The FOY Media Team had the opportunity to connect with the Child Development Institute (CDI) to learn more about their organization and the impact of their youth programs. We asked their team a series of questions about their mission, the services they provide, and the youth they support. Below are the questions we asked and their responses.
- Can you tell us about your organization and the mission behind your youth program?
Built on a legacy of more than 100 years of helping children and families, the Child Development Institute (CDI) delivers uniquely effective outcomes-based children’s mental health, family violence, early learning and childcare services.
Camp Wimodausis provides summer programming for children whose mental health and behavioural challenges would typically prevent them from participating in summer day camps. Operating in tandem with our camp, the Leaders in Training (LIT) program provides leadership training to youth who have previously participated in Camp Wimodausis and would benefit from continued support and growth opportunities into their teenage years,
- What does a typical day in the program look like, and what are some of the activities participants enjoy most?
A typical day in the program for our participants would look like arriving and having time to socialize with peers and staff before the rush of the day begins. They would then participate in an icebreaker to prepare them for the day’s focus and use some discussion questions to get them thinking and talking to each other. This would be followed up by an activity to explore a leadership topic such as communication, resilience, teamwork, or empathy, and opportunities to discuss and hear the perspectives of both their peers and the staff. The afternoons of LIT would be spent at the pool enjoying some much-needed time to relax and play together after tackling hard topic in the morning. Once a week, we would take an experiential leadership trip where we would encourage the boys to expand their horizons and explore the perspectives of others in places like the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Royal Ontario Museum.
- What impact do you hope the program has on the youth who participate?
We hope that the program would help the participants build confidence in their abilities and learn the skills they need to succeed in their teenage years and beyond. We want to see the group build on the coping skills they have learned in previous services with us and help them develop new skills that will form them into the leaders we know they can become in their homes, schools, and communities at large. We also hope that they would be able to positively influence their friends and peers and be able to use their skills to stay on a positive path towards personal and community success.
- Is there anything you’d like the community to know about your organization or the work you do?
Our organization really cares about pouring into early intervention work with children and youth so that we are able to affect change in their lives before more disruptive challenges impact their lives. We really believe in the power of mentorship, positive peer relationships, and evidence-based intervention tools to make change in youth and their family’s lives.
About Organization:
CDI cares about pouring into early intervention work with children and youth so that we are able to affect change in their lives before more disruptive challenges impact their lives. We really believe in the power of mentorship, positive peer relationships, and evidence-based intervention tools to make change in youth and their family’s lives.
SUMMARY
Organization:
Child Development Institute (CDI)
Location:
46 St. Clair Gardens,
Toronto, ON M6E 3V4
Contact Information:
Danica Goudie (she/her)
Coordinator, Youth Leadership | CDI
E: dgoudie@childdevelop.ca
Website:
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