Neighbour Aid: The Camrose Community Helping One Another

By KIRANDEEP SINGH

Neighbor Aid is the non-profit volunteer organization meant to help people in need. It is run by the churches in Camrose, providing outreach to the community. Their name stems off the idea that they are helping as neighbours who are there for each other. They help provide services like soup kitchens, specialty medical transportation, food banks, food for kids, emergency housing and feeding, some financial aid to qualifying individuals, and referrals to agencies and services.

The food bank runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday. People who require food assistance need to bring the names of all the individuals in the household, source of income, the reason they require food assistance, proof of residence, and personal ID. From there, they are given a hamper per month that will be based on how Neighbor Aid assess those individuals’ needs.

Donations to the Camrose Neighbor Aid Center can be dropped off at 4524 54 Street, behind the museum building. Neighbor Aid also runs a Morning Bread service that runs on Monday from 9 a.m. to noon at the Camrose Community Church. They run breakfast clubs for children at schools as well. They encourage people to volunteer and help others in need of assistance.

They accepts donations of non-perishable foods such as pasta and sauce, canned fish or meat, peanut butter, powdered milk, soup, canned fruit or vegetables, granola bars, and baby food. They also accept non-food items such as baby diapers, feminine hygiene products, toiletries, soap, shampoo, and deodorant. Neighbor Aid can be contacted at 780-679-3220 or through their email nbaid@cable-lynx.net. More information can found on their website www.neighboraid.ca.

Wellness Week Tackles Mental Health Awareness

BY KIRANDEEP SINGH

Each semester, the Augustana Students’ Association (ASA) hosts a week long event referred to as Wellness Week. The goal is to improve the mental health of students and help them destress at the end of the busy semester. Wellness Week is extremely important as it helps students take some time to wind down with the stress of final exams approaching. This year, Wellness Week was run by Alex Ho, the VP of Communications on the ASA.
The ASA advertised Wellness Week through posters, email newsletters, and through the Facebook event page. Students were encouraged to participate and get involved.
Over the week, all sorts of different events took place. Students had the opportunity to grab food and drinks on various days throughout the week. There were fruits, a salad bar, snacks, Norwegian breakfast, and Booster Juice! Volunteers helped hand out the goodies the best they could even though they went quickly.
Events to help students manage adult life also took place. A financial blueprint program helped students manage money and work on budgeting their finances. Other benefits promoted self-care, such as free admission to the Fitness Centre for the whole week.
Practices designed to calm and ease like beading, knitting, and a dog walk also took place. Although there were not many participants for these practices, the people who joined were concentrated and learned new skills that can be forms of peaceful meditation.
The University of Alberta also promotes an app called WellTrack that uses interactive self-help therapy to help students with their mental health. A person needs to sign in with their school email to get full access. The app offers mood assessments, modules to help students get through their mental health issues, and guides students to resources that are available at Augustana or in Camrose where they can seek help. The app is available on the App Store and on Google Play.

Camrose Open Door Offers Support for Camrose and Region Youth

BY ALIZA GRAHAM

The Camrose Open Door is a regional non-profit organization that is funded in various ways including government contracts, government grants, private grants, donations and fundraising. Youth from throughout the central region of Alberta, who are between the ages of 11 and 24, can come to the Open Door in times of need for support and outreach services. A team of passionate and dedicated directors, youth support workers, volunteer workers, and practicum students work to provide support 24/7 to those in need. It also has a 24 hour emergency helpline. Youth support services aim to help youth to grow and transition into successful adults. With the help of the Open Door, youth in need have a chance at a brighter future and the support they need in order to become contributing members of society.

The Open Door offers support, effective services, and a safe place for youth in need. Homeless youth may be couchsurfing, staying in abandoned places, or unsafe environments and the Open Door can help provide them with a safe place to stay. They have an emergency shelter, as well as offering transitional suites to those who need help adjusting to the transition from living in a shelter to living independently in a community. There are many possibilities for why a youth is homeless, such as family violence/abuse, addictions, mental health, or neglect. Sometimes youth come to the Open Door when they need a break from their home life and seek a  safe place.

The services offered are client centered, solution focused, and individualized to meet the specific needs of clients. To the Open Door, there is no specific definition of a youth ‘in need’; there are many reasons why a young person might come to the Open Door for help. The Open Door is there for any youth that requires assistance in any part of their life. Some possibilities of a youth ‘in need’ include those who need help with a place to live, help finding a job, help with transportation, or help dealing with parents/caregivers or family situations. Perhaps they just need someone to talk to, or a place to come to during the day, or they are hungry and need food. In times of need, youth can come by the Open Door office for something to eat. The Open Door outreach services include employment and school support, as well as referrals to assist in all areas of life, these outreach services can be accessed in the community, main office, or through the helpline. Additionally, they have an employment program that provides job coaching, job searches, and referrals to help youth find employment and support them as they cope with difficult situations. They also help support youth staying in school.

The Open Door offers help for those youths who need a referral to a doctor, or mental health assistance. For youths and families, there are counseling services available which are free of charge. A Behavioral Health Consultant from the Camrose Primary Care Network (PCN) is on site to help with mental health, substance abuse and the health needs of youth. With the Youth Hub, the PCN and the Open Door partnered in order to offer help to youth who need healthcare and social support. The services are youth and family oriented, providing easy access to primary care, addiction and mental health support and social services. An outreach navigator can help youth in need to find the right assistance. The Open Door also has a trained therapy dog named Moose, who is at the office and provides support to youth.

In addition, the Open Door has a Library Drop-In group every Wednesday at 6:00 p.m., which focuses on encouraging discussion and learning about topics and issues including bullying, self-esteem, and family violence. The group encourages youth to participate in activities and discussions that help develop their self-confidence.

A great way to support the Open Door is with grocery gift cards to help buy food for the shelter and for the outreach at the Open Door office. Clients living independently may come to the Open Door for assistance with purchasing food. Gift cards for clothing, house ware, activity passes, and single serving food items are also helpful.