Breaking down barriers for youth: Nicole's Story

*Names have been changed to maintain confidentiality

Nicole was first referred to the All In for Youth (AIFY) program in 2018. She struggled with failing classes, addictions, poverty and turmoil with natural supports. Nicole often told her Success Coach she felt as though she didn’t have a purpose and no matter what she did, she always found herself blocked with barriers to her success.

Nicole’s Success Coach was there for her through these challenges. As Nicole strived to work hard with the support of her Success Coach, she overcame her obstacles and found her best path forward.

When school began in September of 2020, Nicole was struggling academically and had no plan for her future. This was her last year before aging out of the system, and she worried that she would not graduate in time.

The dedication Nicole showed toward finishing high school was remarkable. Nicole took English Language Arts five times until she finally passed, and as a result of her hard work, Nicole graduated this year!

Nicole had always aspired to do a science-related degree in post-secondary, but due to her grades she had to consider another option. Nicole worked with her Success Coach and found a program at SAIT that interested her—Legal Studies. She was accepted into the program and will begin classes this fall. Nicole was also selected for the Bissett Bursary, a thirteen-thousand-dollar award to cover her post-secondary education.

Since working with her Success Coach, Nicole has grown in confidence and self-sufficiency. She learned to manage her addictions and practice harm reduction strategies. She also got a full-time job and moved into an apartment by herself, which she has maintained for the past year.

Nicole told her Success Coach that the support she received from AIFY has had a huge impact on her life. With their help, she was able to graduate, find independence, create strong connections with supportive adults, start post-secondary education and learn skills to break down barriers on her own without professional intervention.

When Nicole found out she graduated and was accepted into post-secondary, she sent the following message to her Success Coach:

“After finding this out, I did start to cry. This is amazing. To think I was at rock bottom a few months ago and now look at this. [Success Coach] you’ve helped me in so many ways. None of this would have happened if not for you, and that’s true so thank you.”