Syrian Refugees Families Thriving and Giving Back

Immigrant Integration, Stories

When Syrian refugee Mohammad Ali and his family arrived in Canada they needed help with housing, settling into the community, and starting school in a new country. Now less than four years later, the family is thriving in their new community and Ali (as his family...

The Diversity Education Program sees a Spike in Incident Reports

Diversity Education, Stories

Paulette* has four especially vivid memories of experiencing racism and has flashbacks anytime there’s a traumatic event being reported. There was no escaping news of racism as the Black Lives Matter movement started gaining traction in May 2020 and the flashbacks...

Providing Youth Mental Health Services in Challenging Times – Youth Resource Centre (YRC)

Stories, Youth

When the pandemic first began, Sam was laid off and her schooling went virtual. Living on her own became a whole lot lonelier than before. Without a routine and limited social interaction, Sam struggled more and more to even make it out of bed. Check-in calls and...

Providing Youth Mental Health Services in Challenging Times – Foundry

Foundry, Stories, Youth

The afternoon hours were always full of motion at the Foundry Abbotsford Centre – youth, their caregivers and staff all coming and going to access a variety of services.  But when COVID-19 began, the clinic grew strangely quiet as services moved online. Foundry began...

Providing Youth Mental Health Services in Challenging Times – Basic Life Skills Training (BLT)

Stories, Youth

The first time youth enter the colourful space that houses the Basic Life Skills Training (BLT) program, they can immediately sense that it’s going to be different from other mental health services they’ve experienced. From the graffiti-style artwork...

How Community Partnerships are Helping Local Youth Thrive

Donors, Stories, Supportive Housing and Homelessness Prevention, Youth

Youth facing issues such as mental health, sexual exploitation, lack of educational support, or aging out of foster care can find wraparound services at the Archway Youth Resource Centre (YRC).   In addition to their core services, YRC staff is able to offer extra...