Alternate Care Learning Centre
Meet our Alternate Care Learning Centre team who provides support for our young persons in care who are not able to engage in educational programming in the provincial school system.
Danielle Verstege, B Ed. has worked with children for over ten years. Her passion for children and youth started as an ECE working within the daycare environment. From here Danielle graduated Memorial University with a bachelor’s in education and moved to London, UK to begin her teaching career. She taught within inner city London schools for eight years in grades kindergarten through to six. Danielle became music coordinator and then promoted to The Arts coordinator (music, drama, art, dance) within these schools. This consisted of the production of school musicals, talent shows and art exhibits within local museums. Danielle also spent some time as an instructor of the ECE course in central Newfoundland. Danielle strives to help each child and youth reach their full potential by working with individuals one on one in a supportive environment linked to the childs’ and youths’ interests and hobbies. Danielle moved back to her home province late 2019 and joined the Key Assets team permanently in 2022.
Brian Downton is the creator and co-ordinator of the Youth on Track program. He assists participants with every aspect of the program, from jamming along, to shooting a music video, to recording and editing songs the youth perform. They even create album artwork, posters, stickers, t-shirt designs, and much, much more. There are no limits to what can be done at Youth on Track! Brian is a multi-instrumentalist, music teacher, Child and Youth Care Practitioner, and multimedia artist. Brian has over 30 years of experience with music performance, recording, and music education, and 6 years in the field of Child and Youth Care. Brian brought his passion for music into his field of work to create a therapeutic outlet for youth in care, successfully creating a program that is rewarding and fulfilling. Brian started Youth on Track during a work term at Tuckamore Treatment Centre in 2016. He has been a long standing figure of the local St. John’s music scene since 1990, and continues to write, perform and record with different projects of many different genres.
