One area of our
work that is very exciting is when we get to be connectors – bringing great organizations, networks and people together.
After having worked nationally for many years our paths cross with some outstanding organizations doing great work though often with limited budgets and opportunities for in-house training and capacity building. We also get to meet amazing front line folks – those who are on the ground creating change by being creative, innovative and passionate. We have a list of awesomeness in our office of these organizations and the people that drive them and their good works.
As we type this right now – Dale – one of the founding partners of Three Things is on a flight to Yellowknife, where, always the adventurer, she will launch our Worker-In-Residence Program.
In this story, our client, the SideDoor Youth Centre, located in Yellowknife and serving youth from across the Northwest Territories with their youth centre and after school programs as well as a foster care program, homeless youth shelter and new youth transitional home. They have an amazing Executive Director and a staff team filled with passionate and committed people. Many of their team are new in the field – and this fall we had the opportunity to spend a week delivering a capacity building session for them to build some basics in youth engagement, mental health awareness, youth and substance use/abuse, cultural awareness as well as facilitate one of our Supported Sharing Circles – where staff got to hear – first hand from youth who use their services about what those young people are learning, feeling and doing differently because of the SideDoor.
The next step in building the local capacity is having Dale join the team on the floor for the next three months! She mentioned as she was boarding her flight – it’s already -21 in Yellowknife today! Yet she’s bundled up and will help share – often by doing and role modelling, some best practices, techniques and easy to develop and use programming and engagement strategies.
Dale Pearson
When Dale wraps up in February we have another youth worker preparing to head north from a local community organization – who will share another perspective and set of skills with the team at the SideDoor.
The skill and capacity building at the SideDoor is only half of the equation though with our Worker-In-Residence program. It’s not about benevolence and organizations in the south wanting to simply help in the north. It’s equally about building the capacity, skills and understanding of workers from other organizations – in this case about the experiences of youth in the north and in particular, indigenous youth. The learnings and lessons will be shared reciprocally with each organization becoming stronger.
Our Worker-In-Residence Program is a key opportunity for organizations to build on their natural strengths and assets, leverage staffing budgets and welcome new ideas and expertise into their day to day work.
For more information about our Worker-In-Residence Program, contact [email protected] and stay tuned to our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/3ThingsConsulting for weekly Northern Highlights from Dale.