Cherryville Community Food & Resources Food Bank News,Resource Center News Job Opportunities for Youth in Rural Areas by Haylee Bennett

Job Opportunities for Youth in Rural Areas by Haylee Bennett


Living in a rural area makes it difficult for youth to find work. There are not many job opportunities when living in Cherryville and other remote towns. Unless you have a reliable ride to and from town, where there are many job openings for younger people, then it is difficult to find work. With the lack of job availability in rural towns, youth are not able to gain work experience that is essential for their future. The Canada Summer Jobs Program helps create more job opportunities. They target work suitable for the youth population, and work to teach them about their rights as an employee. This has made a huge difference for the youth in our community, providing job openings suited for them.

This summer, myself (Haylee Benet) and Senay Thompson were employed with Cherryville Community Food & Resources. Having youth as part of the team brings new perspective and ideas to the organization. It is important for the next generation to gain proper work experience, and learn important skills needed to be in the workforce. Senay has been working with Renske in the community gardens since May. They have been cultivating the garden and have been able to supply an outstanding amount of produce for the food bank. Each week there is a large assortment of fresh produce to give out with hampers, cultivated by Senay and Renske.

In an interview I conducted with Senay, she expressed that she is very grateful for this job opportunity close to home. She feels she has gained important work experience for her future. Senay has learned how to apply for a job, and now feels confident for future job application processes. Communicating with her coworkers and boss has helped her build workplace communication skills she will continue to use throughout her life. Senay has had a wonderful summer maintaining the community gardens with Renske and is thankful for the experience in the workforce she has gained.

My name is Haylee Bennett, I just graduated and have had an amazing summer, learning workplace skills before heading into future careers. At Cherryville Community Food & Resources I have been helping with food hampers, social media, and the senior’s meal program. Every week I help Barb build and hand out food hampers, as well as keep the food bank clean and organized. I have also helped keep our social media up to date and have worked on various projects for our webpage throughout the summer. For the senior’s dinners, I help prepare and distribute the meals to seniors in our community. Towards the end of the summer, I started going to the Lake Country food bank to learn about food recovery. I have been going twice a week and have gotten to learn the processes involved in food recovery, which we hope to incorporate into our organization!

Overall, I have been able to gain a great deal of work experience with this job. I feel more confident in my communication skills, learning from involvement in the community and communicating with my coworkers and supervisors. Going through the job application process has prepared me for future careers and I now feel more confident than ever moving into the workforce. I am very grateful for the opportunity to work with Cherryville Community Food and Resources this summer, and I am very thankful for all the important skills I was able to practice for my future!

 

Hi, my name is Haylee Bennett! I am 18 and just graduated from Charles Bloom Secondary School this year. In the future I would like to become an RMT (registered massage therapist). I am currently working to save money for the course and hope to start next year. I enjoy volunteering in the community in my free time. I have helped at the seniors dinners, food bank, and programs run through the elementary school since I was in grade 4.  I also enjoy baking and reading in my spare time, as well as going on hikes.

 

 

 

 

This position was funded by Canada Summer Jobs. If you are interested in employee or volunteer opportunities within our organization, please contact our office at 250-547-0089 for more information.

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NEW JOB OPPORTUNITY – filledNEW JOB OPPORTUNITY – filled

Caregiver Support Clinician Job Position

Position Summary

Cherryville Community Food and Resource Society (CCFRS) is looking to hire a full-time social worker. This position includes working directly with caregivers in the Cherryville and Lumby area offering one-on-one support, system navigation, education and knowledge translation, support groups and hosting 3-4 larger events per year devoted to caregivers.

Education, Training, and Experience:

  • Bachelor’s of Social Work degree
  • Minimum one-year related experience working with seniors, caregivers, or others in an outreach type role; or an equivalent combination of training and experience
  • Group work experience an asset
  • Must hold a current First Aid & CPR Certificate (available through CCFRS)
  • Satisfactory Criminal Record Check with Vulnerable Sector
  • Must be at least 19 years of age
  • Must have a Valid Drivers Licence and Vehicle

Work Performed

Duties and Responsibilities for this position include:

  • One-on-One Support: includes providing emotional support, health care system navigation, knowledge and skill enhancement, connection to community services, and any other individualized support focused on caregivers. One-to-one support is provided through in-person meetings primarily via home visits, check-in calls, email, texts, or virtually.
  • Support Groups and Events: planning and facilitating various support groups (in-person/virtual) for caregivers living in Cherryville and Lumby. Planning 3-4 larger events in both Cherryville and Lumby throughout the year which may include educational workshops, luncheons, dinner with presenters, etc. to support caregivers in their role and to reduce caregiver strain and burnout.
  • System Navigation Support: Making referrals to other programs, resources, and services both in Cherryville and Lumby.
  • Working Collaboratively: Working as part of various teams, building relationships and liaising with community partners both in Cherryville and Lumby, making new connections with service providers in surrounding areas that support caregivers and their loved ones, working positively with CCFRS staff.
  • Evaluation and Reporting: must provide quarterly reports to Executive Director and maintain relevant statistics and data tracking. Encourage client feedback and quality impact surveys.
  • Fostering Safe Environments: embracing a non-judgemental approach and encouraging open and inclusiveness with program participants, families, community partners, and staff.
  • Adhering to CCFRS policy and procedures

Hours: This is a full-time position, 35 hours per week at $30/hour. Monday-Friday 8:00-3:30 (hours can be flexible as determined in accordance with Executive Director). Mileage reimbursement at $.65 per km.

Qualified applicants are invited to submit resume with at least two references by email to: Meghan Derkach, Executive Director at meghan.derkach@ccfrs.ca

Primary Place of Work: Cherryville Resource Center (158 North Fork Rd., Cherryville). Job activities are conducted in both Cherryville and Lumby area. Some remote work may be considered.

ECHO Presentation – Rural Approach to Compassionate CommunitiesECHO Presentation – Rural Approach to Compassionate Communities

Check out this YouTube video presented by Meghan Derkach, Executive Director at Cherryville Community Food and Resource Society.

(1318) A Rural Approach to the Compassionate Community Model – YouTube

Bio: My name is Meghan Derkach, and I was born and raised in a rural community called Cherryville. I have always been an advocate for social justice and equity since a young age. When I was 18, I was having lunch with a group of older adults who were sharing their frustrations about having to leave the Cherryville community because there weren’t enough resources for them to live independently and I remember feeling absolutely broken hearted about it. That was the moment I realized I wanted to support Cherryville aging and pursued a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work with a Concentration in Aging. I was drawn to the aging-in-place model, community development and looked to age-friendly community literature. However, being rural has its unique challenges and many of the “making an age friendly community” infrastructure wasn’t relatable. Working with older adults I soon came to realize you cannot support aging-in-place without addressing access to health care as they are overlapping systems. I then pursued a Health-Focused Master’s in Social Work through University of Waterloo to better understand the complexity behind health care and how to better support rural aging in place.  During this time, I was volunteering at Cherryville Food Bank and started expanding its reach to include resources and services to all residents. In 2021 I assumed the Executive Director position after strengthening our organizational and financial health and obtaining multiple grants. 2021 we officially changed our name to include resources as we expanded our vision and mission to meet the needs of all rural residents. Fast forward to 2024, we have implemented a range of services and resources to support rural living for youth, low-income families, persons living with disabilities, older adults, and a variety of community engagement events. In early January, we started to focus on Cherryville residents who had complex health conditions and or living with life limiting illness to advocate for better access to health care within community. These conversations led us to BC Centre for Palliative Care Seed Grant as the Compassionate Community model aligned perfectly with our growing vision and mission. I am excited to share a little more about this grant and how it has unfolded in the Cherryville community.