Navigating the Systems
Dana Youth Outreach Worker #Addictions #MentalHealth #StreetYouth #streetyouthoutreach
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- Dec 18, 2014
Shane’s Story, Episode 6: The System – Welfare
Shane’s Story is an eight episode blog post where Shane tells her story in her own words. Each week in December, on Mondays and...
- Dec 4, 2014
Shane’s Story, Episode 2: School
Shane’s Story is an eight episode blog post where Shane tells her story in her own words. Each week in December, on Mondays and...
- Nov 11, 2014
Remembering Homeless Veterans
People hurry by the large monument every day, most never pausing to look or even acknowledge it. One lonely man, white haired, in torn...
- Oct 2, 2014
What a difference a year makes….
Eva left home in her early teens. Eventually, she became homeless and addicted to drugs. As a young woman on the streets, she was quite...
- Jul 17, 2014
Caution: P4Y Poetry
The Passion 4 Youth Fine Arts Program was fortunate enough to have Bruce Narbaitz come in and do a slam poetry workshop with the youth....
- Jun 6, 2014
Choosing Compassion
Last week however, one of the youth was in a crisis situation so I made the decision to call 911. Two officers arrived and assessed the...
- May 23, 2014
No compassion or care for the mentally ill at the Ottawa Hospital
I have known Skye for 3 years. She was one of the first street-engaged youth I met while doing outreach. I remember our first meeting...
- May 7, 2014
The Problem with Focusing on Problems
Meet Nicky: homeless, alcoholic, mentally ill. Nicky joined the art group last year. She told me that most of her childhood had been...
- Apr 14, 2014
Rideau Street, downtown Ottawa…
We didn’t get her name: it wasn’t offered and it was too early to ask. Maybe she was seventeen, but the hard life on the streets made...
- Dec 4, 2013
“Tessa’s Home” Episode 3: Life on the Streets, Shelters and Drugs
Tessa’s Home is an 8 part series running until December 27th. To listen to the audio backgrounder from CHRI, click below. Miss previous...
- Dec 2, 2013
“Tessa’s Home” Episode 2: More About ‘Home’
Tessa’s Home is an 8 part series running until December 27th. To listen to the audio backgrounder from CHRI , click below. Miss previous...
- Nov 21, 2013
A Special heARTfelt Thursday: Sneak Peek!
Texture, colour, pattern, meaning… OIM is excited to extend an invitation to friends and community members for the up-coming Passion 4...
- Mar 8, 2013
I lost a piece of my heart…
Today I lost another piece of my heart. That’s what I feel when I meet someone who just makes me want to weep. Today I met...
- Mar 6, 2013
God’s hands on a cold night…
This past Wednesday, Ottawa experienced what I hope was the last winter storm of the year (fingers crossed!). It was windy, snowy and...
- Feb 25, 2013
OIM goes to the Oscars!
Ok…OIM didn’t actually GO to the Oscars…but the film that won ‘Best Documentary Short’ is the story of Inocente Izucar, a street-artist...
- Feb 22, 2013
Feeling Human
I met Ashley last summer. She had just left her parents house and was staying at a downtown shelter. Like many other youth who first come...
- Feb 20, 2013
You Take Donations Don’t You?
We came in this morning to find a note from one of the outreach teams that was out last night. The team had come across a friend in need...
- Feb 11, 2013
Hard to believe, but 2013 marks our 25th Anniversary!
So much has transpired since Susan Brandt and Katrine Coward filled a couple of knapsacks with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and...
- Feb 8, 2013
More beautiful for having been broken…
Recently Moira sent me something that she knew would intrigue me. It is a picture of a piece of pottery that was broken and then...
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