Annual report of the Executive director of the youville centre

In order to provide all of the programs and services needed by our clientele, Youville continues to foster partnerships with other community agencies.

Once again, in June, Youville Centre held a graduation ceremony to celebrate the accomplishments of 24 young women. All of these graduates achieved their Ontario Secondary School diplomas after much hard work in our M. F. McHugh Education program on-site at Youville. Several of these students participated in cooperative education or pre-apprenticeship programs or accessed the dual-credit program at Algonquin College. Almost 50 bursaries were awarded to current grads, alumnae and the children of former students for post-secondary studies. Our on-going support for the educational efforts of our students and their families indicates our commitment to life-long learning and has become a true hallmark of Youville Centre.

A highlight of the past year was our Young Parent Employment Program (YPEP) pilot and its graduation event in March 2011. Eight young mothers completed a 22-week program funded by Service Canada and presented by staff from Youth Services Bureau (YSB). Five of the eight participants had secured employment at the end of the program. One, who is entering post-secondary studies at Algonquin, was also awarded a bursary at our regular graduation in June. For several years we have seen a need for linkages to the world of work and real employment opportunities for our Moms. Thanks to YSB, this dream has been realized. Service Canada has granted renewal funding and our next YPEP session begins on September 12, 2011.

Addiction counselling services were provided thanks to our partnership with Sandy Hill Community Health Centre (SHCHC). We have also had the great fortune to enjoy the services of nurse practitioners from SHCHC twice monthly this past year, providing much-needed medical care for our young women.

We are continually responding to the ever-changing needs of our young families.

Mental Health counselling services remained available to our young mothers four days a week thanks to the fund-raising efforts of Shepherd’s Fashions and a generous donation for mental health and addiction needs through the Champlain District Local Health Integration Network (LHIN).

The funding for an outreach worker provided for the past three years by St. Bartholomew Anglican Parish has ended. Unless alternate funding is procured, we will be unable to continue to employ front-line staff to provide short-term counselling and support services directly to our students outside regular hours.

Partnerships benefit our clientele

In order to provide all of the programs and services needed by our clientele, Youville continues to foster partnerships with other community agencies. We also promote staff development in a number of areas to keep our Centre vital and current. Areas of training and certification this year included: Collaborative Problem Solving; System of Care Practice; CANS-DT Screening; Health and Safety Training.

Funding from United Way for our Alumnae Program has ended and will necessitate cutbacks in our services for former students and their families. A small amount of transition funding will enable us to connect with Alumnae via our web-site.

Youville Centre is always grateful for the support provided to us by the Ministries of Education, Health and Long-term Care, Community and Social Services, Children and Youth Services, and the United Way. Thanks to their financial support, we are better able to fulfill our mandate of serving at-risk teen parents. We are also indebted to foundations, community, group and individual donors who make our work more effective through their support.

On a personal note, after nine years I am leaving Youville Centre to retire. I will miss the daily activity of a very busy Centre and the challenges of working to improve the lives of teen mothers. I shall cherish the memories of these years and I salute the work of our volunteer Board of Directors, the dedicated and capable staff, all of whom make miracles happen daily – on a shoestring! It has been a privilege to be counted among them and I look forward to supporting Youville Centre in a new way – behind the scenes!

The incoming Executive Director, Cindy Simpson, will begin her duties on September 1. I wish her success and best wishes as she carries on the mission and magic of Youville Centre – making a difference with two generations.

- Prepared by Judith Sarginson - Recently Retired Executive Director, The Youville Centre