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continue offering services and paying their staff
navigators, the first people youths encounter
when coming to iSucceed.
“We recognize that the effectiveness of a
charity’s programs is directly tied to its staffing
capacity,” Dave Chowne, ECF’s Grants Associate
says. “By investing in the people who deliver
services, we help ensure that organizations like
iHuman can create meaningful, lasting impact.”
For iHuman, expanding its capacity was
crucial to keeping pace with the unexpected
growth of the iSucceed program.
“With the support of the money that Edmonton
Community Foundation gave us, we were able to
handle that growth that happened that we weren’t
necessarily expecting,” Bacchus says.
Navigators build relationships with youths,
understanding their individual needs. There is
no one-size-fits-all solution — iSucceed takes a
holistic approach to the barriers and challenges
youths face.
“Delilah played the biggest role in my life.
She opened doors for me,” Diamond says. “She
has to be my biggest inspiration. She made me
want to volunteer.”
One place Diamond volunteers at is iHuman’s
Woven Journey, a support group where young
moms can connect, cook together and access
resources like the baby supply bank and gain
parenting skills.
12 Together we thrive
“I love seeing the joy on their faces when they
get that support,” she says.
Fostering community and resilience is at
the heart of every iHuman program — building
relationships over shared meals, helping youths
develop their own sense of power through the
arts, and providing a safe place to go sets the
groundwork for youths to thrive.
“We kind of laugh and say we’d like to think
we have a little bit of street cred with the youth,”
says Bacchus.
They’ve built that street cred over almost
30 years of serving the youth in Edmonton’s core.
Founded in 1997, art has always been central to
iHuman’s offerings. It’s not just for fun — it’s a key
component of the services iHuman provides. A
shower and a meal is a starting point. And then
art plays a transformative role in their healing.
“That evolution from when they first come to
see us and they’re in LiNKS [Mental Health Clinic]
and doing art therapy to actually utilizing our art
studios is really spectacular to see,” says Bacchus.
“Some of the talent that comes out of pain
unfortunately is pretty amazing to see.”
Diamond echoes those sentiments. “There’s
been a drastic change in my life. It changed for
the better. My art hangs everywhere,” she says.
“These people give me guidance to be better.”
Bacchus says Diamond has come far during
her time at iHuman, pursuing her public speaking
goals by joining Toastmasters and getting
involved with the Edmonton Youth Council.
“There’s some stigma out there that kids
who are homeless or experiencing trauma are
misbehaved,” says Bacchus. “People have to know
that there’s some really tough situations our youth
are navigating. iHuman is here to support them.”
Diamond adds, “I wish people understood the
youth here. It’s not just for homeless youth. It’s a
place where everyone accepts you.”
In a challenging funding climate, with more
youths seeking help than ever, sustainable
funding for these programs is crucial — donating
time, money or items means youths in need can
continue to count on iHuman.