Our History
The Youth Agency Collaborative was established in 2018 by five youth-serving agencies ( Boyle Street Community Services, enCompass Community Safety Agency (Formerly Edmonton John Howard Society), iHuman Youth Society, Old Strathcona Youth Society, and Youth Empowerment & Support Services ). These agencies came together in the spirit of collaboration and continuous improvement to directly address the quality-of-service young people receive when they were experiencing houselessness, abuse, substance-use, and/or any of the other negative effects cause by poverty, intergenerational trauma, and colonization.
Between 2019 and 2020, the Collaborative engaged in research to acquire the voices of young people, youth workers, and the agencies to inquire what was working well and what needed improvement within our service delivery. From this research, we were able to determine that we needed to find pathways towards better communication, improved Collaborative, and expanded resources to better meet the needs of the youth.
“Young people want agencies to talk to each other so they don’t have to repeat their painful stories. They also want consistent, safe, and trauma-informed care across all organizations.”
Today, the Youth Agency Collaborative is made up of more than 30 Alberta youth agencies working to integrate their services, processes, and data to remove barriers, improve gaps, and ensure better outcomes for youth aged 15 – 25 with complex needs.
Our Timeline
Our Guiding Principles
1. Our Agencies Collaborate
2. Our Agencies Are Places for Youth and Honour Youth Voices
3. Our Agencies Align with Trauma Informed Practices and Meet Youth Where They Are At
4. Our Agencies Honour Cultural and Spiritual Ways of Being and Welcome All
5. Our Agencies Do Not Tolerate Racism or Discrimination
6. Our Agencies Work Together with the Natural Supports, Chosen Communities, and/or Indigenous Nations of Youth
Our Governance Model
The Youth Agency Collaborative Society exists to strengthen and align the collective efforts of youth-serving agencies across Edmonton and Alberta. Grounded in the Collective Impact model, the Collaborative serves as the backbone organization that coordinates, facilitates, and supports a network of partners committed to building a coordinated continuum of care that ensures all young people can thrive.
Our Collective Impact Governance Model
