YWCA SKILLS DEVELOPMENT CENTRE

ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS FOR ADULTS

The YWCA Niagara Region is proud to provide structured workshops through our Women’s Resource Centre that are specifically designed to provide a safe, empowering environment for learning. Skills Development programming is an excellent way to increase knowledge, build self-awareness, and enhance the skills that will be transferable as the client moves towards stability and independence. Skills Development programs are created, facilitated, and delivered in unique ways that ensure a realistic, fun, and interactive experience for the women we serve.

  • Brighter Hours Brighter Days is designed for individuals who are feeling overwhelmed by life’s stressors and the impact it might be having on their daily lives. This workshop, will allow the women to navigate these negative impacts and form connections to their mental health. Women will be provided tools and resources by staff that will help them build transferable skills to self-manage, cope, and heal.

  • Solutions to Anger is a program that provides individuals with tools to effectively resolve anger and to regulate their emotions. In six different modules we talk about solution based approaches to anger. The program teaches women how to identify their feelings and communicate them effectively and appropriately to provide them with the best possible situational outcome.

  • In this two part employment and financial management program participants will develop employment readiness skills to help obtain and maintain employment. Participants will engage in workshops such as resume and cover letter building, interview preparation, employment exploration, career planning and self-improvement. The goal of the program is to enable individuals to reach their employment goals as well as succeed in personal development.

  • In part two of the employment and financial management program, we will discuss spending plans that balance spending with income, allowing participants to work towards their financial goals and address financial barriers. This financial preparation program aims to provide individuals and their families with skills to become self-sufficient and financial stable by acquiring budgeting tools, money and debt management resources, income and expenditures suppor

  • This program will empower participants to clearly create, state, and maintain healthy boundaries. It will provide women with tools for boundary awareness, confidence building, effective communication, and conflict resolution. With the enhancement of their current skills and development of new ones. This program allows for personal and future growth strategies, which brings awareness to the importance of healthy relationship building, and allow for participant to develop an understanding of creating more meaningful relationships with themselves as well as the relationships in their lives.

  • This program will have participants navigate and find their own balance of well-being. With discussion on the 7 key dimensions of wellness that contribute to overall health and quality of life, individuals will be able to do wellness mapping discovering areas of strengths and weaknesses. The program will provide tools for coping skills, mindfulness practices, self-care strategies, and hygiene routines that aim to achieve their mindbody wellness goals.

women discussing
women laughing and socializing together

If you would like more information about the YWCA Skills Development Centre, please contact Kendra at (905) 246-4483 or kcooper@ywcaniagararegion.ca.

STOMT

sex trade on my terms umbrella

The YWCA’s STOMT programming has transitioned from drop-in style programming to offering confidential meetings and outreach supports for womxn who are engaged in sex work in Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, Fort Erie, Port Colborne and Welland. If there is an individual who is engaged in sex work and they are interested in the STOMT program an internal, external or self-referral can be made.  Our life Skills Facilitator and Transitional Support Worker can offer meetings on an as needed basis to offer care packages, harm reduction items, clothing, and a safe space to have good conversation, following with access to supports or referrals if needed. Supports can range from safe sex work practices, employment supports, budgeting support and housing maintenance.

 

This is a case management style of supporting sex workers, reaching more individuals with more unique needs and supports being offered. If there is someone engaged in sex work and would like any supports the Skills team can offer, please complete a referral form and send it to Kendra and Olivia. You can also provide the individual with Kendra and Olivia’s e-mails for them to reach out on their own to request supports. Our team works together to ensure all referrals are responded to within 2-3 business days.  Any case management or life skills that are offered during these meetings, will be documented.

Our focus is to support sex workers in building skills to maintain housing and maintain safety while working and/or wanting to exit the sex trade.

Kendra- kcooper@ywcaniagararegion.ca

Olivia- oroutsky@ywcaniagararegion.ca