Dawn has been at Covenant House Vancouver for a few months now and is very introverted. She has communicated to staff about being shy when around others, and has a hard time in big groups. Although she wants to be more social, her anxiety can get the best of her. At the end of the day, she really wants to be able to connect more with others and be part of the group.
I help run a cooking class at Covenant House and I make sure to invite everyone. I want youth to develop new life skills as well as build new friendships while in our Crisis Program.
Dawn was hesitant to join since she was not comfortable with other youth. She asked one of her friends to join her, but her friend could not make it. I assured her that at any point if she wanted to leave the class she could. Dawn ended up attending and stayed for the whole class.
The next day Dawn asked to talk to me, she stated that “she really enjoyed her time cooking and learning about the dish”. She said that it was not as “nerve-racking” as she expected.
Dawn has been attending every class and I have been able to see improvements in her cooking and social skills.
Dawn is currently learning about nutrition, terminology, cooking methods and expanding her palate. Dawn has been able to ask more questions during class, engage with others outside her comfort zone and she has even suggested ideas for future classes.
It has been a joy to see Dawn make new friends and learn a new skill!
Shared by Daniella, Youth Worker at our Crisis Program
