Shining a light on child and youth care workers

Ella Craig has always had a passion for working with children.

“I know it’s not always easy, but I also know it’s something I was meant to do,” she says.

Originally from Kelowna, the third-year Child and Youth Care (CYC) student spent much of her childhood at the local YMCA, where she participated in summer camps and school programs before becoming a junior volunteer at age 11.

Her decision to pursue a career in childcare was influenced by her grandma, who worked in nursery homes in England.

“She shared her workbooks with me, which documented some of the experiences she had with babies and children,” Ella says. “Hearing her stories and seeing the work she did helped shape my understanding of what it means to care for and support children.”

When it was time for her to choose a university, Ella wanted to try something outside the Okanagan. She chose VIU because the program fit her learning style and covered topics she was interested in. Her long-term goal is to work in child protection and policy.

Her work in camps, recreation, nannying, group homes and now post-secondary education has shown her how complex and meaningful working with children and youth can be.

Highlighting unsung heroes

Those experiences inspired her to create the Courage to Grow Awards, a ceremony that recognizes people who work in the child and youth care sector.

“I wanted to show the people who have dedicated their lives to working with children and youth that they have a team cheering them on,” she says. “They have people in their corner.”

Ella came up with the idea after seeing an online posting about the Red Cross’s Resilience Fund, which supports youth to create projects that make their communities stronger.

“When I saw the opportunity, I also saw a need for connection within the child and youth care field,” she says. “I knew this could be a way to help fill that gap.”

Event planning is a whole new experience for Ella. Prior to this, she had no idea how to plan an event of this size and struggled at first with delegating tasks, building a team and trusting others with parts of the project.

To help her choose the winners, Ella and her team partnered with CYC professors to narrow down the choices. She admits this has been a hard process because “we believe everyone deserves to win.” 

The Courage to Grow awards take place later this month at VIU’s Malaspina Theatre. Ella says the event is about celebrating the people who show up every day for children and youth. Awards will be presented in five different categories.

“It is about recognizing the work that can sometimes go unseen and reminding workers that there are people who see them, appreciate them and believe in the work they do,” she says. “It’s going to be an inspiring evening. 

And while the ceremony is currently a one-off event for this year due to one-time funding, Ella hopes that it can become an annual thing.

She also hopes everyone who attends the event leaves with one message: “I want them to leave knowing they are not alone.”

About Courage to Grow

The Courage to Grow awards are on Saturday, September 26 in the Malaspina Theatre, beginning at 6:30 pm. The ceremony includes five awards that pay tribute to the contributions of mid-Island practitioners. Through interview-style videos and retiree tributes, attendees share stories of challenges faced, growth achieved and lessons learned. It’s open to the public and free to attend. 

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