Uturn
#4 1228 Rosser Avenue R7A 0L9 Brandon, MB, Canada

**ORIGIN STORY** Our 20th Anniversary celebration begins TODAY. at the beginning! Here’s former WYFC director Mark Anderson sharing about WHY and HOW Uturn came to be. #uturn20thanniversary

Do you know what makes a Tuesday that feels like a Monday better....? Our CREATE Art program! Can't think of a better way to spend an evening then sharing a warm meal and art together.

DAY 20: THAT’S A WRAP Thank you for following along with us as we have celebrated 20 years of Uturn! Here are the faces of our current Uturn Staff! ... Not shown in any of the pictures or videos we have shared over the last 3 weeks: The hundreds of individuals, businesses and churches who have financially partnered with Uturn to make this ministry possible. If this is you, THANK YOU. We see you, we appreciate you, and none of this is possible without you! If you’d like to join us in providing home for every young person facing homelessness, visit https://wyfc.ca/donate.

DAY 19: LITTLE REMINDERS "She must have been a handful." That was Shirley's mom's reply to us when we introduced ourselves as Uturn staff at Shirley's funeral. Shirley had overdosed about a week before. Uturn works with youth who are profoundly traumatized, and the drive to escape the horrific pain that trauma elicits drives a lot of painful behavior. Over the years we have lost youth and former Uturn youth who have died due to complications of their trauma. Their names... are often dismissed by many when the words "suicide" and "overdose" are connected to them. But we have little reminders of the lives they left behind- a keychain from Jake, a painting from Misty, photos and memories that will live on in Uturn’s collective consciousness for the next 20 years. We feel so fortunate to have been able to know these beautiful people, and we know that they were cherished by God. In remembering Uturn’s losses over 20 years, we also remember Desmond. Desmond died in 2016 after a long battle with cancer. With his wife Rebecca, Desmond was a house parent, Uturn staff member and finally the Uturn director who was a ferocious advocate for youth homelessness. Our office walls are decorated with his art and his passion. It's fitting that we have pictures of him with his youth because that's who he loved to surround himself with. We miss you Desmond. Thanks for teaching us about love for the least of these and showing us how to live that out.

DAY 18: REINVENTION If you’ve been following along the last 18 days, you’ve seen some of the ways Uturn has reinvented its programming as needs in the community have changed. Our participants can find themselves on a path of reinvention as well. Thanks to Kelsy for sharing some of his journey. (And for the laugh at the end glad it all worked out!)

DAY 17: HF4Y Eye contact with Shelly was a gift. Not a gift you expect from her because it’s your birthday or Christmas, but more like a surprising, deeply meaningful symbol of connection that warms both parties because it communicates the relationship is safe, trustworthy, almost holy (set apart). The problem was, while our relationship with Shelly was surprisingly stable and securely developed through consistent connection in a few of our community groups, recently her hom...e situation had become unstable and unsafe. AND to compound the problem, Uturn was full The number of young people facing homelessness we could serve was always capped by how many apartments were owned by Westman YFC Since the Small and Power project, that number was 17. Starting in January of 2016, Uturn joined the Brandon Housing First team. Housing First For Youth (HF4Y) is a 2-year transitional program where partnering community agencies and private landlords help young people facing homelessness find, secure, and retain appropriate and permanent housing in the community. If Uturn was full, Shelly, and many other young people like her, could still be served. (The boundary to support young people facing homelessness is currently based on our staff and volunteer capacity. Our current team is supporting 30 young people, BUT we could serve more. YOU could be the missing piece of our team. We are currently hiring for Lifeskill Coach, Summer Student Mentors, and Development Manager. If you’d like to hear more about opportunities to serve with us, send us a message or email [email protected]) Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation YWCA Brandon 7th Street Health Access Centre Brandon Friendship Centre

DAY 16: WOUNDED PEOPLE WOUND PEOPLE For a short time, Uturn ran Joshua House, a program in cooperation with a Provincial justice agency that supported youth who presented potential risk to the community. It began as a 24/7 staffed home that worked with one youth and expanded into a home for multiple youth without intense staffing. Joshua House taught us about compassion, about understanding the cascading impact of childhood trauma on youth and others around them. And it taug...ht us to look beyond labels and criminal charges to see the tender hearts of wounded youth. Thanks to Fobete Ngoh for sharing about his time as a staff member at Joshua House.

Dead battery in a Tim Horton’s drive-thru led to the question asked to one of our youth, What do you do when life doesn’ t turn out as you thought?" I drink he said.... In Uturn we always try to look for opportunities to ask good questions and listen for honest answers, wherever they originate. Transformation begins with awareness.

Join us now! wyfc.ca/gala

Local small businesses invest in young people facing homelessness every year!! Along with the wider Westman Youth For Christ staff, we personally want to give back in a very small way during this difficult time.

The best part of the Westman Youth For Christ Gala was cramming 400 people in a large room, enjoying great company, amazing food, all while hearing stories of hope. Obviously C19 extinguished the large in person event, but NOTHING can stop HOPE. . So on Wednesday, make some good food, curl up on the couch after supper (7pm), give Netflix a break for an hour, and check out what's happening in the lives of youth in Westman! . You can find the Gala at wyfc.ca/gala... . #wyfcgala2020 See more

New COVID restrictions announced today. Youth feel the effects too... How are you doing?

It's 3 weeks away! Join us for our virtual Gala of Hope, November 4th at 7 pm. If you'd like to host a viewing party, complete with food from @_chez_angela_ , give our office a call at 204-727-1251, or visit wyfc.ca/gala.

We're excited to catch you up on what God has been doing in the lives of young people in our community! On November 4th, join us from home, or wherever you are, to hear the stories of challenge, inspiration and hope that you make possible. Visit wyfc.ca/gala for more details!

Home means the freedom to choose. Young people in Uturn make their own food and food choices. Grocery shopping is often a first of many shared experiences between new Uturn participants and Lifeskill Coaches. When you first lived on your own, what was a "go-to" food choice of yours?

Sunday is fast approaching! You can provide hope for youth facing homelessness through Uturn by pledging your support to our Director's golfing efforts in Westman Youth For Christ's 3rd Annual Golf Marathon! wyfc.ca/golf

Celebrating another fresh start today.

When you see signs of obvious homelessness, like a trailer filled with sleeping bags and clothing, or someone asking for money at an intersection, carrying a ga...rbage bag or pushing a grocery cart filled with all they own, what does it evoke for you? . despair? . hopelessness? . fear? . compassion? . Maybe a mix of emotions? . I'm here to say that you can do something to invest hope into those facing these overwhelming circumstances. . On Sunday, September 20th, I'm golfing in Westman Youth For Christ's 3rd Annual Golf Marathon in support of providing a place to call home for youth facing homelessness through my work with Uturn. My goal is to raise $5400 ($150 per hole) and we are just over 1/3 of the way there! . If you love to golf, register to golf with me in support of ending youth homelessness through Uturn on September 20th! . Or pledge your support to my golfing efforts. . Registration/pledge link: wyfc.ca/golf . #endhomelessness #ilovemycalling #uturn @ Carman Golf & Curling Club See more

Want to support youth in their personal growth? Have a heart for building relationships with young people? We have opportunities for you! Our Create art minist...ry and brand-new Good Neighbours Project are both looking for volunteers, starting ASAP. At Create, you’ll share a meal together and work on art projects alongside youth in a drop-in style setting. No art experience necessary- just come prepared to get creative and have interesting conversations with interesting people! At GNP, you’ll be part of conversations with youth around housing issues like paying rent, budgeting, cleaning, and being a good neighbour. Come prepared to offer your wisdom on these and other topics, and support young people in these important life skills. Call our office at 204.727.1251 or visit wyfc.ca/volunteer to apply!

Shaun (our very tall Director) is golfing to raise $5400 ($150 per hole) in support of ending youth homelessness! Partner with Uturn by golfing with him, or pledge your support towards his golfing efforts! Register or pledge here: wyfc.ca/golf

Same great ministry, BRAND NEW LOGO!! Check it out! Thank you IvyBridge Marketing & Design for partnering with us on communicating to the world who we are!

https://wyfc.ca/donate/ #givingtuesday

Your partnership allows Uturn to continue fighting homelessness AND #covid_19. This crazy season means our "how" has changed, but our "why" has not. Uturn continues to see the potential in each youth, and help them find and keep their housing, learn life-skills, develop community, and pray for and with them. All of this happens while caring for ourselves, our community, and each youth through taking all the necessary measures of maintaining social distance, sanitizing and using a mask when we need to meet in person. (https://www.canada.ca//2019-novel-c/prevention-risks.html) Thank you for your prayers and partnership!!

COVID19 has literally changed the face of Uturn. If you see us at the office or around town, we might be wearing a mask. It's YFC policy to stay home and self isolate if we are sick, so you won't see us if we're not feeling well! But because of the way this virus works, people can be asymptomatic and still contagious. And because we love our community and the young people we work with, this is a way for us to care for those around us on the occasions when we must meet face to face.

Loving our neighbour today means working from home. (Mark 12:30-31) We are all created for community and connection, so it's weird when the COVID19 pandemic means love looks like doing our part to maintain social distance. In Uturn, many youth facing homelessness are vulnerable to both contracting COVID19 and the negative effects of isolation. For many youth, the connection and support they experiences through Uturn are not luxuries. The silver lining here is every crisis ope...ns opportunities. We are looking for creative ways to connect where we can still maintain social distance. For those youth with smart phones, that means phone and video calls. For those without, delivering coffee from a drive-through and going for a walk. Our 'how' has changed, our 'why' has not. Over these next few weeks, pray with us for opportunities to share peace and love with people who are fearful. Your partnership is ensuring that youth facing homelessness are receiving the connection that we ALL need, along with the support they need navigating all the closures and changes in services. We are grateful.