Young people are developmentally working to define their own identity and purpose and connections. Finding purpose and meaning in the world is a large concept that our youth do not always have capacity to delve into in their time with us; however, for those who are connected or building that connection, we want to foster their curiosity, experimentation, and beliefs so that they can feel safe to explore themselves within the larger world.
Tell us about yourself and your position at YESS!
My name is Josephine Irabor. I’m oiginally from Nigeria, West African. I came to Canada in December 1991. I am blessed with 4 great children, one girl and three boys. They are my light in this huge and challenging world. I started my position with YESS in January of 2023 as a relief youth support worker.
At YESS, we have four pillars to support holistic wellness and success: physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing, emotional wellbeing, and cultural/spiritual wellbeing. How do we define cultural/spiritual wellbeing at YESS?
For our youth, cultural and spiritual wellbeing starts with education and understanding of who and what communities they are connected to and how they make sense of the world. Young people are developmentally working to define their own identity and purpose and connections, and we want to create an environment where cultural and spiritual practices are role-modelled, as well as available and accessible.
We have youth who come from a diverse background, from diverse communities, and we strive to ensure that we are giving space for them to grow their value system and to value who they are, where they come from and where they are going.
How does YESS offer culturally/spiritually relevant support for youth?
YESS is committed to helping youths access cultural resources. This includes resources for immigrants, refugees, Indigenous people, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people. We can help the with finding a religious or cultural group or place of worship, obtaining treaty status, connecting with their band or Elders, attending ceremonies or traditional activities, or any other sort of connection to culture or a culture of interest to them. The YESS Cultural Coordinator gets youth connected through food, art, and even educational movies. The goal here is to create a safe space without appropriation, instead teaching appreciation.
Cultural programming such as painting, crafts, beading, Cree classes, Land Connections, and a space where they can come take what they need for medicine or crystals and connect to what they need to practice their culture and spirituality to is also provided. There is a particular place in the Whyte building call the Wellness Integration Room. If a youth isn’t connected to their culture and is interested in exploring their identity, or if a youth is connected to their culture and wants to express it, this will be the space for that.
The kitchen also plays a huge part in in the cultural/spiritual wellbeing of the youth, in teams of the different cultural foods they provide. Some of the youth have taken part to learn and prepared meals of their culture. Youth in the supportive housing program Graham’s Place can cook for themselves have groceries of their choice provided and they get to cook their cultural meals. There are occasions where one of the YESS chefs takes youth shopping in their preferred cultural shops. How awesome is that!
How do you see the impact and ripple effects of these kinds of supports?
The impact of these kinds of supports is phenomenal. Most of the youth who access YESS leave home without having learned anything about their culture, especially in the area of food. The joy and the satisfaction you see on the faces of the youth that participant in learning to prepare meals from their culture is fulfilling. One of the ripple effects of this kind of support is that youth connect to community, culture, history, identity, faith, and above all, family/roof while away from home. This then results in a sense of belonging.
What is one thing you wish the community knew about youth who access YESS?
They are all looking for one and the same thing: to be seen as individuals. This mean that one size dose not fit all. They are not to be stereotyped. Each youth should be treated according to their needs.
