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Shapinga Brighter
Future &HonouringOur Roots
2018-2019Community Report
Earlier this year, we stood on the riverbank outside 175 Mayfair discussing plans to expand land-based programs for MYS youth and families. It was a beautiful day. The leaves had the bright green of new growth and we could smell the freshness in the air. What an incredible space for new beginnings.
It’s been just two years since our new Mayfair facility centralized MYS programs and services once spread throughout Winnipeg. Now when you walk in the door, you see kids’ artwork on the walls and people hard at work. You smell baking from the kitchen and sage after a ceremonial smudge in the cultural room. Outside, a new food and medicine garden is taking root. It is an inspiring place.
Over the past year, MYS has been evolving and adapting to remain a critical component of Manitoba’s child welfare system. We are honoured and grateful to work with government and community partners to do what’s best for children. I’ve been struck by the leadership, dedication and talent of our partners.
Thank you to our supporters and advocates. Your confidence in MYS is empowering. Thank you to our donors who enable us to maintain and expand vital services throughout the province. I commend all the board members who give your time and talents to help our mission.
We are blessed to have support and direction from Indigenous leaders and community members. I am so pleased to see our new cultural advisors sharing knowledge and traditional teachings that are helping youth take huge strides toward a brighter future by reconnecting with their roots.
A very special thank you to the incredible MYS staff. This has been a year of transition and I know it has not been easy. But I also know it will allow us to continue delivering unmatched service and guidance to kids who, through no choice of their own, come to our doorstep needing help. Your dedication is inspiring and uplifting.
I am proud to be a part of the MYS family and community. It is incredibly rewarding to work alongside the people on this team. Thank you for the opportunity.
Kerri Irvin-RossChief Executive Officer
Jim KrovatsBoard Chair
Kerri Irvin-RossChief Executive Officer
What a difference a year makes! I know it’s made a huge difference for me personally. 2018-2019 marked my first full year at MYS. I’m proud to say the past year also made a difference for nearly 10,000 Manitoba youth and families who rely on MYS for healing, hope and better lives.
I’ve been honoured to meet many of you and hear what the MYS family means to your family. I’ve also had the privilege of witnessing the dedication of our team. I will never forget my first day, I was greeted at our Youth Resource Centre/Shelter with welcoming smiles and warm cookies. That’s when I knew I was in a very special place filled with people who truly believe every young person is one caring adult away from being a success story. I am excited everyday for the opportunities and possibilities we are creating here.
To ensure we’re able to continue this important work in a rapidly evolving social services landscape, much of the past year was spent realigning programs, teams and processes. Our goal is to help more youth and families in ways that work best for them. This includes
exciting new land-based programs that create opportunities for Indigenous youth and families (66% of the MYS community) to learn about culture, tradition and ceremony - vital factors in their healing journey.
New partnerships with youth, child and family service agencies, authorities, and other community members and organizations are also making way for more innovative interventions and targeted solutions.
I want to thank the MYS team for your support during this time of change and for always putting youth and families first. I’d also like to thank our MYS Board of Directors for your leadership and committment to making a meaningful difference.
It’s been a remarkable year and I’m so proud to share everything we’ve achieved together.
Proudly serving our community for 90 years
Committed to helping Manitoba youth & families experience healing, hope &
better lives by nurturing:
Safe, caring, collaborative & respectful relationships
Family, community & cultural connections
Health & Wellness
Education & Skills Development
Empowerment
On the CoverA new Tipi created by artist Jackie Traverse
with generous funding from The Thomas Sill
Foundation Inc. is one component of a
new MYS Indigenous teaching garden.
Now 20, Breeze is making her own way in the world with the skills and support she received at MYS. “They were always like, ‘You got this Breeze...We got you.’”
Breeze
Just 6 when she lost her mother to cancer, Breeze’s sense of loss only deepened when her stepfather decided he could no longer care for her and she became a permanent ward of Manitoba’s child welfare system.
“Eventually, he just stopped showing up for visits,” says Breeze. “It was super hard.”
“That’s when I first came to MYS. Having people on my side and feeling like someone is actually listening, who cares about me and my wellbeing…I’m forever grateful.”
At MYS, Breeze first connected with the therapy team for a better understanding of her mental health challenges and learning disabilities, along with better tools for coping.
For nearly 10 years, through multiple placements, achievements and disappointments, Breeze could always count on her MYS family. And when the time came to leave care and begin life as an adult, Breeze again turned to MYS. This time, it was the independent living team, who helped find her first apartment and made sure she had all the support she needed for the best possible start.
“It was extremely helpful because it forced me to grow up and face the things I feared most. Like being alone at night, seeing bills, taking the bus alone, getting a job, saving money and buying food for myself.
“They would come into the apartment twice a week to check in and help with things like groceries or bills, depending on what I needed.
“They made me realize my feelings. That maybe I really did know how to use a mop but was only
calling because I needed someone to talk to and couldn’t say I was lonely. Someone is always on call, so if you’re feeling suicidal or just need someone to talk to, someone to laugh with, just anything you need. They were always there to help.
“There’s also a support group where you can learn about different opportunities throughout MYS. Like the Saving Circle, where every dollar you save to buy something you really need is matched with $3 more. That’s such an amazing opportunity. And if any of us was ever upset, we would always have a voice. We were always heard.”
Today Breeze remains independent and lives in a home she shares with her partner Foster. In September, she’ll be a student at Red River College, pursuing a career as a Child and Youth Care worker. “I want to take my trauma and instead of feeling bad for myself, help other kids who are feeling bad about themselves.” Her goal: to work for MYS.
“Because of MYS, I’ve been able to do all these things. And even though some of them fell through, I’ve always been able to get back up because of the support MYS gave me. Feeling cared for and respected...It just makes me want to do better and be better.”
“Even though I’m out of MYS, MYS is still in my life.
Completely. I’m going back to school now because they saw something in me I didn’t even
see in myself.”
54 Young adults like Breeze had help from MYS last year to secure stable housing and make the transition from living in care to caring for themselves as responsible and independent adults.
#MYSuccessStory
Preparing forlife as an adult
IndigenousInitiatives
MYS was proud to introduce Circles for Reconciliation sessions last year - creating opportunities for open and honest discussions between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
New monthly cultural activity calendars include:
Purification Lodge
Full Moon Ceremonies
Water Ceremonies
Pipe Ceremonies
Solstice Ceremonies
Young Men & Young Women Ceremonies
Medicine Teachings & Picking
Sunrise Ceremonies
Rites of Passage Ceremonies
Sundance Cerermonies
Here’s what MYS youth told us culture group means to them:
Building relationships with different people and making new friends.
I can finally connect with my culture and history.
Most of all, I like doing the things me and my dad used to do, like canoeing, fishing and swimming.
Now I feel comfortable to take the lead and sing. And sing loud!
I’ve gotten much better at speaking in front of more people in a sharing circle. And I went out of my comfort zone and tried new things.
Being part of the group.
Enhanced land-based programs are creating opportunities for youth and families to learn about culture,
tradition and ceremony - vital factors in their healing journey
66%
Circles for Reconciliation
Clayton Sandy MYS Knowledge
Keeper & Circles’ for Reconciliation
Co-Founder/ Facilitator
of MYS youth and families are Indigenous.
A weekly Pow Wow Club offers youth and families a fun night of dancing, storytell-ing, drumming, crafts and quality time.
Growing stronger togetherEarly in 2019, plans for a new ceremonial ground and teaching garden on the riverbank outside 159 and 175 Mayfair began taking root. Featuring a purification lodge, Tipi, fire pit, bee apiary, and food and medicine garden, the space will create opportunities for youth, families and our community to learn and heal together. Already, MYS youth and cultural advisors have grown tobacco for ceremonies and gifting.
IndigenousInitiatives
MYS recognizes the importance of culturally-based services and is committed to nurturing health and wellbeing for youth and families by preserving a way of life based on spirituality, sacredness, reciprocity, education and social responsibility.
Healing for Indigenous youth and families is connected to the land and our traditional languages. The goal of the Indigenous Initiatives program is to share the skills, knowledge and experience in land, language and culture that will help retain and regenerate land-based practices.This means reconnecting youth to the land and water, and restoring crucial relationships that have been disconnected.
The main goal is to remind youth who they are, who they come from, and what their gifts and responsibilities are within our community.
We share cultural teachings to help youth heal and reclaim their relationship with mother Earth, father sky and all our relations.
New Indigenous knowledge training and weekly traditional teachings for MYS staff, volunteers and foster families are helping promote cultural safety, respect and awareness throughout the MYS community.
6New members of an enhanced Indigenous Initiatives team led by Stephanie Zamora (far right) and Daman Morissette (third from left), with help from a team of cultural advisors (left to right): Taylor (student), April, Bailey and Terence (student).
A presentation by Michael Champagne.
MYS youth built their own purification lodge
with Grandfather Wanbdi Wakita.
Children and youth found safety and stability - both short and long term - with caring Manitoba families committed to nurturing cultural, community and family connections.
225Foster Families
Survey says... Here’s what 167 youth living in MYS healing homes between January 1 and March 31, 2019 said about their experience.
20 Hours (minimum) invested by MYS foster parents each year to upgrade skills and train on
topics like child development, postive parenting, and supporting biological relationships.
Recruiting more Indigenous foster parents like Ursula remains a
priority for MYS.
Healing Homes149 Youth 10-17 with complex needs living in MYS healing homes
benefitted from 24-hour care and support, along with opportunities to strengthen family relationships and participate in enriching school, cultural and therapeutic programs.
MYS healing homes in Winnipeg, St. Pierre and Thompson.13
145 MYS youth participated in Inidgenous restorative cultural programs.
Youth got creative and earned some holiday cash selling ornaments they made at a craft sale they also organized.
Skills4LifeYouth and young adults 29 and under accessed help to overcome barriers, develop skills
and confidence, do good things for our community and achieve goals for work school and life with supports to negotiate the realities and responsibilities of adulthood.
Volunteer mentors like Liam received formal training &
ongoing support to build safe, positive & trusting
relationships with youth.
“You can tell with a lot of the youth, just based off the stories they tell, there’s a lack of role models in their life...Or just a lack of people to connect with. Or maybe they’ve been bullied or feel like an outcast.”
“They just need role models...I think it gives youth the guidance they may have lacked in some circumstances, which is super healthy, and I think really shows in the youth who go through the program.”
Liam, 22, volunteer mentor
580
404Youth 12-20 contributed more than 2000 volunteer hours to complete community service projects.
22
311 Youth and young adults had extra help
completing court-ordered community service and fine options at organiza-tions like Winnipeg Harvest, River-view Health Centre, Animal Services and the Winnipeg Humane Society.
17
176
Youth 17-25 earned a paycheque plus vital skills and almost 2400 hours’ on-the-job experi-
ence through Mayfair Innovations, a social enterprise that helps lay the groundwork for independence and better livelihoods. 84 residential and commercial customers accessed lawn maintence, snow removal and other services last year.
Youth and young adults participated in art programs, homework clubs and recreational activities intended to prevent negative behaviour or criminal involvement, while promoting positive contributions to our community.
6242 Youth received combined tax refunds
totalling nearly $49,000 with filing help from volunteers.
Young adults 18-29 like Tonya accessed one-on-one support to boost their career potential, advocate for themselves, and effectively navigate life as adults.
7030Calls to the 24-hour MYS crisis line - a single intake point for triage, dispatch and referrals.
1262Homes/families visited by MYS crisis teams last year.
650Youth referred to crisis stabilization units for average stays of 3.6 days.
All families go through tough times. MYS offers a range of supports and interventions to help stabilize youth in times of crisis. The ultimate goal is to help youth stay safely in their homes while strengthening relationships with caregivers. The top reasons youth accessed crisis supports last year: mental health, family conflict, difficulty coping, behavioural issues and trouble with school.
276Families received assessments, short-term therapy (5-8 sessions average) and referrals from the MYS brief therapy team.
Youth with school-related difficulties or crises affecting their studies received support to return to and stick with school.
Times youth accessed the MYS YRC for basic needs like food, a shower, first aid, bus tickets, clothing, laundry, hygiene supplies, counselling, referrals and more.
393 Youth stayed at the shelter 1433 nights.
6790Parents, caregivers, professionals and agency partners connected with MYS to discuss interventions and next steps for youth accessing YRC services.
FamilySupports& YouthCrisisServices
6880
166
21Last year, MYS raised the maximum age for youth crisis supports from 18 to 21 to help young adults who may not be ready for regular shelters and adult services.
8Comfy new
mattresses for the YRC thanks to the Homelessness
Partnering Strategy.
24dozen
Children and youth 0-24 were directly impacted by access to treatment & recovery services related to mental health and addictions, with help from MYS Family Navigators like Michelle and a generous grant from RBC’s Mental Health Fund.
251
Youth 7-17 attended school and particpated in enriching out-of-school programs and activities together with their families with help from MYS coaches who provide support, transportation and mentorship.
44
Cookies baked weekly let youth and visitors to the YRC know they are somewhere people care.
Congratulations Shirley, an MYS youth crowned 2019 Northern Manitoba Junior Trapper Queen, with top finishes in events like log throwing, goose calling and jigging.
Grill master Sandra helped serve up food and fun at our annual MYS community barbeque.
Family Fun Day Spring Break 2019
Winter holiday fun for MYS youth and families in The Pas
Chalk art workshop with @pinkpandawpg
$9800Raised by MYS employees through our 2018 United Way campaign - because we love our community and because we love everything United Way donors make possible for our youth, families and the people who care for them!
Pride 2018
Town hall meetings provided a forum for employee feedback and ideas.
Jim and Wendy Krovats took a spin with the Norman Chief Dancers at our MYS
staff and volunteer appreciation event.
New window decals at 175 Mayfair help tell the MYS story at a glance so people can better understand our work.
MYS is grateful for all the donations we receive from organizations and groups like the students from Dr. Hamilton School, who kindly collected hygiene items for our youth.
Thank you to organizations like Wawanesa, who helped paint the trim and columns at our YRC as part of a United Way Day of Caring.
Thank you Stuart Olson Inc. for raising $17,450 for MYS through your 2018 charity golf tournament!
Our United Way bake sale
fundraisers were sweet!
Child & Family ServiceAgencies
MB Family Service & HousingHealthy Child MBMB JusticeMB Healthy Living Youth & SeniorMB Community Living With Disabilities
HRDCUnited Way WinnipegWinnipeg Housing & HomelessnessPrivate DonationsMiscellaneous GrantsOther
Fiscal yearApril 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019
$7,741,492$1,516,384
$188,784$221,090$471,612
Government of Manitoba
$17,715,907
$32,4032$174,686$584,612
$13,079$70,828
$120,203
59.1%
33.8%
0.1%0.6%2.0%0.0%0.2%0.4%
Total Operating Fund$28,851,080
Capital Fund$1,105,652
Total Agency Revenue $29,956,732
Salary & BenefitsLiving & Care CostsOperating CostsTravel & Tranportation CostsProgramming CostsCapital & Facilities Costs
$19,222,532$5,827,660
2,897,237527,720
$976,251$415,514
64.4%19.5%
9.7%1.8%3.3%1.4%
Financial Report Revenue
ExpendituresTotal Expenditures$29,866,914
Excess Revenue Over Expendiures$89,818
$29,956,732
MYS is grateful for support from our community partners, funders and generous private donors.
Thompson
102–83 Churchill DriveThompson, MB R8N 0L6
Winnipeg
175 Mayfair AvenueWinnipeg, MB R3L 0A1
The Pas, Opaskwayak Cree Nation
Box 958The Pas, MB R9A 1K9
MYS acknowledges that our work takes place on Treaty 1, Treaty 2 and Treaty 5 Territories - where people Indigenous to Turtle Island have walked, gathered and lived since time immemorial, and homeland of the Metis Nation. We respect the treaties made on these territories and dedicate oursleves to moving forward in partnership with Indigenous communities in a spirit of truth, reconciliation and collaboration.
Healng, hope & better lives for nearly 10,000 Manitoba youth & families every year.
www.mys.caCharitable Registration Number:
131215196RR0001
