OCYI’s Critical Hours Task Group brings together organizations that provide programming for children and youth outside of school hours. This includes homework clubs, after school programs, summer camps, recreation programs, youth drop-ins and more.
In 2023, OCYI was awarded funding, through the Community Services Recovery Fund (CSRF), for an innovative new project focused on mental health capacity building within Ottawa’s critical hours programs. Outcomes of this work will support OCYI’s commitment to bettering the day-to-day mental health and well-being needs of children and youth in our community.
Part of the three-part project included updating a series of Critical Hours Three Pillars training videos, in both English and French. These videos provide staff with modules on the following foundational Three Pillars of critical hours programs that put the focus on a child’s mental health and well-being:
- Skill development
- Safe and supported spaces
- Positive relationships
These profoundly interconnected elements, on which critical hours programming rests, have been shown to have a positive and concrete influence on social and academic outcomes for children and youth that take part in them. Additionally, the foundation provided by the Three Pillars provide staff with objectives, direction, and are measures by which success can be evaluated.
Critical Hours Task Group Co-chair, Beth Tooley, welcomed the chance to ensure that staff training sessions remain of the highest quality. “The original training videos have served us well, allowing for critical hours programs across Ottawa to provide their staff with foundational skills. In reflecting on what we have learned and taking into consideration the long-term impacts of the COVID pandemic on children, it was time to update the Critical Hours Three Pillars training videos to equip staff who are planning and implementing children's programs.”
To update the video series, OCYI teamed up with original Three Pillars video producer, Adam Langlois, Creative Director and Founder of Extremeline Productions. Adam says that a long personal history of working with kids and youth made the process even more meaningful. “This project summarizes my whole philosophy of youth leadership. I have seen the impact of excellent youth leaders in the field, at camps, in community programs, community houses, and schools. We want to lead the leaders so that they can create new leaders out of the next generation of upcoming youth. I want this next generation to rise-up and be the best that they can be.”
Adam says that working with OCYI allowed him to use the best of his tools, talent and team to create meaningful assets that will impact the community in a positive way. “This is an informational set of videos about the importance of the Three Pillars and how they can enrich you as a leader and the youth that you are leading but we also wanted them to be inspirational. Our goal was to produce a current, relevant and beautifully packaged set of modules to get these messages across in a streamlined way.”
Narrator Ifè Dadjo says that being involved was a reminder of how her passion for community work came to be. “I chose to work with youth because I believe in the importance of learning the methods, means and resources that encourage my generation to feel empowered and safe in their own community. Being able to experience the growth in my youth is incredibly rewarding.” Asked what she enjoyed the most about narrating the videos, Ifè says that the best is yet to come. “What I enjoyed most about participating in this project was the opportunity to share valuable information and knowledge about the needs of young people with community workers, in a way that is accessible to them. It's rewarding to know that the content we create can have a significant impact on their lives.”
This story is part of the August 2024 Ovation. This story is also available in French.