Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre and Phoenix Youth Programs
Nominator Comments:
In the wake of the pandemic many of the core team members were off due to health risks or burnout. With up to 20 youth residing at the shelter at any given time, Abby went above and beyond to compensate for our lack of resources, staffing, and leadership. She checked in frequently with staff and residents, proactively took on roles far above her wage bracket (volunteered to be on-call most of the time, worked extra shifts, took on scheduling and never seemed to suffer from compassion fatigue after supporting her team and her youth.) Staff members would consult her on everything, including Managers. Abby was a strong ally for her BIPOC and LGBTQIA2+ coworkers. She would facilitate supportive conversations, brainstorm various avenues and channels to communicate our message and used her voice to speak out at every opportunity. She has been an avid advocate for every marginalized community she comes in contact with. She uses her voice as a white ally to model what changes can be made when white people raise their voices along with their BIPOC counterparts. Abby is 23 years old, and she shows an understanding of humanity that allows her to approach her advocacy-not with anger or dissatisfaction- but with presence of mind and logic. She listens to her client’s needs, she understands the job that needs to be done, and she does everything she can to ensure the client’s needs are met.
(This excerpt has been taken from the Nominators’ writeups.)