Submitted
The Upper Island Women of Native Ancestry is pleased to announce an all-new child and family aboriginal outreach worker available to families in the Comox Valley.
The outreach worker is provided for all aboriginal children aged 0-6 years and their families, even if they are already accessing a childcare centre, program or receiving other services in the Valley. It is a largely parent-driven service where families can seek the guidance they require and the outreach worker will offer support as needed, such as connecting families to established programs, services, or agencies in the community; facilitating parent groups on topics commonly requested by families; and providing no-cost resource kits that address a particular parenting need in the home.
Amber Lewis has been hired for this position.
Support for daily issues is seen as essential to Lewis’s role. She will build on families’ existing strengths, nurture the parent and child relationship and strive to find a balance between the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs of the families.
The Upper Island Women of Native Ancestry (UIWONA) has been actively involved in the community since 1991 and has been bringing programs and services to the aboriginal community in the area of early childhood education, cultural awareness and healthy living. UIWONA operates Aboriginal Head Start, The Early Years Program, and Friday’s Child Program. UIWONA and Lewis can be found at #105-1509 Cliffe Avenue in Courtenay. Lewis is available Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the office or by phone at 250- 465-8087.