James first met Dylan at Youth Unlimited’s drop-in centre in Abbotsford. Growing up in a home destabilized by his parents’ addictions and high-conflict relationship, there was a significant risk that Dylan would perpetuate this cycle of addiction and broken relationships. But with supportive intervention, Dylan broke the statistics. Today he is a committed and loving father to his young family, unencumbered by addiction. Youth Unlimited outreach worker James Parlee was one of those supports for Dylan. Thanks to your support, James, like many YU staff, has been empowered to be that life-changing support for 100s of kids during their time...
Four thousand on-lookers watched as Derian Moffitt stepped on to center ice. Donned head-to-toe in a Cat-in-the-Hat costume, holding a pink broom, he laughed and joined a small pumpkin girl and 18 other costumed heroes in an epic broomball battle at a recent Giants hockey game. Up until recently, this kind of attention would have been a horrific nightmare for Derian. Since his earliest memory, Derian, now 20, has lived with crippling anxiety—sometimes so bad it left him unable to leave the house. “He has always feared what people would think of him,” says Youth Unlimited outreach worker Cassia Philipson—aka...
Fifteen-year-old Olivia rolls her eyes. “But it’s so good now, they’re just going to change it” she says, referring to the grade eights entering the youth group where Youth Unlimited’s Sandra Reilly works. Reading Olivia’s face and recalling her backstory, Sandra suspects it will take a significant perspective shift before the incoming girls will ever feel welcome by Olivia. When she was in grade eight, Olivia experienced the pain of social exclusion. As a young, incoming grade eight, Olivia was on the fringes, hoping to befriend the older girls. Despite her efforts, she was met with rejection. Sandra was a...