Staff Interview: Armoury Resource Centre Staff

Describe where the Armoury fits in YESS’ mission to walk beside youth on their journey towards healing.

The Armoury Resource Center (ARC) is a day time drop-in center, where youth come in to get their basic needs met like food and clothing. They also get a safe place to be during the day.

With a focus on youth-led guidance and support, the Youth Workers are ready to assist and guide youth in areas of their life that they are ready to work on and improve without judgement.

By helping youth navigate their own trauma and daily stresses, it helps our Youth Workers build long-lasting, meaningful relationships so that they can better assist our youth with trust, compassion, and acceptance.

The Armoury also assists in employment, therapy, medical needs, employment, education, and housing.

– Shiraz Khan, Supervisor, Armoury Resource Centre

In what ways has the COVID-19 crisis affected youth and staff in the Armoury?

During the COVID-19 pandemic it has put more hardship on youth as they cannot go about their daily routines, as so many establishments are closed to public. It has also halted their progress on getting goals met, which causes more mental health issues to arise.

In a way it has brought Youth Workers and youth together even more. The compliance of many more rules shows the appreciation the youth have for staff. Youth seeing staff show up to work daily, putting aside their fears and concerns shows the commitment and genuine compassion they have for helping our youth.

– Shiraz Khan, Supervisor, Armoury Resource Centre

The obvious way COVID-19 has affected staff has been our sanitization process. I think it is easy for staff (I know I am guilty) to become complacent when it comes to cleaning and sanitizing, so this whole pandemic was a good reminder how important it is to do during our work hours when the youth are present and after they leave. – Nicole Radke, Youth Worker

Overall, everyone is taking the changes in stride. There’s been less hustle and bustle because of the recommendations for those with homes to stay home – inadvertently leading to less communication between staff and those particular youth. It’s been difficult to access, promote, and connect youth with resources as many organizations have limited to no access during the COVID-19 crisis. – Jeremiah Leung, Resource Worker

As a staff member the COVID-19 crisis has made me realize how important services like this are for the vulnerable and how much staff are needed. I feel as a staff this situation has made me more courageous knowing that vulnerable youth need me to provide services during this time. I am able to set aside my fears and come to work everyday, it makes me feel good about myself. Youth also feel like they need more supports and we are here to provide the best way we can. – Patricia Bekkatla, Resource Worker

The COVID-19 crisis has been a very big eye opener for our staff and youth alike. It has shown the strength we have if we stand together as a whole. Our youth have adapted to the new policies and procedures and have shown their strength to overcome adversity as they always do. With COVID-19 on everyone’s minds YESS has taken the necessary precautions to keep our youth and staff team safe and secure while still providing necessary services to our youth. They have taken all the policy changes in stride and as a whole we staff and youth have come together and become a team. Staff at the Armory have been using our kindness and compassion to explain what is going on to the youth; with this it has been very important for us as a staff team to be open and honest with the youth and facing any fears and questions they may have. – Bree Spaan, Relief Worker

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Staff Interview: Tessa Mulcair

Describe where the Armoury fits in YESS’ mission to walk beside youth on their journey towards healing.

ARC exists to help youth overcome the barriers standing between them and their goals. These goals are sometimes simple, like needing access to food, shelter, and clothing, but are more often quite complex.

When a youth who is struggling with difficult realities like homelessness has big goals, they will face obstacles that most of their peers are not encountering. Most youth have ambitions like getting and keeping a job, living in a home that is safe, or finishing their education, however, attaining these are not straight forward.

Perhaps the youth can’t apply for jobs because they don’t have ID and their parent is refusing to release their SIN or Alberta Health Care number to them. 

Perhaps they save up enough money to get an apartment but they have an awful credit score, no supports in their life that are willing to co-sign, and they have a criminal record from the time they were starving and stole some groceries, so no one is willing to rent to them.

Perhaps they are having difficulty focusing in class because they are dealing with trauma of an abusive home, they haven’t eaten in two days, and don’t have the basic school supplies or internet access that their peers have.

All of these examples are on the easier side of the barriers our youth face, without even diving into the really hard stuff like mental health issues, addiction, gang recruitment, human trafficking, health complications, and internal obstacles like hopelessness, isolation or fear.

No two youth are on the same path. Each has their own complex past, their own strengths, and their own collection of barriers preventing them from attaining their goals. There is no magic formula that our staff could use with every youth, because every youth is so unique. Instead, we strive to walk beside the youth so that we can understand who each youth is and what each youth wants for their own life, only then can we figure out how to meaningfully help them in their journey.

In what ways has the COVID-19 crisis affected youth and staff in the Armoury?

ARC programming has been greatly effectively affected by COVID-19. We have moved to having essential staff only on site in order to protect our youth, who we know have added health vulnerabilities. Because of this much of our in-house programming has stopped or moved to an online format. Staff are constantly searching for ways to meaningfully connect with youth despite distancing. All field trips and recreational activities have ceased because of closed facilities and cancelled events. Our in-house employment program had to be postponed. Much of the work we typically do with youth to meet their goals has also been slowed or halted, with many places we would do referrals to offering limited services or refusing new intakes. In too many cases, that progress is not simply halted but actually moving backwards, youth are losing opportunities they have fought hard to line up.

It feels like our world in on pause, but that’s just not a luxury that our youth have. Staff have to get creative and look for solutions, how do we help our youth move forward when all the doors are closed around them?

What is one thing you wish the wider community knew about YESS youth?

I have been actively involved in the youth work field of 20 years, and I still meet youth with stories that are novel, shocking and heart-wrenching. Sometimes just surviving is worthy of a gold medal. I wish you could all see the incredible resiliencies and strengths that every one of our youth has, it’s a privilege to work with them.

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Meet the YESS Trauma Care Team

This story with our Trauma Care Team was originally published in our Winter 2019 newsletter.

In 2018, we updated our vision to focus on walking beside traumatized youth on their journeys towards healing. In 2019, that vision came closer into focus with the introduction of our own internal Trauma Care Team and we want to introduce you to the incredible folks doing the work of helping our youth heal.

Marcia East has a Master’s in Counselling and Social Work and worked with children, youth, and parents for 12 years in Jamaica. When she moved to Canada in 2015, she started working at YESS in our transitional housing program. In her newest role as part of the Trauma Care Team, Marcia facilitates group and family support sessions.

Bethany Zelent has a Master’s of Counselling and Psychology. For the past four years she has worked as an addictions counsellor and she also has experience working with vulnerable populations and people transitioning out of homelessness. Bethany facilitates individual therapy sessions.

Bethany, you were totally new to the YESS team when you started a few months ago. What brought you to YESS?

After working for so long in addictions it was really inspiring to see people reclaim their life after sometimes twenty, thirty years struggling with addiction, but it was also a little disheartening that people had lost so much of their lives to addiction. I wanted to focus more on prevention, working with people in the early stages because I saw with the women I was working with if they had had intervention in and around the time when the addiction started that they could have been saved a lot of pain. So that was a huge motivation for me to focus more on kids and youth. Also seeing the limbo that youth are in in terms of accessing services. A lot of times they are either too young for services or not bad enough—there’s this weird line where you have to have a certain number of struggles but not so bad that you’re outside an agency’s scope of practice.

How do you feel your work contributes to the YESS vision of walking beside traumatized youth on their journeys towards healing?

BZ: That, to me, is the pinnacle of what we do. I think one of the key words in there for me is “beside,” that we’re not behind, we’re not in front of, and that goes along with our own therapeutic model that the client is the expert in their own life.

ME: Being an ally to youth is a significant part of my own vision in working with people from difficult realities. It is of utmost importance to remember that the population I work with have experiences which are rooted in trauma and, therefore, their behaviours will reflect that truth. I am cognizant of the space that I create for them – one that will facilitate safety and care and encourage movement towards finding the true self.

BZ: There are symptomologies of their traumatized experiences. And that’s what we really target: that trauma is the problem, behaviour is not. Behaviour is a symptom of the trauma. We can do behavioural techniques all day long and they might work on the outside, but there won’t be lasting change because the tree is still rotten. The foundation of it is still trauma. Trauma finds really creative ways to express itself in all sorts of ways.

Marcia, in your role in leading and facilitating group sessions, how have you seen the program evolve over the last few months?

ME: Initially, it was very slow in starting. Now it is becoming a little more stable as group sessions are being offered in the residential programs and youth are warming up to the idea.

Bethany, how have you seen your side of the trauma program—individual counselling—evolve since it started?

BZ: I think there was a healthy level of skepticism from youth at the beginning. The youth have so many reasons not to trust me and I view that as my role, that I have to prove myself as trustworthy. Since we first started there has been a huge level of acceptance from the youth and the staff working together in that. The youth see going to therapy as a viable option for them; they don’t see it as something they have to go somewhere else for. It has become much more normalized, just like going to the doctor is here, just like getting their ID, just like going to the employment program, it’s a very normal thing. One of the best things with therapy, and this is outside of YESS as well, is word-of-mouth advertising. It’s very powerful. I notice that when a few youth would come, more youth would be interested. That is something that’s really important too is for them to be able to say, “I see a change in my friend. I would like that change as well.” I think there’s more openness to taking down the stigma for mental health as well, being able to ask for the help they need, and our regular presence here helps them know that we’re the trauma team.

What’s something you wish the community knew about YESS youth?

BZ: I think one of the biggest things is to remind them that they are youth. That a lot of the behavioural expressions we see are really, really normal for an adolescent to do. It is very normal. Oftentimes because [YESS youth] are in a position of being independent, we kind of project adult expectations onto them, but they physiologically don’t have the brain development to be able to meet those expectations because they are teenagers. A lot of the behavioural expressions that we see like substance use, like stealing—those are all very normal for any adolescent across any socioeconomic status and we cannot hold youth to a higher standard than what their brain can occupy. We certainly can’t hold traumatized individuals to a standard that is higher than what they can actively do and we can’t hold traumatized youth to a standard that’s beyond what their capacity is. I think that’s what I would focus the most on is that they’re still adolescents.

ME: Also that our youth are not “choosing” to remain in difficult situations. They are being impacted by the traumas of their past and they are doing their best to cope with these realities, and are struggling to be resilient despite their history.

Is there a particular remarkable experience you’ve have at YESS?

ME: My most recent remarkable experience comes from working with a youth who struggles with anger issues. I am encouraged by his determination to summon his inner resources for the work he is doing.  I am also inspired by the effort and energy he is investing and note how the successes he experiences serve to build his self-efficacy and to further strengthen his resolve.

BZ: In starting therapy I usually ask the client how they feel and then I ask them again at the end so we can track if there’s a change and how our process is going. I started one session with a client who said he felt suffocated from anxiety. He indicated that there was a lot of tension in his chest. We ended up having a two and a half hour session and at the end he said that was the most relaxed he had ever been in his entire life and that he had this feeling of calm where there had been tension. I don’t take any credit for that whatsoever. I think that’s primarily his own work. It is really cool to be a witness to people’s journeys and processes. That he was able to sit with himself for those two and a half hours and attend to himself and be present in a way that he is normally trying to escape. That is amazing.


In the wake of the  COVID-19 crisis, there have been some updates to the way the Trauma Care Team works with youth.

The manner in which we offer therapeutic and supportive services have primarily shifted from face-to-face to virtual modalities. For example, individual and group sessions are being carried out through means of video and telephone media, instead of meeting in a physical space. Currently, we have ceased walk-in therapy and new client intakes, as we are trying to figure out the best approach in facilitating these needs within our current context of operations. Program visits have also shifted to using online means, in reaching youth as well.

The difficulty of using online platforms for therapeutic purposes is that it decreases the ability to support youth in a therapeutic space and provide immediate trauma support for panic attacks, emotional regulation and more.  The youth are not able to connect as well, via video conference or teleconferencing, which doesn’t allow for the full support they may need in the moment.  It is also not easy to build up trust and relationships via video or telephone and therefore, even with this technology available, we are having to adapt our delivery and services to help support the youth who need it.

Every gift of every size is an investment in the future of our community. Together we can create a community where we can all heal together and thrive together.

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Daytime Resource Centre

The Armoury Resource Center is a vital space for our youth because it is a safe space to have autonomy, choice, and safety without judgement. Developmentally, youth are emotionally needing to have autonomy and control over their lives and choices while rationally still needing support and guidance from parents to use their emotional decision-making skills in a healthy and productive way. It’s a complex time that precariously balances their emotional wants with the practical expectations of school, home or community.

The Armoury Resource Center is a place where youth can come and breath and take a moment to focus their energy and time on what is needed to survive that day. They have the autonomy and choice to identify where they are at and what they need in that moment.  This could be accessing support workers for questions or answers, access resources available to meet their goals, having a place to stay safe when the outside world is scary or threatening, or even just finding a place to connect with other human beings without judgement.  As trauma affects the development of the youth, the resource center has to adapt to ensure that we are there to walk beside the youth as they try to understand, accept and navigate this trauma they have experienced. The biggest strength to ARC is that we help build up trust and relationships with the services and systems that our youth have to exist within, whether it’s medical needs, mental health needs, children’s services, government supports, income supports, education, or more. We help them understand their fears and traumas with these services and build up capacity to navigate these systems, all within a safe space they can breathe in.

When COVID-19 hit our communities, places like our ARC are even more vital because most hangouts and safe spaces closed and shut off access to safety zones for the youth. Whether needing space from unsafe families, or needing a place to hide from unsafe peers, or finding a space that will occupy and entertain you while you build up the capacity to make changes in their lives; youth need a place they can exist and still feel safe and supported. Having online programming and resources available across the community is amazing, but it means nothing if it is not accessible. In COVID-19, our focus had to adapt and shift to finding ways to be accessible for the youth; to help them have access to spaces to have accesses to resources or basics needs. Having the ARC opens means we are reducing the youth’s exposure to community contact with COVID-19 and still meeting their developmental needs.

Every gift of every size is an investment in the future of our community. Together we can create a community where we can all heal together and thrive together.

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Staff Interview: Tiffany Sorensen

Describe where Supportive Housing fits in YESS’ mission to walk beside youth on their journey towards healing.

The Supportive Housing is a step between shelter and independent living, in which staff teach youth how to prepare for living on their own.  Staff work with youth to learn life skills, while supporting their basic needs.  There can be so much trauma around food for our youth, including potentially hoarding food or demonstrating other behaviours that indicate food insecurities.  As the Program Kitchen Coordinator, I work with staff and youth to make sure they understand food safety, nutrition, and learn basic kitchen life skills to prepare them for their transition.  I teach various food related skills to the youth in programs, in a sustainable and secure way to encourage a sense of felt safety for the youth and this basic need.  I try to empower youth to have a voice and a choice as to what they would like to eat, whether that be when making the weekly menus, or when celebrating their birthdays with a special homemade meal request.  These are all ways of creating healthy relationships and safe spaces for youth in our programs.

In what ways has the COVID-19 crisis affected youth and staff in Supportive Housing?

We have really seen youth and staff in Supportive housing come together during this time to stay as safe as possible. 

What is one thing you wish the wider community knew about YESS youth?

I wish the community knew that YESS youth are human, currently experiencing hard things and yet they are continuing to grow and thrive.  People tend to take basic needs for granted in their daily lives and forget that food is not always accessible, secure, or sustainable, neither is shelter.  Compassion and kindness can make a huge difference in someone’s life.  When judgements get pushed aside, it can be truly amazing to see connections formed over food or a meal at the table.  


COVID-19 has restricted programming and access to food options for a lot of youth.  Going to the grocery store for essentials is a life skill that our youth were developing, with support, prior to COVID-19.  It creates another barrier and level of trauma to now understand what essential shopping needs are, how to navigate the social expectations of distancing within the stores and how to budget properly during this isolation time.  Tiffany has partnered with the local Edmonton Food Bank to help build and provide hampers of food for the youth who cannot come and access food resources during isolation.  This partnership has helped our youth develop pathways to food resources for the future, but also supported them in the immediate COVID situation to ensure that they have what they need to stay safe, isolated and supported.

Every gift of every size is an investment in the future of our community. Together we can create a community where we can all heal together and thrive together.

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Supportive Housing

When we talk of youth experiencing homelessness, we forgot that it means more than having a roof over their head or access to food or water. The complexity that comes with ensuring that a youth is safe, secure, and supported goes far beyond the walls that surround them. The supportive homes that we offer provide a physical stability for the youth, but also help the youth understand their own complex needs in a tailored, at-their-own-pace way.

The role of a parent in our society is to patiently walk beside a youth as they navigate new experiences and skills, helping them understand that it’s OK to make mistakes and try again. Within the supportive homes, and with the help of the supportive services staff, we can provide a safe place for youth to make an effort for success and for youth to find dignity in making mistakes or struggling. Trauma is complex and is even more so when added to complex journey of adolescence. And yet, our youth and our staff don’t give up! They wake up every day and they do what they need to do to move forward and to achieve their goals. We cannot ask our youth to step into the world of independence without recognizing and addressing the many supportive steps needed to get there.

When COVID-19 hit our communities, the supportive homes became a necessity for our youth. Most individuals in the community, when asked to isolate, head to their homes, their apartments, their rooms, or their garage or RV to isolate from others, but also have access to safety, stability and basic needs. Without the supportive homes, a lot of our youth would not have safe spaces to exist. Families are complex and not all homes are emotionally and physically prepared to address the trauma of a pandemic and how it affects the family dynamics. Youth need the support, but they first and foremost need to be safe: safe to isolate, safe to express their mental health needs while isolated, and safe to still work on their goals. Our staff are trained and ready to provide this support and it has been incredible to watch them step up and adapt to the needs of the youth. And when there is capacity for us to take steps towards building skills or meeting goals, our supportive staff are willing and able to adapt the programming and resources available to them. 

Jessica Day
Director of Program Innovation
Youth Empowerment and Support Services

Every gift of every size is an investment in the future of our community. Together we can create a community where we can all heal together and thrive together.

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Staff Interview: Delalie Mortotsi

Describe where Supportive Housing fits in YESS’ mission to walk beside youth on their journey towards healing.

Supportive Housing Programs walks beside youth on their journey towards healing by providing a home-like environment where youth can feel supported and cared for. This is achieved through a team effort by a dedicated group of staff who include Youth Workers and House Parents, Client Navigators, Trauma Therapists, Employment Coordinators, a Program Kitchen Coordinator, and a Transition and Cultural Worker. We work in a coordinated effort to provide youth with their basic needs such as nutritious food, clothing, and shelter. We support youth to develop skills such as cooking, budgeting, job searching, and interview skills. We walk along youth in learning strategies and helping them achieve the future they have envisioned for themselves. With 24/7 staff present, youth are given the opportunity to make mistakes or thrive with a support system in place. We are consistently connecting youth to community resources that are relevant to their eventual successful transition – whether that’s returning home, finding appropriate housing, or independence.

In what ways has the COVID-19 crisis affected youth and staff in Supportive Housing?

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly changed the way we go about work and life in the Supportive Housing Programs. At the beginning of the crisis, we closed one of the two houses and moved all youth into one house- moving and transitions are never easy for anyone and are especially hard for youth who have experienced trauma. However, our youth have adapted well and quickly and are now enjoying their new home. We have had to introduce extra safety measures to protect youth and staff in the program as well such as providing gloves and face masks for use in the home and community, having youth complete daily self-assessments, providing extra cleaning supports, etc.

The uncertainty of this pandemic has caused a great deal of anxiety to our youth and staff. Consistency and predictability are some of the things that help youth who have experienced trauma navigate the world a little easier, and the COVID-19 crisis has made those two things challenging to maintain in the program as things change daily. To combat this and maintain some “normality” within the home, we have continued to provide some programming within the home- we provide laptops for youth to join their classmates online school and our team have become teachers to help. We have youth trying to achieve their goals despite all odds and a great team of staff who are working tirelessly to help them meet their self-appointed deadlines.

What is one thing you wish the wider community knew about YESS youth?

Our youth wake up every day and do the best they can with what they have. Some days they are strong and resilient and some days not so much. When someone experiences trauma and have little to their name it’s how they decide to heal that shows their strength. Our youth have a tremendous amount of strength.

Every gift of every size is an investment in the future of our community. Together we can create a community where we can all heal together and thrive together.

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Donor Interview: Earthgroove Activewear

A huge THANK YOU to Earthgroove Activewear, who made and donated 200 masks that use in our programs! Earthgroove Activewear is an incredible local brand. Learn more from founder Jill Boychuk about their mission and why they support YESS!

We want to shine and empower others to shine.  We are connected to each other, our earth, and our passion to live a life of creativity and wonder. Our mission is to be part of the community and to make a positive impact to all around us. 

Earthgroove celebrates the power as women, to be bold and inspire change within ourselves and others.  We are an Edmonton-based business employing local woman to sew and design inspirational athletic wear made from eco-friendly, high quality materials. 

Graphics and designs are developed locally by female artisans who are on a mission to support economic empowerment, education, equal employment, health; they are creating long-term positive changes.

We got involved with YESS because we are a company that loves to make a difference and wants to make an impact with mental health and youth.  If we can make an impact by wearing something that matters and works well, we are contributing to society and standing for something.

The bright masks with the logo are a 3-layer premium mask with a filter and we felt the colours would brighten the environment and make it more positive for the organization.

Community matters and supporting each other and in times of need is important. There needs to be someone to stand by you and support you and believe in who you are and what matters. 

That’s what Earthgroove Activewear is about, and the company will continue to support initiatives and causes that matter to us.

Earthgroove Activewear
Owner and creator: Jill Boychuk (Edmonton)
Photographer and branding: Steven Csorba
Website creator: Abdullah/ ABN Works (Edmonton)
Graphic Designer: Lisa
Printer/Seamstress/Director: Lois Bonser, All Canadian Gear
Graphic Designer: Lisa McLeod (Calgary)
Seamstresses: Candie Moehr (Edmonton) and Lois Bonser (Edmonton)

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Volunteer Interview: Martha Doxsey

Tell us a bit about yourself!

I retired 8 years ago from my work as a preschool teacher for children with disabilities with a not-for-profit agency.  I have 2 daughters and a grandson. I enjoy hiking, cross-country skiing, reading, and crafts. I have been very fortunate in my life and have received support when I needed it, so I am very happy to be able to help out now when I can.

How did you come to volunteer at YESS?

I have been a long-time donor because I believe it is so important to help the youth who need it. I live near the Armoury and about six years ago I would walk past and notice the flower beds needed some attention. I first started volunteering in the summer weeding the flower beds. In the fall when that ended I asked about a volunteer activity for the winter and organizing the pantry was suggested. 

In what capacity do you volunteer at YESS?

Now I organize the pantry, all the canned and dry goods donations that come in. It is a perfect volunteer activity for me as I was looking for something requiring physical activity, that was in my community and supported a cause I believe in. The kitchen staff are wonderful and I am glad to be able to help them provide healthy nutritious meals for the youth and make the most of the generous donations. 

What is one thing you wish the community knew about YESS youth?

I wish people saw how much potential the youth have, potential that might be wasted without the support of YESS.

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Staff Interview: Camiel Friend

Describe where this program fits in YESS’ mission to walk beside youth on their journeys towards healing.

First and foremost, Nexus meets the very basic needs of our youth (food, water, showers, clothing, bed) to eliminate the stress associated with inconsistent access to resources which meet these needs. We provide stability by being a predictable and stable environment that the youth can rely on, no matter the circumstances or what day of the year it is. The format of the program remains consistent, while still allowing for the leniency where we can truly meet a youth where they are at and accommodate any barriers they may be dealing with. We act as the first response to crisis diversion when crises arise, and function as a triage, using our relationships with the youth and the community to complete warm handoffs to other resources if Nexus cannot meet the needs of the youth. Nexus’ top priority is safety and operates with a focus on the physical safety as well as the felt-safety of every client in the program. Nexus staff build relationships with each youth through co-creation of boundaries and unconditional positive regard that allows the youth to make mistakes and learn from them in a safe environment that is free of judgment. Relationships are fostered and strengthened through relational practice where the youths can learn about rupture, repair, and healthy attachment via relationships with staff members. Communication initiated by staff is done in a tone of curiosity and acceptance, and any support or guidance is youth-led rather than imposed by staff. The program expectations that are enforced are intended to model healthy communication and life skills, such as respectful conflict resolution or even basic hygiene practices.

In what ways has the COVID-19 crisis affected youth and staff in this program?

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a huge amount of anxiety and fear for both the youth and the staff, as we all collectively endure this global trauma. It has fundamentally destabilized the youth’s felt-safety by disrupting their physical, relational, cultural, and legal permanency. Their routines have been forced to change as the places they typically hang out in are unavailable, government offices are closed, cultural practices or events have been cancelled, and they are consistently reminded of the importance of isolating themselves from loved ones. The number of resources available to our youth has greatly decreased, including day programs and housing options, causing feelings of despair, helplessness, and being trapped. Since the precautions for the pandemic have been implemented, we have seen an increase in mental health concerns, leading to more frequent emotional disregulation and outbursts, an increase in suicidal ideation and drug use, as well as a decrease in connection between youth and staff.  The policies that are necessary to reducing viral exposure such as social distancing, reduced contact between staff and youth, and wearing masks have created systemic and environmental barriers which prevent relationship building and maintenance. These policies are enforced in a more black and white manner than program policies typically are, changing the environment of the shelter from authoritative to authoritarian, which has the potential to cause strain on relationships. This may also amplify the youth’s existing feelings of rejection, loneliness, and loss. Last but not least, the widespread communication that we must isolate for the safety of others only acts to reaffirm the youth’s internalized worthlessness, which has long since been established by the experience of having their needs consistently disregarded and being marginalized by society.

What is one thing you wish the wider community knew about YESS youth?

They are humans who deserve the same amount of respect, compassion, and regard as any other human. They are young adults between the ages of 15-25, each being a unique individual with their own goals, talents, and personalities. They are smart, funny, kind, caring, strong, and incredibly resilient. They do not deserve the traumas associated with homelessness or addiction. They do not deserve to be judged or disregarded by society.

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