HCF funds the YOUth Create after-school program in the McQuesten neighbourhood. Its focus is on fitness, nutrition, health, well-being and the arts. Read about their activities in Canadian Cyclist magazine.

Grants

Great Grant Stories

A Promising Future

Shayna Willis was a troubled teen just trying to get through each day. Facing an uncertain future with problems at school and home, she has managed to turn her life around.  She is now a top student studying to become a nurse and sees a bright future ahead with endless possibilities.

For this life-changing experience, Shayna credits NYAWEH, a  stay-in-school program for Aboriginal students. The program was launched by HCF in 2003 when two donors wanted to make life better for Aboriginal youth. Local Aboriginal leaders identified the critical challenge of reducing high school drop out rates. 

School was not always easy for Shayna. She struggled academically and fought with other students.    Home was equally difficult; family members grappled with addiction, and from age 12, Shayna had been raising her baby sister.  “I was very troubled and doing a lot of things I shouldn’t,” she says.  “ I was just getting through each day.” 

Eventually, Shayna was sent to a program for Aboriginal youth not attending high school, and for the first time achieved academic success.  She returned to Sir John A. MacDonald as a NYAWEH student, and embraced all aspects of the program, including tutoring, guidance and practical support. 

“NYAWEH became my safe place,” says Shayna.  “I knew if I was there, I would stay out of trouble.”  She also learned to believe in herself.  The advisors emphasized the importance of staying focused and having a  plan. They told her she was just as good as – or even better than – anyone else. They convinced her she could do it and that it was possible, she says.

Not only did she do it, she excelled.  Shayna received honours and a scholarship in her final high school year.  She completed her first year at Mohawk College with an 86 per cent average, and is thriving in the McMaster-Mohawk nursing program.  And, this student who at one time didn’t see a future, has plans to gain practical experience, then to explore midwifery or pediatric nursing.

“I feel so many doors are open to me,” she says, “even just within nursing.  So many people have been dedicated to my success. It has really made all the difference.”