Table 1
Identified facilitators to the implementation of the IYS model and sample quotations.
| FACILITATORS | SAMPLE QUOTATIONS FROM KEY INFORMANTS |
|---|---|
| Youth and family engagement | “If any region is starting this they must engage with youth. What better people to go to than the people accessing services. The youth know the youth best.” “Our main slogan is ‘For youth by youth.’ It’s important to have youth involved in anything that’s going on and not just assume what they want.” “I understand why we tend to focus on the youth part, and not always families, so how do you make sure you get families onboard? What supports do they need and how do we make sure they are being met?” |
| Network partner collaboration | “Service providers are coming together and keeping their eye on the ball, instead of the silo mentality that we had in the past.” “We’re all there for the right reasons … there’s that shared understanding of the barriers for service in our area, and that shared goal of breaking down those barriers.” “It has been helpful being connected as a network … we’ve been able to share what works … we can help each other stretch and challenge each other to change. It has been such a great network of people who want to help.” “I’ve always felt that you could be honest about how you’re feeling. Everyone is very transparent … You do feel safe if you disagree about something … it’s okay to say that.” |
| Leadership | “[The Grove-YWHO Director] has been huge. Her ability to make things happen, to reach out, to raise money, her foresight about what she knows and what she doesn’t and when she needs to bring in somebody, her commitment to the ideals.” “[The Grove-YWHO Director] has single handedly moved this entire initiative forward with her own passion and tremendous productivity. Everybody who sits around the IYSN [Partnership] Table is in awe of her passion, commitment, and impact. So really, without that one individual driver, this would not be happening. I don’t say that lightly. I can’t imagine anybody having the vision, the drive, the persistence, to move this ahead, given all the various barriers to making it happen that are real.” |
| Integrated governance structure | “A lot of the [early] conversations from the Partnership Table were about not wanting to be a charity, taking away from other charities that we’re partnering with … having MOUs [memorandums of understanding] is a huge piece.” “We have guiding principles and we follow them. We try to go with the consensus model as opposed to a voting structure. We all are in it together to move the ship.” |
| Community enthusiasm and support | “The community momentum for this project is unbelievable. It’s really overwhelming at times and I think that speaks to the need. It is, especially with COVID, we know that the need is so great.” |
| Collaborative funding models | “I think they are doing an awesome job in setting up their fundraising … from the outset they did a really good job of trying to assess who needed what and in what areas.” “As people saw [The Grove-YWHO Director] getting grants and more money being raised, there was more excitement for people to continue to be engaged.” |
Table 2
Identified barriers to the implementation of the IYS model and sample quotations.
| BARRIERS | SAMPLE QUOTATIONS FROM KEY INFORMANTS |
|---|---|
| COVID-19 Pandemic | “The idea was to have all these different programs, have people talking about it. Having the school come for field trips. We had a great plan to make that happen, but then COVID … people are sick of being online, but our hands are tied. We know what we want to do, but it has just been dragging on for so long.” “We had tons [of youth] signed up for those initial in-person activities during the April break … spots were full, they wanted to come, but of course participation dwindled a bit when we went back to virtual. They are craving that in person stuff.” “The pandemic has certainly taken a lot of our energy. It has forced us to take a step back to think about how to survive this. But I appreciate the Director being so focused and driving it.” “COVID-19 has slowed the renovations quite a bit. Closures have stopped work. Renovations started in October and they are in the final stages now. Costs for materials like lumber have increased, which affected our fundraising needs.” |
| Diversity of youth needs | “While the majority of youth living in rural areas face challenges related to isolation and having fewer opportunities for development and socialization, some urban youth in need of programs and supports in Guelph face challenges related to homelessness, hunger, discrimination, etc.” “We have high rates of mental health and addictions issues in our community. There’s a lot of homeless people that hang around [The Hub] sometimes … We have nutrition programs that we run. A lot of kids will come to that and sometimes it’s the main meal for that day.” “In the rural hub sites there are concerns that stigma and gossip will be a barrier to youth participation”. |
| Change management | “Others were skeptical and I don’t think it’s because they did not believe that the model would work. I think it is change. I think change is hard for people. But people are getting their heads wrapped around it. We’re getting there.” “It’s a lot of work … that can be a barrier when we’re trying to run our own organizations, and especially when we’re in multi-area organizations, you know. I am already sitting on a lot of committees and meetings. But, I don’t know, it can be challenging to find the time. But again, because we believe in it so much, we figure it out, we get it done.” |
| Sustainable funding | “We know that this model and transforming the way we’re delivering services is going to cost us an enormous amount of money …although our fundraiser campaign is doing really well, the ongoing sustainable dollars will be a concern for us.” “I’m generally a believer that if you build a good thing the funding will come. However, in this era of scarcity, it’s really, really important that our advocacy with our provincial funders is strong…. at some point the government will have to start shifting gears from a pandemic response to a pandemic recovery, and that is both from the economic and social perspective.” |
| Transportation | “Transportation may present a challenge to some hub sites. For example, the YMCA of Three Rivers Guelph Y is 12 minutes from downtown Guelph by car, but 1 hour by bus. Attempts have been made to work with Guelph Transit, but it will take more than the Guelph hub site alone to make a compelling case for an added bus route. Another example is East Wellington Community Services in rural Erin. While the hub site has access to vehicles, they will be largely dependent on parents to drive youth as there are no local transportation options”. |