In honour of Mr. K Joshee’s memory, we wish his daughter and longtime supporter, Reva Joshee, a very happy birthday! Reva has supported Inner City through her work with the Gandhi Foundation. Last month, Joe Cloutier was asked to speak by Reva at the Pedagogy of Ahimsa Conference, as was Social Studies Teacher, Natasha Sakar. The conference supported educators who are seeking to address social justice, environmental issues, and behaviour concerns through engagement with ‘ahimsa’. Ahimsa is translated as nonviolence, or more accurately, it means to not do harm in thought, word, or deed.
Edmonton Indigenous Social Worker Needed
We have an opportunity for a full-time Indigenous Social Worker to join our team at Inner City Youth Development Association. This position starts July 30, 2024 from our Edmonton location.
THE POSITION
This is a full-time Youth Engagement position that reports directly to the Executive Director, and secondarily to the School Principal and Director of Education. Generally, duties consist of meeting with youth one-to-one or in small groups, participating in case conferences with external agencies, providing emergency transportation assistance to youth, participating in Indigenous cultural activities and practices, providing support to supervise the building or working in an office setting. This work can be demanding as it involves a great deal of physical, mental and emotional energy. This position offers generous vacation time, retention incentive bonus, and excellent health care benefits.
RESPONSIBILITIES
This position is responsible for duties primarily related to direct youth support and crisis intervention. Secondary duties include providing support for orientation and registration of new youth into the program and providing support to teaching staff as necessary. Largely, this position is responsible for helping to create a warm and familial school environment. All frontline staff at Inner City Youth Development Association are expected to possess an orientation and practice that operates from the belief that all young people can learn and achieve, grow and change. This position is required to participate in Indigenous cultural activities (I.e., Sweatlodge Ceremonies).
QUALIFICATIONS
Required Qualifications
Given the overrepresentation of Indigenous youth in Inner City programming, preference will be given to individuals who self-identify and are known to others as Indigenous or who have had extensive experience working with Indigenous people and communities. It is essential for us to have Indigenous staff be a part of our journey as an organization.
Diploma or Degree in Social Work.
Active Social Work permit, registered with the Alberta College of Social Workers (for experience applicants).
First Aid Certificate.
ASIST (Suicide Intervention) training certification.
Driver’s License.
Knowledge of, and or experience working with vulnerable populations (I.e., ‘street knowledge’).
Knowledge of, and or experience working with LGBTQ2 issues and concerns.
Ability to communicate and collaborate within a staff support team.
Strong written and oral communication skills.
Strong interpersonal and rapport-building skills (I.e., empathy, strong listening skills).
Strong computer and typing skills – ability to work in Microsoft Office and other content management systems.
Knowledge of, and or experience with Indigenous culture, traditions and teachings.
Flexibility and adaptability to new tasks as they arise (often in response to student crisis).
A social justice orientation.
TO APPLY
Please submit the following documents (attachments) to info@innercity.ca. Only those contacted for an interview will be responded to.
Cover letter
Resume
Academic transcripts
*All resumes are appreciated but only those selected for interview will be contacted.
Interviews will be conducted on-site in casual attire. Successful candidates must provide a recent copy of their criminal records with vulnerable sectors check.
Job Highlights
This position offers generous vacation time, retention incentive bonus, and excellent health care benefits.
Salary: $50,300 (two-year diploma) or $59,646.50 (four-year degree) is the base annual pay, however this may increase depending on education and experience.
Benefits:
ICYDA offers 3 weeks paid vacation per year (pro-rated for partial year worked) and other paid leaves during school closures (winter break, spring break, and occasional days throughout the year).
Subject to the availability of funding, ICYDA also offers a retention incentive annually in December of each year for individuals whose employment commencement date is prior to June 1 and continue to be actively employed at Inner City Youth Development Association in December.
ICYDA credits Indigenous employees with 1 year of experience on the salary grid for lived experience.
Health benefits are included in this position.
Application Deadline: June 21, 2024 or until position is filled
Start Date: July 30th, 2024
A Visit to the Muttart Conservatory
A Day of Learning, Appreciation, and Cultural Resonance
Our visit to the Muttart Conservatory on May 7 in Edmonton was truly enriching for our Indigenous Studies and Science high school students. Exploring the vibrant array of plants from around the world was not only educational but also immensely enjoyable. The tour guide's engaging narration, peppered with fascinating fun facts, added depth to our experience. We were particularly moved by the indigenous land acknowledgment, a thoughtful gesture that resonated deeply with our group. Having Elder Marjorie accompany us enhanced the visit, her wisdom and presence enriching our understanding and connection to the botanical wonders we encountered. It was a day filled with learning, appreciation, and cultural resonance that will be cherished by all who participated.
Inner City High Out and About in St. Albert
On May 21, our students were fortunate to have Celina Loyer lead them on a tour of the Little White School, a two-room schoolhouse, near downtown in Mission Park in St. Albert. The day also included seeing the Father Lacombe Chapel. In addition to the buildings’ historical significance to the local community, students and staff also learned about Metis Nation Building, Metis Famous Five, Alberta’s History, the 1982 Constitution and they even tried their hand at finger weaving!
The Best Side is Outside
A Day Trip to Camp Warwa
“School trips like this foster a stronger sense of unity within our school community, helping strengthen our core values of trust, respect, cooperation, and non‑violence.”
On May 15, Inner City High School loaded up a school bus and headed out to Camp Warwa, a 23-acre site on Lac Ste. Anne, about an hour west of Edmonton. The outdoor adventure camp provides immersive outdoor education experiences in a natural setting. It allows an opportunity for staff and students to reconnect with nature and each other, building better relationships and just having a day of fun outside.
The school’s kitchen packed lunches and snacks and the day was filled with a variety of activities like canoeing, rope climbing, hiking and more. Nature-based excursions like this are more than just recreational outings; they are a conduit for unlocking creativity, forging stronger bonds, while cultivating leadership and relationship skills.
Incorporating breaks from Edmonton’s inner city and heading out into nature create a deeper, more collaborative atmosphere among staff and students. This shift also helps foster a stronger sense of unity within our school community, helping strengthen our core values of trust, respect, cooperation, and non‑violence which form the core of all our activities.
Thanks to Camp Warwa and to all who attended and made the day so enjoyable.
Photos courtesy of Inner City Staffers: Francis, Derek, and Kelsey.
Jasmine Delivers School-wide National Red Dress Day Presentation
This year, National Red Dress Day fell on a Sunday so our school could not attend the local Edmonton rally as we normally do. To commemorate the day later that week, a Grade 12 student, Jasmine, lead a school-wide presentation about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) in the gym that was attended by about 60 people. To bring personal context to each province's experiences with the topic, she invited three staff members to assist with her talk. Russell spoke about Starlight Tours in Saskatchewan, Elder Marjorie spoke about the Highway of Tears in British Columbia, and Mark conducted a smudge to support her in representing Manitoba.
““I wanted to acknowledge the Missing and Murdered Indigenous peoples..and educate our school that this issue isn’t happening in one particular place; it’s happening all across Canada. I wanted to take time to honour our ancestors and spread awareness.” ”
Jasmine said she was drawn to this topic from hearing about it in her classes at Inner City High School. In her own words she said: “I wanted to acknowledge the Missing and Murdered Indigenous peoples. When I was learning about the issues in Indigenous communities, this topic caught my interest the most. Growing up I never heard of it, so it made me wonder how much other people knew. I wanted to educate our school that this issue isn’t happening in one particular place; it’s happening all across Canada. I wanted to take some time to honour our ancestors and spread awareness.”
We were very proud of Jasmine. Public speaking is not an easy endeavor and this is a difficult topic, as many in our Edmonton school share personal connections to MMIWG. She says she would like to do more presentations about this in the larger community.