Our News and Stories
An Incredible Year of Shared Achievement (Impact Story 2024 - 2025)
From April 2024 to March 2025, our Preteen and Youth Programs at Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House experienced an incredible year of connection, transformation, and shared achievement. Working with newcomers, our participants often arrive as strangers, to each other and to these lands, but through our programs at the House and in different schools in the neighbourhood, including: Youth Space, Preteen Program, Youth Action Committee, the REAL project, Neighbourhood Crew and Cook Up Your Future, our youth are able to forge bonds which help secure them in their new home, and their continued journeys through life.
Alice’s story: Youth can do it too
Alice is a youth who came to Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House in August 2014. She came to the employment team at our House for assistance with finding a volunteer position, to gain experience for entering the job force. Alice completed Grade 12 with the aid of a learning assistance and life skills program alongside a Work Experience Placement (WEP) as a cashier at a fast food restaurant. Alice mentioned that she had no other work experience, and she wanted to receive case management services—to help her learn job search techniques and find a position as a customer service representative.
Social Inclusion: Kiko’s Story
With a lack of all-ages, safe, sober spaces to meet other LGBTQ2S youth and express one’s identity, it’s easy to feel like the only queer in your community.
This is exactly what Kiko was facing in high school upon moving to a completely new community, feeling isolated and struggling with mental illness at 16 years old. Just as Kiko was beginning to come to terms with their identity, it became harder for them to relate to both straight and cis friends…and harder to express themself.
Social Inclusion: John’s story
John came to the Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood House (CCNH) as a quiet and timid eighth grader who struggled to connect with his peers and others within the community. Before joining CCNH, John’s world had felt quite small… simply going from school to home most days. But slowly and over time, this neighbourhood house grew to be like a second home to John and allowed him to flourish in his community.