Dear Little Mountain Neighbourhood House Community,
As August gracefully draws to a close, our thoughts naturally gravitate towards back to school, pumpkin spice lattes, the turning of the leaves, and the return to our fall programming. Our dedicated team has been busy preparing for fall and pivoting as necessary given our situation. We have lots going on and information to share with our community, including the update below
Children and Youth Back to School
With the children returning to school, the LMNHS is planning to keep the elementary school-aged children after-school program (Schools Out) at our three local elementary schools. The CREW preteen after-school program will take place twice weekly at Vancouver Fountain Alliance Church and the Homework Club and Beyond Education (social justice) will also remain at our three local secondary schools. We thank TELUS and UWBC who kindly donated Back to School Kits and children’s books to the students in our programs preparing for school.
Childcare and Back to School
Preschool and school-age childcare programs for the 100+ children in our inclusive childcare programs will seamlessly recommence within our trio of local schools. There will be many children graduating from the program, as well as new children starting in September.
LINC classes
Newcomers from around the world will resume or start our Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) Classes that enhance their integration into Canadian life using everyday language. While circumstances have necessitated the relocation of these classes, our team of educators, childminders, and support personnel have been working diligently to prepare these spaces. Additionally, Digital Literacy for Newcomers will also start up again this fall. Thank you to TELUS once again for donating laptops to replace the ones lost in the fire so this important program can continue.
Seniors Leadership Circles and Seniors Summit
LMNH has assembled a special team to facilitate our new seniors’ initiatives this fall. The Seniors Leadership Circles will bring together our elders who are leaders to discuss a coordination and collaboration strategy to support and engage seniors in the neighbourhood. Additionally, the upcoming Seniors Summit promises to be an engaging forum where a diverse spectrum of seniors shall convene to explore avenues to further empower our community seniors.
Food Hub
After a fruitful harvest season and distribution program that provided food to hundreds of food-insecure newcomer families, seniors and low-income individuals, the LMNH team is gearing up to evaluate and revamp aspects of our Food Hub. We will facilitate Harvest Circles with a growing number of Food Hub partners to learn, grow and plant the seeds, figuratively and literally beginning in September.
Family Resource Programs
We plan to restart the Family Drop-in at our new location. Fall means a new session of Family Education/Support programs such as Mother Goose, counselling and art therapy offered at various partner sites.
The entire LMNH team eagerly anticipates all the activities that lie ahead in the next few months. Thank you for being an important part of the Little Mountain Neighbourhood House Community. For more information and updates on our programs, please feel free to reach out to our program leaders directly.
Joel Bronstein, Executive Director
Little Mountain Neighbourhood House Society
