Innisfil resident Sonia DaSilva has only resided in town for three years and has been pushing community leaders for a community centre since she arrived.
Originally from Torres Novas, Portugal, DaSilva moved to Canada with her family when she was 12 years old, but went back to Portugal as an adult for several years before permanently moving to Innisfil in 2017.
During her time in Portugal, DaSilva and her parents were very involved in their community and opened their home to anyone who needed support.
“Innisfil feels like back home,” says DaSilva. “The population of both towns are almost down to the exact same number and square footage."
While in Portugal, DaSilva was instrumental in starting a community centre for her town: a much-needed facility for the youth in her home village.
“It took a lot of effort to get one started,” DaSilva recalls. “I bugged and bugged the town until finally they got tired of me and called me up to come get the keys!”
DaSilva took over an unoccupied building that was unkempt, covered in weeds and overgrown grass, and transformed it into a community centre for the locals.
“The kids were so excited,” she says. “They had all the weeds and grass cut before I even got to the building with the new keys.”
Since coming to Innisfil, DaSilva has continued her passion for helping communities through organizing several events in town such as community potlucks, and making and delivering cards for seniors at retirement homes during holiday seasons.
“The whole community rallies together,” says DaSilva. “The YMCA lets us use one of their rooms to make the cards."
DaSilva also hosts an annual pumpkin patch event on her property to help raise money for the Innisfil Food Bank. During her first year she had 60 to 70 pumpkins available, with tables set up for families to do crafts and activities and included a pumpkin backdrop for pictures.
“Families could come and exchange a toy or food donation in exchange for a pumpkin to support the food bank," says DaSilva, adding she shares many of her events on the Alcona Chats Facebook page.
As an early childhood educator, DaSilva is always looking for ways to help connect families within the community, but has noticed a lack of facilities to accommodate events that bring the community together.
“There is only the local library here for families and youth to retreat to,” says DaSilva. “And frankly, that is not enough for a growing community like Innisfil."
DaSilva runs a Facebook group, 'Simple Play… Maximum Learning', offering free tips and tricks for parents on how to better connect with their children. She recently wanted to start a youth group at the Innisfil Community Church, but had to put the project on hold due to the pandemic.
“We tend to complicate stuff, but children just want simple things,” says DaSilva.
Among her community endeavours, DaSilva has met with the Innisfil Mayor Lynn Dollin and town councillors and has expressed the strong need for a community centre in Innisfil.
“How can you have a community without a centre?” asks DaSilva. “It’s where people connect, hang out and do things together."
But despite her efforts, DaSilva says she is consistently told a community centre is “too expensive."
“It always comes down to money… but Innisfil absolutely needs a community centre,” says DaSilva.
DaSilva notes that there is also a lack of things for the local youth to do in Innisfil and adds that this often leads to problems with substance abuse and petty crime.
“The drug scene is always a problem, especially in smaller communities,” says DaSilva, who has two teenagers herself. “Teens will get bored and connect with the wrong people."
The Canadian Drug Crisis (Teen Challenge Canada FactSheet) states that substance abuse is on the rise and reports that 42 per cent of Ontario students have used an “illicit substance” in the last year alone, while a staggering 83 per cent of Ontario students in Grade 12 drink alcohol and often “binge drink."
“If we had a community centre, we could run workshops and give our youth more things to do which would help keep them busy,” DaSilva says.
DaSilva remains hopeful the town will eventually see the dire need for a community centre and continues to strive toward connecting the community together through the events she organizes.
In the meantime, she will focus on connecting with more local businesses to obtain sponsors to help fund workshops and aid local women's shelters.
“We need to continue to help each other out as a community,” says DaSilva. “And from that, make the youth feel more apart of the community.”
