About CCYO Community CARES Youth Outreach is a non-profit youth development organization serving young adults (up to age 35) and young families who face significant social and economic barriers to a good life.

About Community CARES Youth Outreach

Established in 1998, we work from our centre located in Sydney Mines, Cape Breton, and serve the Northside of the CBRM, encompassing several small towns and rural communities.

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Helping today

Inspiring ideas

“What we’re trying to do is to give young people the resources so they can work together to make their lives and the lives of their children better and make a positive contribution to the community.”

– Executive Director Dorothy Halliday.

Over the years, we have adapted to meet the needs of the rural community and offer an array of programming that helps youth overcome adversity and guides youth to achieve goals. 

Our work focuses on (but is not limited to), the needs of youth in terms of employment, shelter, health, and education. We strive to provide young people and young families with a safe space to take the steps needed to reach their full potential. 

CCYO hosts an outreach office, open to the community, that provides basic need items and support services. We also have an accessible space that is available for development projects that is also frequently used as a collaborative meeting space.

CCYO’s vision and core purpose is to facilitate and enable greater self-determination on the part of area youth facing serious life challenges. Youth are encouraged to participate in, develop, and direct the sorts of services they are attracted to and feel they can benefit from.

Guiding Principles

CCYO’s mandate comes directly from the youth with whom the organization works, and the following list of aspirations and needs form the basis for CCYO’s range of service and program offerings:

  • A place to come together, to find a common ground as young people and as a community
  • Affordable childcare
  • GED help & literacy
  • Essential skills for getting and keeping a job
  • Community kitchen 
  • Decent, affordable housing
  • Emergency / Transitional housing on Northside
  • Improved public transportation 
  • Playgrounds / recreation areas within low income neighbourhoods
  • Community garden spaces
  • Community access to technology

We believe that the best approach for bringing lasting and positive impacts to the lives of youth, and to the future health of the community, is to give youth the freedom to identify their own needs and aspirations, and the resources and support to play an active role in meeting these objectives.

To that end, CCYO has identified four main institutional objectives. These are:

  1. To broaden the board representation and include more community stakeholders in CCYO’s activities;
  2. To provide for greater ongoing engagement of youth in CCYO’s activities and strategic plans;
  3. To broaden the range of programs and services offered to at-risk youth and to increase the ability of the youth themselves to choose these services and the way in which they are delivered;
  4. To stabilize the financial situation of the organization through diversified sources of revenue and by ensuring sufficient resources for effective management and staffing.

Sound worthwhile? Consider contributing!

Background

To fully understand this project, one must first understand the context of the work. Community CARES is situated in Sydney Mines, Cape Breton, NS. The area, known as the Northside, includes rural communities and 2 former towns, Sydney Mines and North Sydney.

Community Cares serves the Northside (Map)

The vision that has led CCYO from the beginning – way back in 1998 – is to provide youth with opportunities for self determination. The day-to-day reality for many marginalized youth and young families is one of poverty, isolation, and a series of barriers to improving their situation: transportation, childcare, access to learning at community level, access to health and wellness services, and others. 

These youth want to make it known that there are low income individuals and families who have fallen through the cracks in the system. The sense among these youth is that there is a disconnect between needs and resources. These youth feel that those in charge have no understanding of the reality of this marginalized existence. They describe themselves as the forgotten ones. 

We are here to remind them of their value. 

CCYO is the only non-profit youth development organization in the area that supports young adults 30 years of age and under. 

CCYO offers much more than simply educational courses and workplace training experience. The organization has provided opportunities for disadvantaged young people to refocus their lives, regain their education, serve their communities, and experience self-determination.

Timeline

The organization has been severely under-resourced since it was established. Essentially, it has worked under conditions of non-profit poverty, challenged to support young people who present with complex, immediate needs. At the same time, the organization is well respected by local stakeholders and other agencies. There are opportunities for collaboration and community engagement. We remain hopeful.

In a recent study, CCYO participants were interviewed about their experiences with the programs on offer. What stood out in the interviews was the passion for the program administration, the sense of youth ownership that was fostered, and the sense of belonging and acceptance that participants had at CCYO. Almost every interviewee mentioned these three topics and how important each of them were. 

CCYO has close ties to the community and shares resources with various stakeholders across the North Side. In addition, they have a comprehensive board made up of various community members, a long list of volunteers and one to two dedicated staff (as funds permit) plus various individuals working on short-term grants. 

Community CARES is a strong advocate of youth, youth issues and giving opportunities for youth to succeed in the community in meaningful ways that contribute to the overall wellbeing of the entire North Side.

Governance & Direction

The current board is small, and is made up of committed individuals active in the community life of the Northside area. 

Co Chair

  • Ensures board governance
  • Support to CEO
  • Prepare for and chair board meetings
  • Maintain board/management accountability and communication
  • Signature for checks and org. documents
  • APPROXIMATELY 10 hours per month

Treasurer

  • Manage and report on the organization’s finances
  • Assists in budget preparation
  • Monitors budget
  • Ensures financial policies are followed
  • Maintains all bank accounts
  • Oversees financial transactions
  • Main signature on checks
  • APPROXIMATELY 10 hours per month

Secretary

  • Oversees records and documentation
  • Responsible for meeting minutes
  • Maintains membership records
  • Manages general board correspondence
  • APPROXIMATELY 6 hours per month

Member – Community Connected

  • Existing positive relationships with business and community leaders
  • Helps create awareness of CCYO needs amongst business leaders in their network
  • Identifies / leverages opportunities to recruit business leaders in support of CCYO initiatives
  • APPROXIMATELY 6 hours per month

Member – Alumni

  • Act as spokesperson for CCYO and it’s effectiveness
  • Shares experiences with CCYO through social media and publically when requested
  • Provides insight into effectiveness of programs and youth needs in the community
  • APPROXIMATELY 6 hours per month

Member – Facilities Management

  • Recruit / oversee facilities committee
  • Define facilities maintenance requirements
  • Respond to facilities concerns
  • Oversee facilities manager
  • APPROXIMATELY 10 hours per month

Board member – Funding Knowledge

  • Knowledgeable on government & other available funding programs
  • Experience with funding applications
  • Conducts research on funding opportunities
  • Assists in completing / submitting funding applications
  • APPROXIMATELY 10 hours per month

Committee Members

Fundraising Committee
  • 3 members
  • Planning and oversight of funding initiatives
  • 8 hours per month
Promotions Committee
  • 2 members
  • Oversee social media, website, promotions initiatives
  • 8 hours per month
Advisory Committee
  • 3 members
  • Delivery and growth of homelessness initiative
  • 10 hours per month
Facilities Committee
  • 2 members
  • Assist in facility maintenance
  • 6 hours per month

Funding and Partnerships

The funding mix for CCYO has been heavily dependent upon project funding from government departments with a mandate to provide training and skill-building assistance. The largest source of such project funding over this time has been Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC), followed by the provincial departments of Community Services(DCS) and Labour and Workforce Development, respectively, with lesser amounts of specific project funding from the Departments of Justice, and Education and targeted funding from ECBC, CBCEDA, CBDC, CBDHA – Community Health Board, and CBRM.

Financial support has also been provided by several religious and service groups, including the Mennonite Central Committee, the North Sydney Rotary Club, and the Sisters of St Martha, Sisters of Notre Dame, and Sisters of Charity. As well, service organizations that meet at the centre including AA and ALANON, and individuals from the community, make regular financial and in-kind contributions.

While program funding will still play an important role in CCYO’s activities, it has been and will continue to be complemented by membership revenue, local fund-raising activities, and a much greater role for corporate and philanthropic donations and partnerships. 

Please consider contributing!

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