A Foundry is coming to serve youth 12-24 and their families/caregivers in the West Shore, Sooke and Port Renfrew. Thrive Social Services Society is partnering with members of The Village Initiative, and community leaders across education, health and social service sectors and municipalities to open Foundry. Youth, families and leaders from across the region are participating in Advisory Circles to ensure that youth voice and community needs are at the centre of decision making.

What is Foundry? Foundry offers free and confidential mental health care, substance use supports, physical and sexual health care, youth and family peer support, Indigenous health support, and employment and education service for youth aged 12-24 – no referrals or assessments required – both in-person at a local centre or virtually, thorough Foundry Virtual BC.

Can I get help now? While we work to open centres in West Shore, Sooke and Port Renfrew Foundry Virtual BC is an easily accessible service for youth and their caregivers. Download the app and register for a youth or caregiver account to book your first appointment. Or call 1-833-308-6379.

Project update/Engagement phase: Following our project launch party in June, we welcomed our Director of Implementation, Kathy Easton in August. Kathy has been actively engaging youth, families and caregivers as well as service providers and leaders from across the communities to gather their thoughts about ideal locations for Foundry and the types of services that should be offered. She and Thrive ED, Scott Bradford presented to Langford & Colwood Councils to ensure that municipalities are engaged in the dialogue. Additional presentations are planned for View Royal, Sooke and Metchosin in the coming months. Presentations to Chief and Councils of local Indigenous communities have been requested and engagement with Indigenous knowledge keepers are planned for early 2025.

Our Youth Advisory Circle (YAC) is comprised of 11 incredible youth and young adults who are informing the creation of our Foundry every step of the way. Our YAC meets monthly and has had two meetings thus far. YAC members are exceptional youth living in West Shore, Sooke, Metchosin and East Sooke and want to make a positive difference. They have unique and invaluable insights into what youth need, want, and connect; they are youth appropriately creating a resource for youth. Over the course of 2 meetings, they have provided the foundation for site selection criteria, services and naming. Youth expressed enthusiasm for being a central part in the creation of the Foundry because they feel they are heard and their voice matters. YAC members also have opportunities to engage in additional training and resources, such as Canva Pro, Social Media Training, Naloxone, etc. that will support them in continuing to be community leaders for life.

In November we convened the first Leadership Advisory Circle (LAC), with 24 members attending from across the region. The members include funders, leaders of organizations that will offer services in Foundry as well as municipal representatives. The purpose of LAC is to foster cross system and intersectoral integration and advise on community priorities. With the support of Wiser Projects, leaders offered input into site selection criteria that will be refined over the next couple of months.

In early 2025 we will bring together our Service Planning Working Group, which will focus on operational integration and ongoing communication about service delivery within the centre.

The Family Advisory Circle (FAC) will convene in early 2025 to coincide with service planning. Like the Youth Advisory Circle, members of the FAC will bring their lived/living experience to the table to advise on Foundry development. At Foundry, family is an important part of a young person’s circle of care. Family, whether natural or chosen, holds a significant role in supporting a young person, by creating a sense of belonging and connection through their shared experience.

Project Timeline: Our service area is expansive and unique, so our approach to bringing Foundry to the West Shore, Sooke and Port Renfrew region will need to be unique, too. We expect a project timeline of approximately 2 to 3 years to service implementation, with a central hub located in the West Shore and offices in Sooke and Port Renfrew.

Getting involved

Please contact us, we are seeking families and caregivers of youth 12-24 living in West Shore, Sooke and Port Renfrew to form our Family Advisory Circle.

We are happy to share more and make presentations to organizations that would like to offer services at Foundry or fund any aspect of our project.

For more information about the West Shore, Sooke and Port Renfrew Foundry project please visit: Thrive Social Services Society or email foundry@thrivevictoria.org