*Names have been changed to protect children’s identities.
Miranda
Female, Caucasian
From bullied and afraid to scholar, award winner, and moving on to be a veterinarian.
Before Whytecliff: Miranda was referred to our Youth Futures/Whytecliff program due to the difficulties she had interacting with her peers. Miranda had been bullied so severely that she was afraid to return to her previous school. Miranda used to play a lot of sports and really enjoyed playing hockey, but stated during her intake that she had since lost interest due to her negative experiences. In addition, Miranda has been diagnosed with anxiety and depression, and had a further learning disability. Miranda was unsure what medication she was taking for her depression, but she stopped her pills months before Whytecliff, instead resorting to self-medication with marijuana. Miranda lived at home with her mother and autistic brother.
REFERRED BY: MCFD
AT WHYTECLIFF: During her two years at Whytecliff, Miranda made much progress both academically and personally, with a goal to graduate, which she did. Miranda was an active participant in our PE and programming, enjoying activities such as wheelchair basketball, power skating, hiking, fishing, and cycling. In addition to earning her Adult Graduation Diploma, Miranda received a scholarship from the Township of Langley to use towards her post-secondary studies.
Follow-Up August 2017: Miranda is employed full-time at a pet store and is planning to move to Kamloops and become a veterinarian. She is proud that since leaving Whytecliff she has been able to buy a car. She definitely believes that she would not have graduated without Whytecliff and would have committed suicide by now. Her attendance at Whytecliff was much better than in public school. Asked if she could rate herself on a scale of 1 to 10 for moving forward and making good progress towards her life goals, she rated herself as a 8. She rated herself as a 10 for developing new insights and challenging herself to be better.
“Thanks to this school, I have learned that being successful isn’t hard. Whytecliff pushed me through my breaking point and made me believe that I am worth something. I’ve worked hard for where I am today. I always struggled with peer relationships and school; I felt like I was at the bottom of the food chain. Now that I am a graduate, I believe depression, anxiety and any other disability can be overcome. Thank you to everyone at Whytecliff for showing me that I am worth something.”
Moving forward and making progress toward life goals:
Developing new insights and challenging self to be better:
Jake
Male, First Nations
Moving from no family, assault, foster care and dropping out to employment, inspiring others, real wealth, a child and family and a future giving back.
Before Whytecliff: Jake was referred to Whytecliff by his youth probation officer after years of criminal activities. His most serious offence occurred when Jake attempted to assault a group of young men with a knife and was charged with assault with a weapon. Jake grew up without a mother or father and lived in and out of foster care for most of his childhood. After years of changing caregivers and living in unhealthy family environments, Jake chose to live on his own. In order to support himself he was pulled into a criminal lifestyle that provided opportunity but also great risk. Furthermore, Jake was not attending school and was falling further and further behind his peer group. He had not been successful in previous programs and was looking for a more supportive environment in which he might develop emotional and social skills, while receiving the individualized academic support to help him get back on track and graduate.
REFERRED BY: MCFD Probation
AT WHYTECLIFF: Jake’s journey at Whytecliff was not always without challenges but he persevered and became a transformative leader. He graduated with his Dogwood Diploma and was also his class Valedictorian, an award that supports post-secondary tuition fees. More importantly, Jake made an impression that will inspire youth in the program for years to come. He was a true model of growth and leadership and his valedictorian speech at the graduation ceremony left many in tears, and inspired belief in his peers.
Follow-Up August 2017: Jake is currently working full-time in the film industry as well as part-time at a smart device/control company as a salesperson. He has been so successful in the latter position that he earned the number 1 sales ranking in the company. His future plan is to continue expanding his own online sales company that specializes in door-to-door sales. Jake has over 4000 online followers that he inspires daily with his passion for sales and customer service. Jake is very interested in giving back to Whytecliff and would like to extend employment opportunities within his company to Whytecliff youth. He has agreed to come in to the program for the 2017 year to present his company and seek out interest from the current youth. He claims that he would have never graduated without Whytecliff because of the trouble he was continually getting into at the time. He also believes that he would currently be an addict, dead, or in jail if it had not been for his opportunity to attend and graduate from Whytecliff. Jake is also the proud father of a healthy one-year-old boy and is currently planning his wedding day with his future wife. He rated himself as a 10 for moving forward and making positive progress in his life and sees himself as a 10 in developing new insights and challenging himself to be better.
Moving forward and making progress toward life goals:
Developing new insights and challenging self to be better:
Nick
Male, Caucasian
Moving from learning disability, ADD, OCD, and mild Tourette’s to a future in Kamloops as an Addictions Support Worker.
Before Whytecliff: Nick lived with both of his parents, but the family had a difficult time making ends meet and was in serious jeopardy of losing their current residence, due to falling behind on their payments. In addition, Nick struggled with anxiety and had been diagnosed with ADHD, OCD, ODD and milder Tourette’s syndrome. He also has a learning disability, which contributed to his negative experiences in traditional school settings and, as a result, Nick had fallen two years behind his age group. He felt frustrated due to a lack of classroom support and felt like he just didn’t do well in regular schools. Furthermore, Nick had a significant history of substance abuse and addictions, although he completed a residential treatment program just prior to enrolling at Whytecliff.
REFERRED BY: Mother
AT WHYTECLIFF: Nick flourished at Whytecliff and graduated in 2017. His attendance was nearly 100% and he set an example to the other youth that young people can grow through their challenges. Nick has spoken at length about a career in youth work and will begin pursuing this goal with the support of the Whytecliff program. Nick is also keen on earning a post-secondary scholarship that will allow him to pursue his post-secondary dreams. He is resilient, and forthright to all who know him.
Follow-Up August 2017: Nick is currently working at a store in Kamloops. He will start a program to become an Addictions Support Worker at Thompson Rivers University in the future and is proud he is making the right moves to proceed on this course. He is also proud that he was able to move to Kamloops with his girlfriend. Nick would definitely not have graduated without Whytecliff and his attendance was much better than in public school. Asked if he could rate himself on a scale of 1 to 10 for moving forward and making good progress towards her life goals he rated himself as a 9. He rated himself as a 9 for developing new insights and challenging himself to be better.
Moving forward and making progress toward life goals:
Developing new insights and challenging self to be better:
Yolanda
Female, First Nations
From ADHD and a disease that affects global brain functioning to being a nanny and completing a diploma in Early Childhood Education.
Before Whytecliff: Yolanda had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and static encephalopathy, a brain disease that affects her global brain functioning. Insomnia, anxiety/depression, and asthma/allergies were also noted but not diagnosed, along with a comment of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) in her family history. Furthermore, Yolanda has learning disabilities and problems with reading and writing. She had not been attending school on a regular basis, lacking the tools and motivation for schoolwork. Yolanda cites her boyfriend as the main reason she did not go to school or complete assignments. Regardless, Yolanda did not have the focus necessary for mainstream schooling, along with a lack of interest in education and student life. In addition to academic problems, Yolanda lived with a series of foster parents and in multiple group homes.
REFERRED BY: Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Service Society
AT WHYTECLIFF: Yolanda completed the full eight courses for BC Secondary Graduation rather than taking the easier five course path for Adult Graduation. She struggled at times with attendance but made improvements to her sleep habits and boosted her attendance rates to 65-75%.
Follow-Up August 2017: Yolanda has been working as a nanny for two years and will start a diploma program in Early Childhood Education next year. She is proud of having been featured in a CBC documentary on foster care. She has a new job, and is giving back through involvement in a volunteer mentorship program for girls. Looking back she explains that she had given up on public school and probably would not have graduated. It was the flexibility and the persistent “positive pressure and reinforcement” from staff that got her to finish and graduate. Her attendance at Whytecliff was better than in public school and she had pretty much dropped out before she came to Whytecliff. Her attendance fluctuated with us, but she always came back because she felt she would not be judged negatively for her absences and was always welcomed back. Asked if she could rate herself on a scale of 1 to 10 for moving forward and making good progress towards her life goals, she was very keen to rate herself as a 10. She was also eager to rate herself as a 10 for developing new insights and challenging herself to be better.
Moving forward and making progress toward life goals:
Developing new insights and challenging self to be better: