Whole Child Program Partnerships

Partnerships & Links to the Community

While the WCP offices reside in Whitehorse Elementary School but it is independently funded and governed by a Board.

Whitehorse Elementary School is one of our many partners and has been crucial in initiating the program as well as providing space and shared resources. We have been very fortunate to have several past and present WES & ESES staff members and parent volunteers with the WCP. In September 2001, the Whole Child Program was initiated thanks to funding from the RCMP's National Youth Strategy which allowed us to hire a part-time community coordinator and has continued to provide us with funding to date including contracts for our outreach worker and recreation worker. In addition, we applied for a grant from the City of Whitehorse of $2500 for program materials in addition to our own fundraising activities.

Thanks to the success of our first year of operation the Yukon Dept. of Education has funded the .7 part-time salary for the executive director since our second year. The RCMP's National Youth Strategy in Ottawa was a significant contributor in the beginning. We have received grants from the Yukon's Road Not Taken Group ($500) and the Yukon's Crime Prevention Victim Services Trust Fund ($10,400.00) to pay for transportation of families to WCP nights, a part-time recreation worker and program materials. Since September 2006, the Yukon Territorial Government committed to fund the Whole Child Program at $90,000 a year and this commitment has continued thanks to the Dept. of Education.

Since the beginning of the Whole Child Program, efforts have been concentrated on establishing links to services for families. Our programs are open to all families in Whitehorse.We have worked closely with a wide variety of organizations to support families in the past eight years. In some cases, this has involved us co-facilitating workshops or activities, providing space for programming by other organizations or referrals by the WCP to community supports.

We have worked very closely with Many Rivers Counselling & Support Services to provide Nobody's Perfect Parenting programs. We piloted a school mentorship program with the Big Brothers & Big Sisters Assoc. which has been in place for 6 years.

Whitehorse Elementary School is a member of the Canadian Network of Innovative Schools which provided a grant of $30,000 over three years in recognition of our efforts in technology integration. We are one of only 150 schools across the country with this designation. Our successful application was in part a result of the Whole Child Program's efforts to provide community access to technology with our Open Computer Lab during WCP nights, workshops for families on the internet and job search skills as well as this website as a community resource.

In addition, links have been established and/or strengthened with many organizations including: Yukon Department of Education, Kwanlin Dun First Nation, BYTE, Health & Social Services, Many Rivers Counseling & Support Services, Yukon Child Care Services, Salvation Army, Yukon Association of Community Living, City of Whitehorse: Parks & Recreation, Yukon Health Services, Yukon Mental Health, CATS (Child Abuse Treatment Services), Family Literacy Working Group, Kaushee's Place, Yukon Anti-Poverty Group, Partners for Children, Kiwanis Club, Lake LeBarge Lions' Club, Health Canada, Yukon Road Not Taken Group, Early Intervention Committee, Yukon Victim Services, Yukon Crime Prevention, Yukon Volunteer Bureau, Whitehorse Boys & Girls Club Youth Centre, Yukon Arts Centre, and the Yukon Youth Directorate.