Now Eleven Months of Pandemic
Staff preparing a lunch delivery in December.
Eleven months have passed from the start of the pandemic. Almost a year later, we are still here, adjusting to delivering services for marginalized urban Indigenous and other youth within the new framework of COVID-19. While we had prepared for many contingencies, a global pandemic was not something we had ever thought we would face. Safety and flexibility have been at the center of our decisions and processes. We are not operating like normal, but we’re ‘more normal’ than we were last spring.
Staff dropping off food and homework and providing informal counselling in parking lot.
Last March we quickly took our whole operation online, with a small core of administrative and support staff maintaining outreach operations on site. Some youth worked online; others did not have the necessary technology. For those students, paper assignments were delivered. Social workers dropped off lunches to students and provided informal counselling in hallways and doorsteps across Edmonton. Often extra meals were provided for other family members.
We delivered and picked up paper assignments along with a hot meal, and often sent extra meals for other family members.
In September, we resumed in-school services with a strengthened online school platform. Since then, we provide essential supports, such as informal counselling, a food bank, transportation help, and other youth support programming to youth both on and off-site. High school courses are part of this mix of services. Lunches and snacks are delivered to small cohorts throughout the building and to those off-site. Our wraparound services include an on-site Elder three days a week and other cultural supports. Throughout, we’ve adhered to and maintained strict COVID-19 health protocols.
We want to extend our sincere thanks to all our donors and supporters for your contributions and support. Your donations provide life-changing assistance to Edmonton’s marginalized urban Indigenous and other youth by way of our unique programming.