage.”
At Portage, Thiyagarajah said he has been able to discuss things he’s never spoken about before, like trauma he has experienced.
Since living at Portage he has reconnected with his parents, and started “going home on weekends to spend some time with them.”
He said after these visits “it’s nice to be able to come back here to a safe environment where I can talk about my struggles.”
Reegan Gordon, left, a resident of Portage, with Centre Wellington councillor Barb Lustgarten-Evoy, Mapleton Mayor Gregg Davidson and Senator Rob Black, rear. Photo by Bill Longshaw
The routine at Portage
Jourdain said youth who have been in the program for some time begin to take on more responsibilities and act as role models for the newer residents.
“It’s a lot easier for our residents to learn from each other,” Maginnis noted.
“To be able to wake up and see that they understand is very powerful,” Jourdain added.
Thiyagarajah said morning meetings at Portage “are amazing,” and he described how everyone sets daily goals for themselves.
“I think that will really help when I get out of here,” he said.
Thiyagarajah described how midway through the day residents follow up about how their goals are going, noting “we all care for each other.”
The day ends with a night meeting, Thiyagarajah said, “when we wrap up our day.”
On a recent warm evening the night meeting was held outside.
“We had a fire, and got to sit outside and look at the stars,” Thiyagarajah said, adding “it was a blessing.”
Jourdain said the program at Portage is “very structured” while acknowledging that everybody is different, so some aspects are tailored to the individual.
“Our structure gives them a sense of safety,” she noted, as residents know what to expect, both later that day and five days from now.
Senator Rob Black, left, and Mapleton Mayor Gregg Davidson, right, display some artwork that Reegan Gordon, middle, completed while in his residency. Photo by Bill Longshaw
New experiences
Jourdain said Portage officials take a strength-based approach using positive psychology, a “very important piece” that “shifts ways of thinking from negative to positive.”
She noted she witnesses residents’ self-esteem grow throughout the program.
During his time at Portage, Thiyagarajah said he has worked a lot on increasing his self-love.
“I’m a genuine, loving, caring person,” he said. “That’s what I want to bring out into the world.”
Thiyagarajah said he if grateful for the staff at Portage “for not giving up on me. Time and time again, they keep forgiving me.”
On the grounds at Portage is the Portage Academy, an alternate model learning school that is part of the Upper Grand District School Board, with full-time teachers who work solely at the Academy.
Addy said Portage staff have “no control or jurisdiction” over what the teachers do, noting the schooling piece is between the residents and the teachers and “we don’t get into the middle of it.”
Portage does support with scholarships and bursaries of “a very modest sum of money” for residents who want to continue their education in university or trades after their time at Portage, if they get an endorsement from their teacher and their aftercare support person.
Maginnis said the teachers are “constantly adapting,” considering the strengths and challenges of each student and adjusting accordingly.
In addition to attending school, residents participate in cultural and physical activities, including canoeing and rock climbing.
Jourdain said it is important for Portage to offer “new experiences so [residents] can fill their time with positive activities.”
During a tour of the Portage property, Maginnis said “we are always looking for opportunities for our kids to go out and volunteer” in the community, noting they often help with local events like Riverfest Elora.
“I got to go to the fairgrounds to help set up the chili contest,” Thiyagarajah said, of another event at which Portage residents volunteer.
Portage is also “always looking for volunteers to come here” to share their own skills with the kids, Maginnis said.
Recent volunteers have taught participants a range of activities from music, to fly fishing, to the basics of banking.
Guests and staff at the April 14 event. Photo by Bill Longshaw
Getting involved
“There are lots of opportunities to get involved with Portage,” Maginnis told community members on the tour.
“We are trying to make more noise about what Portage is.”
In addition to the residential rehabilitation program, Portage offers community outreach services to youth throughout Wellington County.
Portage has plans to open a satellite office in Guelph as a “continuation of our services and outreach programs,” Jourdain said.
There are two upcoming fundraisers for Portage – the Freedom From Addiction Golf Classic at Ariss Valley Golf and County Club on June 12, and the Pedal for Portage recreational bicycle ride through Elora and the surrounding countryside on Sept. 23.
For more information about Portage, visit www.portage.ca.
