A New Chapter for Yúusnewas

Another big change is coming to YouthCO this summer! Jessica St. Jean, our Yúusnewas program manager, will be aging out and leaving space for other Indigenous youth leaders! Jessica has been a part of YouthCO’s team for five years and has overseen the growth from a small Aboriginal Youth Program to a strong and thriving Yúusnewas program that is highly active throughout the province. 

Jessica started in the HIV movement at the age of 16 when she volunteered for her first Walk for Life fundraiser and eventually became an educator at Healing our Spirit. She was originally drawn to YouthCO because of its strong commitment to fostering the growth of youth leaders, its commitment to reaching youth with relevant HIV and sexual health information, and the commitment to values of anti-oppression; including decolonization. She was also drawn to the opportunity to make a positive impact within First Nations communities by bringing back conversations about our bodies and sexual health.

As always, we are grateful to our community for the support and mentorship that has made the growth of this program a success. We are proud of the work we do to help the youth of British Columbia learn more about their health options and decolonize their sexuality and bodies.

Jessica’s last day at YouthCO will be August 15^th and she will stick around on a part-time basis for organizational transition support till the end of 2016. She will be entering UBC’s school of Midwifery in the fall and looks forward to continuing her work within the reproductive health care spectrum.

Our team is working hard to fill this position, please check out the posting here which will be open until June 10, 2016.

If you’d like to get in touch with us or have any questions, please do so! Email us at [email protected], call the office at 604-688-1441, or connect with us on social media.