Youth start in congregate living where they begin to prepare and adjust to more responsibility and accountability. Youth enter through the eastern door, regardless of age or ability. In this stage, the emphasis is on forming attachments and ensuring the youth’s physical well-being is met. This placement is staffed with two support persons/mentors 24/7, plus a full-time weekday Program Coordinator and evening supervisor.

Goals

• Develop positive and trusting relationships

• Assist youth in short and long term goal setting

• Meet and collaborate with youth’s current support system (natural and/or foster family, therapists, community members, agency staff etc.) to ensure consistency and ongoing support

• Support positive connections with the youth’s family wherever possible

• Ensure the youth’s medical needs are attended to (doctor, dentist, optometrist etc.)

• Youth are enrolled in school or program

• Youth begin to learn basic household management including cooking, cleaning, budgeting, consumer awareness, transportation, and interpersonal relationship skills

• Self-care and harm reduction principles are explored

• Inaadiziwin ensures youth are provided ample opportunity to explore indigenous culture and ceremonies

Following completion of tasks and goals outlined in the Eastern Door, youth enter the adolescent stage. This stage is focused on preparing for the concrete tasks of independence. This placement is staffed with two support persons/mentors 24/7, plus a full-time weekday Program Coordinator and evening supervisor.

Goals

• Ensure youth have all forms of identification.

• Youth will open a bank account, and learn basic budgeting.

• Short and longterm goal setting, as it relates to the youth’s definition of success in adulthood.

• Prepare a resume and learn interviewing skills, while exploring employment/education in line with personal goals.

• Mindfulness, addiction and trauma education programming are offered, as well as teachings on the impacts of colonization.

• Continued emphasis on basic household management (cooking, cleaning, budgeting, consumer awareness, transportation, and interpersonal/relationship skills).

• Youth continue to explore, practice, and participate in activities related to their cultural identity.

• Youth are encouraged to participate in recreational activities of interest to them.

• Volunteerism with Indigenous led organizations is encouraged (Drag the Red, Mama Bear Clan, Community Homelessness Assistance Team patrols, Anishative, etc.)

When the youth have demonstrated preparedness and successfully graduated from the infant and adolescent stages, they move onto the adult stage of programming—independent suites. Suites are located in the Inaadiziwin apartment block. This placement is staffed with three support persons/mentors 24/7 plus an extra daytime support mentor and a full-time weekday Program Coordinator. Focus is on the emotional realm of wellbeing, as well as continued participation in education or employment goals and enhancing independent living skills.

Goals

• Furnish youth’s apartment with household items (using Age of Majority Funds).

• Focus on emotional wellbeing (identity, relationships, anger management, trauma, grief and loss, healthy communication, etc.)

• Continued emphasis on gaining education/employment/volunteer experience.

• Youth gain continued competence and confidence in life skills such as: household management, cooking, cleaning, money management, consumer awareness, transportation, emergency and safety skills, community resources, paying utility bills, submitting taxes, legal resources/issues, eviction prevention, pregnancy/parenting/child rearing education, and interpersonal relationship skills.

• Continued access to cultural and ceremonial activities and supports

Once the youth has demonstrated their ability and readiness to live independently, the youth will transition to the elder stage of the program where they will live independently. By this time the youth has completed most of the necessary tasks of earlier stages and has demonstrated confidence and readiness to leave the program. Transition to full independent living will be determined in collaboration with the youth, agency, social worker, and Inaadiziwin team. During this stage, support mentors will continue to provide outreach supports to the youth in the community.

Goals

• Assist youth in securing and furnishing an apartment in the community of their choice. Inaadiziwin will help youth learn to pay their rent to landlord. Emphasis on finding long term housing arrangement to maintain stability.

• Support mentors meet the youth regularly in their own apartment and in the community to ensure the youth is feeling prepared and secure.

• Assist youth in self-advocacy when interacting with larger systems (medical, justice, child welfare etc.) and ensure youth has necessary knowledge, skill-set, and confidence to do so in the future.

• Youth passes tobacco to learn spirit name and clan (if applicable) along with the teachings and responsibilities that come with it. Continued