* days with Phoei Report to the Community 2016/2017 PhoenixDonorReport2017.indd366 1 2017-06-01 11:13 AM Yup, 2016 was a leap year! * At Phoenix, people matter. All people. Since 1987, Phoenix has been dedicated to supporting youth and contributing to a vibrant community. Phoenix’s multiple locations in Halifax, Nova Scotia, provide a wide range of support for youth ages 11–24 and their families. We o­er important services and programs including shelter, food, housing support, health care, parenting support, recreation, education and employment services, and therapy. Our team of caring professionals recognizes that each person who comes to us has individual needs as well as strengths. People are the leaders in their own lives; Phoenix is a leader in supporting them. OUR SERVICES Advocacy Youth Outreach Community Engagement Youth & Family Therapy Arts, Recreation and Leadership Health Services Parent Support Housing Support Money Management Crisis Support Education Support Employment Support OUR PROGRAMS Phoenix Centre for Youth Phoenix Health Services Phoenix Homes for Independence Phoenix House Phoenix Housing Support Program Phoenix Learning and Employment Centre Phoenix Parent Support Program Phoenix Special Initiatives Program Phoenix Trusteeship Program Phoenix Youth and Community Centre Phoenix Youth and Family Therapy Phoenix Youth Outreach Program Phoenix Youth Shelter PhoenixDonorReport2017.indd 2 2017-06-01 11:13 AM 29 ears ­ A Note from Tim and Mark Every season at Phoenix is alive with activities, opportunities, challenges, and achievements. In this report, you will read about how Phoenix sta and volunteers work hard to create special moments. These are made possible through the support of our dedicated donors and have profound impact on the lives of the youth, families, and communities we have the joy of working with. Phoenix is a group eort — supported by the community and guided by the people who access our many, interconnected services. Keeping our programming aligned to real needs with supports that result in true impact is the heartbeat of Phoenix. Mark Donohue, th Chair, Board of Directors In 2016, Phoenix stepped into our 29 year of being there for youth and and Timothy Crooks, families. With our 30th year on the horizon, we decided to examine both the Executive Director robustness of our current delivery and potential for future development. This rigour was intended to ensure Phoenix’s continued success. Over the year, we focused on researching key aspects of our mandate and possibilities for innovation. With new insight at hand, we will begin to stretch in our 30th year, exploring additional possibilities with our community. The sacred trust we hold is to always oer our best in ways that matter. To all who support us, including three levels of government, we deeply thank you for your dedication. We are especially grateful for a multi-year service level agreement with the Government of Nova Scotia’s Department of Community Services, to help support Phoenix’s core program delivery to youth, families, and communities. We recognize our long-term donors, including St. Paul’s Home, the Canadian Progress Club Halifax Cornwallis, and our Food for Phoenix committee, who have, over many years, established a platform for stability that stands strong today. We look forward to reflecting back, reaching forward, and celebrating together in our 30th year. For all you do, a heartfelt thanks! Board of Directors EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS Mark Donohue, Chair Roger Burrill Lisa Tilley Lawyer, Public Prosecution Service Canada Lawyer, Nova Scotia Legal Aid Partner, Uprise Consulting Heidi Leslie, Past Chair Nicole Deveau Sarah Veinot Lawyer; Vice President, Corporate Strategy Practice Leader, Grant Thornton LLP Partner, MNP LLP Implementation, Emera Inc. Danette Foster Sarah Young Elizabeth Church, Vice Chair Senior Manager, KPMG Enterprise Partner, NATIONAL Public Relations Vice-President (Academic) MSVU Deanne MacLeod Stephen Denton, Treasurer Partner, Stewart McKelvey Director of Investments, SeaFort Capital Inc. Janet Martin Judith Ferguson, Secretary Director, Contingent Workforce Management, Vice President Corporate Aairs, Human Resource Shared Services, Nova Scotia Power Royal Bank of Canada PhoenixDonorReport2017.indd 1 2017-06-01 11:13 AM ­ ­ ­ Linda’s grandson Kalob had lost his usual twinkle and enthusiasm. He was being bullied at school and had learning struggles. Linda met regularly with the school but needed more support. That’s when she learned about the Phoenix Youth and Family Therapy Program (PYFT). Kalob remembers feeling nervous the fi rst time they walked through the door, but that anxiety quickly subsided as clinical therapist Rachel began getting to know this warm and loving, but overwhelmed, family. “Rachel took us by the hand. She was our guardian angel,” says Linda. Sometimes it was hard to sit and talk, so Rachel and Kalob would toss the football, or go for walks together and explore what Kalob was up against. The sessions focused on fi nding avenues to restore Kalob’s sense of himself as a worthy, capable young man, and his sense of hope and possibility for his future. “I had a pretty good idea of what Kalob needed,” says Linda,” but I didn’t know what to do. Rachel showed us so much compassion and helped us navigate the system.” Rachel also connected Kalob to a range of community supports, advocated for his enrolment in a school that specialized in his particular social and learning needs, and arranged for an assessment that showed he had ADHD. Kalob now enjoys going to school and is able to shine academically. “I got an 11/12 on my last math test!” he says with pride. Rachel also connected Kalob with recreational opportunities like ArtTech Camp that helped his confi dence and social connections grow. Linda says new friendships both at camp and at his new school are making a huge di erence in Kalob’s life. “[Before] Kalob was left out of everything. Kids would pick on him in the playground — he’d come home heartbroken. Now he is getting invited to birthday parties!” Kalob and his grandmother now seem confi dent and hopeful about Kalob’s future. As Linda says, “We have tremendous support behind us. Without Phoenix we would be lost within the system.” The Phoenix team knew the family always had the resilience, strength, and love they needed to help them on their journey, they just needed someone in their corner. Last word goes to Kalob, who wanted to say, “Thank you for helping me get through a lot of stu . Thank you for everything that you have done for me.” a an in PhoenixDonorReport2017.indd 2 2017-06-01 11:13 AM a an in PhoenixDonorReport2017.indd 3 2017-06-01 11:13 AM ring Hope and Possibility There are many reasons why we love working for the Phoenix Youth and Family Therapy program (PYFT). From the beginning, our program was designed to respond to gaps in early intervention services identified by youth and parents, provide cutting-edge therapy, and make sure our services were free and accessible. We especially wanted to reach out to those who have traditionally been underserved or faced discrimination. Our physical space and general atmosphere is warm and welcoming from the moment clients walk in the door. Advocacy is a central piece of the therapy we provide. We continually work to reduce the societal barriers youth and families face while helping them to navigate systems like schools, health, and even arts and recreation opportunities. Our team embraces the complexity of peoples’ lives. Rather than defining clients in terms of their problems, we are interested in the many layers that make Rachel, Fiona, and Alison up who they are. We know that everyone comes to us with challenges, pain, and hardship. And we also know that they come to us with experiences, a cultural Phoenix’s Youth and context, skills and abilities, deeply held values, and hopes and dreams. There is Family Therapy program is available to youth always hope and possibility. 11–24 and their families. We all agree at PYFT that, first and foremost, we want to build genuine and We focus on early trusting relationships with our clients. We share the belief that everyone we work intervention with a range of concerns including with deserves to be treated with dignity, respect, and compassion. We know that family relationships, peer our clients are experts on their own lives, and we need to listen carefully, always. relationships, grief and Phoenix is committed to excellence, to best practice approaches and ongoing loss, school- related challenges, coping professional development. We are proud of the level of clinical expertise on our with emotions, histories of team and we are excited that evaluations from our clients over the years reflect abuse, and discrimination that. We have enjoyed sharing what we have learned over the years in a number of and poverty. All of our programs are published articles. free of charge. And finally, we love working with other members of our “Phoenix family” who share our passion, including our colleagues across Phoenix programs, our community partners, and our volunteers. With gratitude, Fiona, Rachel, and Alison PhoenixDonorReport2017.indd 4 2017-06-01 11:13 AM uporer Foundations for Long-term Success Whether you are planning a vacation, buying a home, or shopping for a new car, knowing your budget and resources is essential. Similarly, at Phoenix we must understand our costs and available resources so we can oer programs and services to youth that are meaningful and relevant. These activities typically require planning, research, and discussion. Sustained support plays an important role in both our current and three-to- five year program planning. Phoenix has been fortunate to have partners who understand the value of multi-year commitments and the impact these gifts ultimately make in the lives of youth.