Young Wolves Lodge

Goals / Purpose of Program

Young Wolves Lodges is a 16-week voluntary residential program for young Aboriginal women ages 17-24 who have substance abuse/misuse issues and are trying to work towards positive change in their lives. We also work with women to help them reunite with their children.

Our main goal is to help young women empower themselves to make positive decisions and create change in their lives. We offer individual support, information, and referrals to community resources. We embrace First Nations ceremonies, traditions and teachings, incorporating them with a holistic clinical approach to best support the recovery of youth by guiding, teaching and empowering them with diverse tools and resources to suit their individual needs.

We work with young women to help them gain the lifeskills needed to work towards successfully living independently or with their family. We also provide parenting skills to all – to help young mothers work towards reuniting with their child(ren), and to ensure that all young women have as much information as possible before they may choose to become parents. When possible, we host parent/child visits at our site, but we cannot have children stay at the house.

We have also enhanced our program with a Transition Worker who fills in service gaps while youth are in attendance and upon completion of program. She follows youth for one year after completion of our program to help ensure a successful transition for youth exiting the program by providing individual support.  

Program Activities

• Nutritional awareness
• Daily programs & workshops
• Cultural, educational and recreational activities, and outings to community events
• Alcohol and drug education, AA & NA meetings, and other relapse prevention resources
• Parenting education, advocacy and support
• On-site counsellor and post-treatment planning
• Planning & transitional support towards independent living

Young Wolves Lodge fosters youth development and encourages youth to participate in various activities within the community to broaden horizons, embrace, respect and accept differences in diverse cultures, teaching and traditions; model and encourage youth to take healthy risks and make positive changes in their life.  

To assist and guide youth while in recovery, we strive to ensure that the needs of every youth are met, including:

Physical - engaging in positive recreation activities and focusing on healthy eating habits, supporting youth access to medical services

Emotional – assessing and referring youth to counsellors (alcohol and drug counsellor, mental health counsellor, concurrent disorders, psychologists), providing therapeutic in-house healing circles, attending support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and Crystal Meth Anonymous

Mental – we ensure that clients exercise tools on a daily basis by providing positive and effective feed back for behavior modification purposes, connecting youth to continuing education programs, life-skills plus programs, pre-natal/parenting programs

Spiritual - we engage in first nations ceremonies such as sweat-lodge on a weekly basis, feasts, u wuii pii ceremonies, change of seasons and smudging on a daily basis

Young Wolves also attends theater performances and movies that are educational and informative on many levels (such as dysfunctional family dynamics, addiction/recovery, survivors of abuse, and cultural movies that offer in-depth insight on cultural practices and the intergenerational mpacts of residential schools).  Also, Young Wolves Lodge visits university sites, museums that focus on First Nations history, science world as means to stimulate, inspire and pique youths curiosity to work towards post-secondary education.  

Young Wolves Lodge provides workshops that offer preventative information about addictions, relapse/relapse prevention, family dynamics, communication, parenting, Uppers/Downers/All arounder and the effects, cultural, impacts of residential schooling, job search/resume writing, legal aid, budgeting, as well as therapeutic and creative activities which focus on self-esteem building, drawing out the inner child, team building just to name a few.

Current Young Wolves Lodge partnerships include:

• Coming Home Society - who develops and fosters relationships with community churches for donations
• Aunt Leah’s second stage housing - for youth that have completed program and have earned custody of child/ren;
• UNYA’s Alcohol and Drug Counsellors - who provide ongoing support and referrals
• UNYA’s Aboriginal Wellness Counsellor who assesses, refers and provides continuum support
• UNYA's Young Bears Lodge for drumming, weekly sweats and hosting NA meetings 
• UNYA's Mentorship Program which enables youth to attend various activities
• Angelica, an art therapist who offers  monthly workshops and support

How Youth Can Become Involved

• 17 – 24 year old Native women
• Young women who are willing to commit to participating in a 16-week program and abstain from alcohol and/or drug use
• Three beds are designated for young women who have children in care of the Ministry of Children and Family Development, or someone other than themselves
• Two beds are designated for other women who are trying to leave the street and abstain from alcohol and drug use

If you are a young Aboriginal woman between ages 17-24 willing to commit to our 16 week program and wishing to abstain from alcohol and drugs – you are a candidate! 

Our referral process is simple – please feel free to contact Young Wolves Lodge at 604-321-1118 Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.  Referral can come from yourself or a service provider.  

Click here for a copy of our Referral Package.

There is a two-week assessment period to ensure that our program is a suitable resource for individual youth. If this is not the place for you, we will help you to find a place that can meet your needs.

 

Volunteer Opportunities

Should you wish to become a part of Young Wolves Lodge progressive, dynamic and youth focused team, please submit cover letter and resume to the attention of the Program Supervisor.  Please allow two weeks for response and upon date of interview, please bring reference letters, criminal record check as well as post-secondary certificate. 

For inquiries, please phone Young Wolves Lodge at (604)321-1118 or please feel free to email supervisor at youngwolveslodge@unya.bc.ca.

 

Donations Needed

Young Wolves Lodge is honored to accept donations at any time – donations very much needed and welcomed include:

• New trendy clothing (extra small to extra large)
• New slippers (small to large)
• New seasonal jackets
• New blankets, comforters, fitted sheet for double size bed
• New towels
• Art and crafts materials
• Journals
• Personal hygiene products (scented oils, bath salts, lotions)
• Picture frames
• Certificate frames
  

Please contact the YWL Program Supervisor at 604-321-1118 to arrange pick up or delivery.  Please be prepared to provide a name or group name, along with a contact address.  Young Wolves Lodge would like to be able to send out cards of appreciation.  

Program Funders

Coming Home Society, the Urban Aboriginal Homelessness Committee, and the Vancouver Foundation

Young Wolves Lodge Brochure (pdf)

How to Contact Us: