One of the best parts about my daily life as a youth worker at our female-identified Crisis Program is watching friendships develop and grow. When young women come to seek sanctuary at Covenant House Vancouver, they often appear timid and anxious as they navigate this new, social environment.
They may have come from backgrounds where maintaining friendships or depending on people was nearly impossible due to trauma, unstable home environments, and other adversity. At Covenant House youth learn to depend on structural components of the program, like set-meal times, but they also learn to depend on staff and even their co-residents for empathy and solidarity.
The support and care that I see some of the youth give to each other is likely the support they had never received themselves. I have observed many young people walk through our doors as strangers and leave with friends and a support system.
This motivates me as a youth worker to provide a great level of service, respect, love and care for all the deserving young women of Covenant House.
Shared by Jess, Youth Worker at our Crisis Program