Project Sponsor: Native Child & Family Services Toronto (NCFST) – Wrap Around Services
NCFST is seeking to provide a holistic wrap-around menu of services. The Wrap Around Services Approach addresses all of the priorities of the Community Plan. This approach will:
- Develop and provide culturally based programs in consultation with Elders and Youth Council, Program managers and staff.
- Provide outreach services to high-risk youth through detailed casement services.
- Provide relevant connections and advocacy services to Housing programs
- Provide referrals and follow-up services to address the identified needs of the youth and single mothers-at-risk of being homeless or are homeless
- Provide access to ceremonies such as healing circles, sweat lodge ceremonies, drum circles, etc.
The second part of this project, will be to hire a youth as a “Housing Advocate Worker” within our housing workers. The Housing Advocate Worker will receive training through the Hostels Training Centre.
This position will be overseen by the Mental Health Outreach Worker. A Program Coordinator will be hired
Project Sponsor: Native Child & Family Services Toronto (NCFST) – Wrap Around Services
Description: NCFST is seeking to provide a holistic wrap-around menu of services. The Wrap Around Services Approach addresses all of the priorities of the Community Plan. This approach will:
- Develop and provide culturally based programs in consultation with Elders and Youth Council, Program managers and staff.
- Provide outreach services to high-risk youth through detailed casement services.
- Provide relevant connections and advocacy services to Housing programs
- Provide referrals and follow-up services to address the identified needs of the youth and single mothers-at-risk of being homeless or are homeless
- Provide access to ceremonies such as healing circles, sweat lodge ceremonies, drum circles, etc.
The second part of this project, will be hire a youth as a “Housing Advocate Worker” within our housing resource centre, which will serve to optimize the housing referral base available to referring workers. The Housing Advocate Worker will receive training through the Hostels Training Centre. This position will be overseen by the Mental Health Outreach Worker. A Programme Coordinator will be hired and funding has been secured by the City of Toronto.
Project Sponsor: Native Child & Family Services – Mino Yaa Min Project
Description: It is the goal of this programme to assist ten (10) homeless Aboriginal youth who are facing barriers to attain and sustain long term housing; lack of housing stability serves as a source of chronic stressor which serves to inhibit the development of skills required to attain and sustain meaningful employment. Provide literacy programming, referrals, assistance with GED programme, nutritional meal preparation.
There is an extensive training plan for the participants that will provide the following components:
· Miziwe Biik online GED programme (1 day per week)
· Volunteer Work Placements for experiential learning and workplace experience for career development
· Nutrition Programme currently offered through Native Child and FS: meal preparation on a limited budget
· Seventh Generation Image Makers Art Programme will provide confidence and self?expression
§ – one half day a week
· Cultural Programmes through elder visits, assisting as elder helpers, participating in NCFS ceremonies. This will create positive Aboriginal identities among the youth participants, with an overall increase in self worth and self?esteem, promote resiliency, and healthier choices.
· Communication skills (on?going throughout programme)
· Access to other employment related resources
§ – through Miziwe Biik’s Employment Resource Centre
The second part of this project, will be hire a youth as a “Housing Support Resource Worker” to develop a housing resource centre, which will serve to optimize the housing referral base available to referring workers employed at NCFST. The Housing Support Worker will receive training through the Hostels Training Centre. This position will be overseen by the Mental Health Outreach Worker. A Programme Coordinator will be hired and funding has been secured by the City of Toronto.
Project Sponsor: Native Child & Family Services – Anishnaabe Shkaabewis Project
Description: Native Child and Family Services proposes to hire an Anishnaabe Shkaabewis (Aboriginal Helper). This worker will be responsible for assisting of Aboriginal youth ages 16?24 who are experiencing stress due to issues that they are experiencing (e.g. addictions, homelessness, mental health problems, etc.) and become aware of Aboriginal culture to instill and inspire pride as an Aboriginal person. The project seeks to help Aboriginal youth depart the street and at?risk situations and move to a healthier life style. The ultimate goal is to acquire the necessary life skills necessary to live independently and work towards achieving their goals in life and draw strength from cultural beliefs. This will be done through numerous supports: support of cultural awareness for Aboriginal youth who are experiencing issues with addictions and help them achieve and maintain sobriety, ensure culturally appropriate aftercare supports are in place following release from treatment, referrals and assistance to access housing, assistance with maintaining housing, promotion of positive lifestyle, promotion of movement from healing to participation in job readiness/employment training, talking circles. This project also involves a canoe trip with an elder.
Project Sponsor: Native Child & Family Services – Cultural Coordinator Project
Description: The Aboriginal Cultural Programme Coordinator will utilize an established traditional cultural resource network (elders, traditional healers, spirit guides) based in the GTA to optimize delivery of culturally based programming. Using existing sites which contain sweat lodges, tee pees for talking, and healing circles and agency premises (meeting rooms and kitchen space). The Aboriginal Cultural Programme Coordinator will provide traditional teachings, issues unique to Aboriginal youth and interactive exercises based upon Aboriginal and non?Aboriginal healing methods. The activities proposed include: Fasting Ceremonies and Lodge Building, Spring Renewal Feast, Attend elder/youth healing conferences and events, Cultural Competency training for staff, Elder protocols and teachings, Traditional Men’s and Women’s Roles in Contemporary Society, NCFS workshop, Summer solstice festival, herbal medicine teachings, summer camp traditional facilitations, youth gatherings, events and activities, Aboriginal children’s activities and grandmother teachings, children’s naming ceremonies and clan teachings, NCFS fall feast and gathering, Traditional Gathering, Traditional Healer and consultations and healing ceremonies, youth leadership training and group facilitation and peer counseling, Native craft activities and traditional teachings, Story Telling time, Outfit making workshops, Winter Fest, Staff Training and Development, Good Life youth traditional teachings group, Mid Winter Gathering and Feast, Sacred Sweat Lodge teachings and native ceremonies, Language training, Drum teachings, four season traditional calendar webpage, medicine and herb teachings, Winterfire Youth Gathering, Attend youth gatherings, elders conferences and events
Project Sponsor: Native Child & Family Services – Margins Facilitator Project
Description: Homeless Aboriginal Youth, Aboriginal Youth In?care with a CAS, and/or those Aboriginal Youth who are being discharged from Care of a CAS, are some of the most voiceless groups of people in our society. These youth need programming that will provide a safe space for them to express their ideas and build confidence in themselves as young Aboriginal people. Through the use of expressive arts, traditional crafts and long term personal arts projects, 7th Generation Image Makers, Margin’s, programme will give voice, power and a sense of accomplishment to homeless Aboriginal youth, youth?in?care with a CAS and/or those Aboriginal youth who are being discharged from Care of a CAS. One youth artist will research and create resource materials for youth, work with youth on a variety of arts projects that help them express. Programme will be a combination of facilitation and on a drop?in basis. The youth will create projects, in particular, will build a sense of responsibility, ownership, and confidence for the youth in the programme.
Project Sponsor: Native Child & Family Services – Capital Proj. Healing Lodge
Description: This is a renovation project to create a healing lodge for the aboriginal community on the rooftop of 30 College Street. There are no spaces that currently can be used to serve this function. Costs will cover the creation of the healing lodge, fire circle, change room, storage shed, fire alarm modifications and sprinkler system.
Project Sponsor: Native Child & Family Services – 7th Gen./ Youth Mentors
Description: The Project is an arts and cultural program contained within a culturally vibrant setting. The 7th Generation Image Maker co-coordinator will work primarily in Scarborough, with the Native Learning Centre, CAS Youth being discharged from care and the Youth attending our downtown drop-in and youth in transitional housing. All these Youth are at high risk of being homeless. There will be six (6) Aboriginal Youth who will be trained for this project.
Project Sponsor: Native Child & Family Services — Capital Project
Description: This is a capital project to provide security and waterproofing of a transition house for aboriginal women and children. NCFST purchased this building to house aboriginal women.. A security system will enhance the safety of the residents. An installed security system will allow staff to monitor and control all exterior entrance and exit doors and arm the building at night to warn of unauthorized entrances/break-ins. In addition, electric locks with card readers will be installed on all apartment doors. The second part of this renovation is aterproofing the basement walls. The proposal is to excavate all the basement wall sections and make them waterproof. Specific tasks are: excavate basement walls, parging at existing walls, spay damp-proofing membrane,install drainage board, replace weeping tile to sump pits, and backfill with gravel
Project Sponsor: Native Child & Family Services — Capital Project
Description: This is a capital project to provide renovations to the Women’s Transitional House at 179 Dowling Ave. Within this house they offer a program exclusively for mothers (priority is Aboriginal women ages 16 – 30 years) with children (up to 16 years) in need of a safe, stable and culture-based living environment. It provides safe transitional housing for women and children who are homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless. Renovated and repaired TWO bathrooms, and repaired and painted /drywalled interior walls.
Project Sponsor: Native Child & Family Services — Project
Description: This project will have two sound clinical social workers who are fluent in both Addictions and Mental Health services are hired to work with our homeless youth who are suffering with mental health issues and/or addictions. One worker will be stationed at our downtown office, and the other one in our satellite office in Scarborough. Utilizing a case management approach, these Youth Workers will provide assessments, service plans, advocacy and referrals.
