Mitchell District High School student Anna knows what she’s passionate about. She enjoys working with children and wants to pursue it as a career.
“I like working with kids and [will be] going to college for Early Childhood Education (ECE),” Anna shares.
By working with her facilitator, Anna has been able to take meaningful steps toward the future she wants. Anna’s facilitator, helped her find opportunities to connect with her community through volunteer roles at the West Perth Youth Centre and the local public library.
She also helped Anna prepare for the interviews that got her these roles, and connected Anna with the local Mobility Bus service, so she can get to and from her volunteering independently.
Anna has been enjoying the opportunity to gain experience working with children. She also hopes that, in the coming year, her volunteer roles might turn into a part-time job.
As a result of Anna’s hard work and the support she’s received from the Building Bright Futures initiative, Anna says she feels more confident about going to college and her ability to reach her goals. She also feels more prepared for the co-op placements that will be part of the ECE program she’s planning to take at Fanshawe College through the Community Integration Through Co-operative Education (CICE) program.
Anna’s mother, Heather, also appreciates the support that facilitation has given her and Anna. “It’s taken a great weight off me,” Heather says. “It’s been really nice to feel supported; having somebody that I can contact when I’m wondering about things.”
Facilitation has also supported Anna and her family as they make plans to set up a microboard. This is an important step for making sure that Anna is supported to make decisions in her life as an adult. Anna and her facilitator have also been talking about options for living away from home in the future, and exploring what that could look like for Anna.
Heather says that working with a facilitator has also helped her adjust to the idea of having other people helping to support Anna in her life outside of school. “It’s been really good [for me], so that when she does go off to college, I know that people can look after Anna,” Heather says.
Overall, the opportunity to access planning and facilitation through Facile has helped Anna and her family plan for a future and take steps toward making Anna’s dreams a reality.
