The United Way Yukon Board of Directors on March 9, 2022 approved funding totalling $110,000 to support 22 community-based projects. The Community Engagement and Investment Committee carefully reviewed all applications received (27 total) to ensure that funds would be used effectively and in support of our three priorities: All That Kids Can Be, From Poverty to Possibility and Healthy People Strong Communities.
| Big Brothers Big Sisters of Yukon | Mentoring Project | BBBSY’s goals for this project are to continue monitoring the existing matches we have, to work toward creating new relationships between volunteers and clients, and to increase our service capacity to allow more children and volunteers to be matched. |
| Blood Ties Four Directions Centre Society | Blood Ties Four Directions Centre Healthy Lunches Program | The Healthy Lunches program provides healthy, warm lunches to people accessing services at Blood Ties Four Directions Centre (BT4D) Monday – Friday. The Health Lunches program has been incorporated into our case management, housing, harm reduction, and health navigation supports, which has the dual benefit of building linkages to services and providing individuals with the nutrition they need to effectively work with our frontline service providers on their goals. Meals are prepared at Bridges Catering, |
| BYTE – Bringing Youth Toward Equality | 10th Annual Leaders In Training Gathering | The Leaders in Training gathering is our most highly requested programming that BYTE offers, and this year marks the 10th edition of Leaders in Training. Our target demographic for the Leaders in Training gathering is youth between the ages of 14-18, from the thirteen communities that BYTE serves in the Yukon including Atlin, B.C. and communities in the Mackenzie Delta region of NWT. We aim to host 2 youth and 1 chaperone/mentor from each community to join us at the gathering, to ensure the group of delegates is as diverse and equitable as possible. |
| FASSY – Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Society Yukon | Ladies Night Out | The Out and about program remains a collaborative of 4 agencies – led by FASSY, it is supported by Options for Independence, Teegtha Ozeh, and Inclusion Yukon. The purpose of Ladies’ Night is to create a safe, welcoming space that women of all abilities and backgrounds can participate in and try new things while building healthy relationships with other women. The Ladies’ night out initiative has been an integral part of the Out and About program, since its inception. A monthly activity will be led by the 1st Porter Creek Pathfinders with the support of their lead guides. This unique showcasing of community collaboration/inclusion helps to foster understanding and respect for people with neurodevelopmental disabilities. |
| FASSY – Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Society Yukon | Whitehorse lunch program | The FASSY lunch program will provide nutritious hot meal at midday. FASSY provides a supported lunch program for people using our service out of our drop-in space where individuals are supported to have lunch and share companionship. FASSY outreach staff will be available to help individuals and share time creating a community of caring. Challenge DRG will provide a take out meal and participants will have the opportunity to eat within the FASSY drop in space or take to another space to eat. |
| FASSY – Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Society Yukon | Not a Damn Luxury Program! | Many of our program participants live in poverty and are at risk of homelessness. Food banks assist with meeting food security needs and access to thrift shops supports basic clothing needs. Two areas that remain unsupported are personal hygiene items and undergarments. No one should ever have to go without these basic human needs or lack the ability to obtain these items without undue hardship. For those living in poverty, these items are often seen as a luxury and are underfunded in social programming. Food Banks are not funded to provide personal care items and undergarments are items which are not readily suited for second hand options and so many simply go without these items. |
| Freedom Trails Therapeutic Riding Association | Therapeutic Horseback Riding Program | Lessons can take place in a riding arena or round pen and can include a ride on the trails, taking horses through an obstacle course, a walk in the labyrinth, a paddock visit, ground lessons or a ride on our riding simulator. In each environment the participants experience the sense of freedom and independence. The program provides participants with opportunities to experience the sense of achievement, pride and confidence and to build self-esteem. It gives participants an environment to increase motivation, concentration and to improve learning skills. |
| Haines Junction Food Association | Monthly Food Hampers | The project is a successful collaboration between the Haines Junction Food Association, the Whitehorse Food Bank and the Champagne and Aishihik First Nation.which provides between 85 and 112 food hampers per month. |
| Humane Society Yukon | Spay / Neuter / Vet Care for Community Animals | Affordable veterinary care for lower income individuals and families. Pets provide companionship and improve mental health and wellbeing. Individuals forced into a decision betwen expensive vet care and basic human needs of food and shelter avoid surrendering their pets due to economic hardship. |
| Kluane First Nation | Arts & Activities Seniors Programs | Kluane First Nation Elders often suffer from isolation and loneliness, especially during the last couple of years of Covid restrictions. The program delivers an afternoon of activities for seniors, including chair yoga, a few yoga mats for the able, lite hand weights, elastic tube exercises. Arts activities are also planned, including canvases, paints, craft supplies, and large print cards which create opportunities for self expression and joy. Ice cream makers, popcorn poppers, hot water kettle, coffee, tea pots and supplies are available to provide healthy snacks |
| LDAY Centre for Learning | LDAY Camp Programs | The purpose of the LDAY camps is to provide the opportunity for children and youth with learning difficulties or differences to improve their social skills, build their self-esteem, and make new friends while having fun in the outdoors, playing games, learning new skills and expressing their creativity. This supportive environment is achieved by a carefully planned schedule of activities that provide age appropriate challenge, facilitated and supervised by a group of skilled counsellors. |
| Liard Aboriginal Women’s Society | Language, Violence & Responsibility | LAWS would like to invite Indigenous women and youth out to Traditional Kaska Territory Tu Cho Camp (Frances Lake) for a land based learning experience about violence information & prevention of Indigenous women and children. We plan to have speakers, workshops and provided childcare in a safe environment, with mental health professionals on site in July 2022. We want to teach awareness on domestic violence, what are the signs and how to move forward in a positive, healing way. We have after-workshop activities planned such as traditional plant harvesting, jewelry making and art therapy connected to Kaska culture. |
| Liard First Nation | Increasing Access to Healthy Meals | The Increasing Access to Healthy Meals program is focused on supporting LFN citizens to build healthy relationships around food while increasing access to well-balanced meals. |
| Victoria Faulkner Women’s Centre – Partners for Children | Mothering Your Baby | Mothering Your Baby groups are an education and support group for mothers and babies under one year. Mothers discuss the joys and challenges of mothering and learn about adapting to life with a new baby. |
| Victoria Faulkner Women’s Centre – Partners for Children | Parent Child Mother Goose | The Parent-Child Mother Goose Program is a group experience for parents/caregivers and their babies and young children aged 0-5 yrs old, focusing on the pleasure and power of using oral rhymes, songs and stories together. The goals of the program are many, including strengthening parent-child attachment, building a supportive group where isolated parents can feel comfortable, and creating opportunities for different generations to interact. |
| Queer Yukon Society | Yukon Queer Books Collection | The Yukon Queer Books Collection is part of the Yukon Gender Gear program which offers free, confidential gender gear to Yukoners. The Yukon Gender Gear program has had significant impact on the Yukon Trans, Non-Binary and Two-Spirit community, providing access to a variety of gender gear which has previously been difficult to acquire locally. The Queer Books Collection program is in partnership with Boys & Girls Club Yukon, and provides age-appropriate educational resources such as workbooks and books which discuss gender identity, transitioning, safety, coming out and provide support in an individual’s journey. |
| The Victoria Faulkner Women’s Centre | Community Kitchen | The Community Kitchen program currently offers home-cooked meals for takeout from The Women’s Centre once a week. The program provides women with an occasion to gather, come together, lift each other up and support one another. The project aims to expand to offering two meals/week around other programing opportunities such as events, programs or workshops linked to the VFWC’s other programs. |
| Vuntut Gwitchin Government Education Department | Old Crow Ski Program | Two ski instructors work in Old Crow coordinate with with VGG Education and Recreation Department, as well as with staff of the Department of Education at the Chief Zzeh Gittlit school to run a week long on-the-land ski program for students in the community. Instructors coordinated with school administration and teachers to participate and lead components of the school’s land-based education program and incorporate cross country skiing and skill development into the curriculum. |
| Watson Lake Food Bank | Community Kitchen Project | In collaboration with the Whitehorse Food Bank, the program serves a hot meal twice a month and provides a balanced diet to clients in Watson Lake, and also includes the recipe to help people cook at home. The meals will reflect some of the common found ingredients in a food hamper as well as the moderately more afford items. We also are working to encourage those to get involved and come out and cook along side us to learn some life skills in the kitchen to then transfer over into their lives. |
| Youth Of Today Society | Yukon Youth Connect | Creative House is a full media studio accessible both in-house and online with a reach across a connected Yukon. Our project will facilitate learning, creative events, and connect additional supports for youth to all Yukon Youth projects via the Youth Network Hub and our Creative House Websites. Our Media facility supports podcasting, writing, video, photography, graphic design, youth business promotion with a supported brick and mortar storefront to showcase youth creatives. |
| Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition | Cultivating Hope: A Voices Influencing Change Information Booklet | Cultivating Hope will be a small booklet and promotional video that highlights the history and background of the Voices Influencing Change program and bios and photos of the 22 current graduates as well as current participants..It will demonstrate the importance of involving people with lived experience in policy and decision making. The contents will be developed by participants with the help of a communications contractor who has worked with the program in the past. |
| Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition | October Whitehorse Connects | Whitehorse Connects is a day where community comes together to connect with one another and with human and health services providers, including music, food, clothing, tax support, ID, portraits, haircuts, pet care and the Outreach Van. |
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