Honouring one of the greats! The Yukon News article below tells all.
A grandfather of non-profits recognized
George Green was presented with a Caring Canadian Award, from Governor General David Johnston, for his life-long volunteer work.
As the old African proverb goes, it takes a village to raise a child. This has been George Green’s mantra - except for him, it takes the whole of Whitehorse.
For over five decades, the 67-year old grandfather who works three jobs is still volunteering for a slew of non-profits in the city - some of which he created.
Green received a Caring Canadian Award from Governor General David Johnston last Wednesday. And rightfully so.
The award recognizes individuals who volunteer their time and efforts to better Canadian society.
He’s been volunteering since 1958, when he collected non-perishable items and fundraised for a church in Nova Scotia as a high school student.
He has never stopped volunteering since. The organizations he has created or has been a part of are devoted to helping people who have disabilities, the poor and youth.
A variety of reasons make him passionate about his causes. For one, he has been inspired by a “special someone” in his life who has a learning disability.
Also, it’s practically built into his DNA - he has a strong belief in eradicating poverty on a systemic level, which his grandmother instilled in him.
“How do you eliminate poverty? It’s a huge question. First of all you have to believe you can. Most people think you can’t. They always have that old biblical saying that the poor will be with us always.
“You have to have the attitude and belief that you can. You can if you think if you can, is what my grandmother always told me. And she lived to be 104, so I think she had something going good for her,” Green said.
For 12 years, he was the executive director of the Learning Disabilities Association of the Yukon (LDAY). There, he found “sponsors” who would pay for many children and adults who needed $2,200 for a psychological assessment, the first step in understanding a person’s mental capacity.
He fundraised to provide people with learning disabilities with computer programs such as Dragon Naturally Speaking, which types what a user dictates. He has pooled together around 150 volunteers who now consider themselves “friends” of the association, Green said. Each of them has contributed their time, money or expertise to helping those with learning disabilities.
Working at LDAY inspired him to start another non-profit, called the Whole Child Project Steering Committee, which co-ordinates after-school programs that allow low-income parents to work closely with teachers. He saw the need to create the committee after several parents from LDAY told him they felt disconnected with their children’s education.
“They felt too intimidated to go into the school, they would go into a parent-teacher meetings where all these people have been sitting around with degrees and high levels of education. They were not feeling very empowered at all,” Green said.
The evening programs he put together with the Yukon committee would teach both parents and children essential skills, without the mundaneness of school. For example, one night a week, they would all cook a nutritious meal together, Green said. Parents could also upgrade their skills by taking computer lessons with the group.
Green also co-founded the United Way chapter in the Yukon, which automatically withdraws a chosen amount of money from donors’ bank accounts to support local charities and organizations. He served as a board member for five years for the international non-profit and is still volunteering this October for its annual breakfast fundraiser.
But he takes co-founding the Food Bank Society of Whitehorse and the Anti-Poverty Coalition most personally. “It isn’t right that we have food banks. We have to create a society where we don’t need food banks,” he insisted.
“We’re such a wealthy community here, and yet people are hungry, starving, with no place to sleep or live. Some people have such a low standard of living. We have to find a way to organize society so we can distribute (funds) more fairly and justly,” Green said.
Although the food bank even offers local produce for the homeless to take home, he wants to go beyond helping the disenfranchised on a case-by-case basis. He’s been working with the government for the last three years on the Yukon Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Strategy, which was initiated by the Department of Health and Social Services.
There was a plan developed by the department, Green said. But he questions how the strategy has been applied so far.
“It doesn’t seem to be working very quickly to implementation phase for whatever reason.
“I would like for us to make more progress on the poverty front. And it’s sometimes very frustrating when things move so slowly. But we have to keep trying, we can’t give up.”
To not give up is a lot to say for a man who is eligible to retire. But he still loves helping people, Green said.
He is still working. He’s filling in as a temporary replacement manager for the territory’s Workplace Diversity Employment Office. He teaches software program courses to adults over 50 years old who are continuing education at the Yukon College. And he’s a consultant for disability conference organizers.
Green also wears many personal hats. He’s raised three biological children and an unofficially adopted child with his wife. He’s also a grandfather to nine.
But he barely takes the credit for all the lives he’s touched. “It’s not just about me. It goes back to working together. Together we do it better. Simple as that,” he said.
His proudest accomplishment yet? “I just finished the Chilkoot Trail, my daughter and I just finished. It was a hoot, we had a wonderful time.”
McDonalds in Whitehorse is just one of the employers experiencing great success in hiring persons with disabilities. The owner, Mike Thorpe, has written an article featured on the Canadian Association for Community Living's website. Follow the link below to read more:
http://readywillingable.ca/stories/building-on-strengths-and-opportunity/
June 28, 2013
We are live in Dawson. Check out our Blog's Homepage for details!
May 18, 2013
This Yukon News article is from a year ago but still very relevant today.
Dealing with disabilities in the workplace
Neal Bird has worked for Air North for nearly four and a half years.
As a cabin agent, he is part of the team responsible for grooming the fleet between flights. He is strong, outgoing and well suited for his job.
The fact that he’s deaf is an afterthought.
“It was a challenge to share my strengths at first,” he admitted. “But (working with Air North) has given me the opportunity to show who I am and how I communicate.”
He noted many of his co-workers are eager to learn a bit of sign language.
And Bird believes he is no anomaly. “People sometimes think disabled people can’t do it. But we can, we need to show them that. We can never give up.”
As he talked, his wife, Lisa Rawlings Bird, translated his words from American Sign Language to English.
As the executive director of the Yukon Council on Disability, Lisa firmly believes her husband’s sentiments.
So, in 2009, her organization spearheaded the Yukon disability employment strategy, which aims to fundamentally change the way Yukon bosses think about hiring people with disabilities.
It started with a conference last spring, called Six Steps to Success. That brought together a group of international experts on disability employment to share their trials, tribulations and successes with Yukon’s disability activist community.
“It was a smashing success,” Lisa said.
And that created an infectious sense of optimism. “It wasn’t just a conference, it was a first step. It got people thinking about possibilities.”
One of the conference attendees was Stephen Jull, who works as a consultant for the council. “We’ve been at this for 20 years,” said Jull, speaking collectively about the disability employment movement.
“The feeling that came out of the conference is that we really need to start engaging employers more thoroughly,” he said.
Many local business leaders were invited, said Jull. Few showed up.
One leader who did attend was Rick Karp, president of the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce.
“I gave a presentation at the conference, and I looked around the room and I didn’t see business representation,” said Karp.
So he volunteered himself to liaise with the corporate world.
“My job is to bring the business perspective to the action plan,” said Karp. “There is the potential for (increased disabled participation) to resolve some of our labour-market issues.”
That’s especially the case with the Yukon’s recently booming mining industry.
“It is estimated that there is going to be $5.24 billion in mine construction between now and 2018,” he said. “We need employees.”
Rather than luring them from the South, Karp would rather see those jobs go to disabled residents of the Yukon. But, he said, attitudes need to change before that can happen.
“We need an education program for employers. We need to tell them ‘disability is not what you think it is’ and then give them a positive definition.”
Yukon employers with disabled staff often find them to be among their most hard-working, loyal and competent staff members, said Jull. But some employers have misgivings.
“There is an impression that hiring disabled might result in opening themselves up to human rights’ issues, which they don’t want to deal with.”
But accommodating disabilities is usually easier than expected, said Jull. That’s thanks, in part, to government funds.
Jull has found that bosses in rural Yukon are leading the way when it comes to progressive hiring practices.
“Businesses that have survived in rural Yukon have done so by being inclusive,” he said. “They often aren’t acting on any official policy, they are just supporting the development of their community.”
When asked what business people think about the idea of hiring more disabled people, Karp answered bluntly: “They don’t.”
It appears that local owners and managers are not actively against the idea of hiring more disabled people, but in the hectic day-to-day operation of a business the subject just doesn’t come up.
May 2, 2013
We have two new staff on board at the YDES! Check out our blog's homepage to learn more.March 1, 2013
Government of Canada helps raise employers' awareness of the potential of people with disabilities
The government of Canada has given funding to L. Tara Hooper Associates Inc. through the Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities in an effort to raise awareness of the value of having people with disabilities in the workforce. There will be an Access Employment Day in Brantford, Ontario at which local employers can learn from industry leaders ways to work with and employ people with disabilities. Lisa Tara Hooper, President of L. Tara Hooper and Associates Inc., states in the article that
'Through this event, people with disabilities and local employers will gain valuable information that will help increase job opportunities for people with disabilities who are capable of working and want to participate in the labour force.'If you wish to find out more about the partnership, or to read the article, click here.
February 20, 2013
Government of Canada helps people with disabilities in Regina develop job skills
The governments of Saskatchewan and Canada are coming together to help the citizens with disabilities of Regina, Saskatchewan develop skills to help them enter the workforce. According to an article on the Canada News Centre website:
Project participants will receive job preparation training on subjects such as résumé and cover letter writing, teamwork and leadership. They will also gain work experience with local employers, where they will be able to develop and enhance their skills.These efforts are related to the greater Economic Action Plan 2012, through which the Canadian government is investing $30 million to help those with disabilities get the experience they need in order to enter the workforce.
Click here to read the article in full.
January 30, 2013
We are proud to be hosting the first major recruitment event of the season in advance of the summer rush for new staff and another good peak season in Yukon!
In Cooperation with the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce, we invite you to attend...
Recruitment, Retention and Workplace Productivity: HR Solutions in 2013
Location and Time: Westmark Whitehorse, 5-7pm Thursday February 7th
Admission: Free!
Door Prizes: As well as other door prizes there are two flights donated by Air North - Yukon's Airline.
Great food – Great Door prizes – Networking. What more can you ask for?
Please RSVP by email to business@whitehorsechamber.ca, or contacting the Chamber at 667-7545
January 16, 2013
January 13, 2013
Report released on helping Canadians with disabilities find jobs
Today the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Diane Finley (pictured above) and the Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty announced that Rethinking disAbility in the Private Sector, the report that the Panel on Labour Market Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities had been working on, would be released. Part of the Economic Action Plan 2012, the Panel conducted about 200 consultations with employers across Canada and in various industries to find out more about employing people with disabilities. Minister Flaherty stated that
'Our Government is committed to helping more people with disabilities be employed by encouraging inclusive workplaces and removing barriers to employment, but we can’t do it alone. Employers in the private sector also have a key role in employing Canadians with disabilities.'To read more, please click here.
January 13, 2013
Communities overlook qualified workers with disabilities
Despite an employee shortage, a government-commissioned panel has found that companies are overlooking the almost 800,000 employable Canadians with disabilities. Though the public sector has employed many with disabilities, the private sector has not. According to the panel, private companies appear willing, but need more training to make this possible.
'Canada is facing skills and labour shortages in many sectors, and finding ways to get all Canadians working is key to meeting this challenge,' Human Resources Minister Diane Finley said in a statement as she and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty released the report.
Human Resources and Skills Development Minister Diane Finley
To find out more, and to read the original article on CBC News, click here.
January 4, 2013
WhatCanYouDo: "Because" PSA
The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has helped create the Campaign for Disability Employment, as they try to raise awareness that people with disabilities have talents and skills to offer employers. The video "Because" promotes the encouragement of youth with disabilities to believe they can meet higher expectations than what may have been offered in the past. The people featured in the video are not actors, but actual people with disabilities who are rising above, realizing their goals, in part because of the support of those around them. To find out more about the What Can You Do? campaign, visit their website here.
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July 23, 2012
The Yukon Disability Employment Strategy is coming to the communities
Since our official launch last month, we have been busy in preparing how we will bring this new and exciting service to all Yukoners. A key part of our discussion has been addressing how we can ensure we can meet the needs of Yukon communities - small and large. We are pleased to announce that we will be in Dawson City in early August to begin discussions for establishing a new disability employment service hub - through our Disability Works on-line hub, but also with the support of personnel on the ground and ready to reach out to those across central Yukon.We are also working hard on developing our service model the north-western corridor and of course the Southern Lakes and from Watson Lake north. Get in touch if you want to share your thoughts and or help us in our efforts to ensure every Yukoner has access to a quality, timely disability employment service. Contact us today!
May 31, 2012
Launch Party Announced!!!
The Yukon Disability Employment Strategy Task Force (YDESTF) is pleased to announce the official launch of the the Yukon Disability Employment Strategy Action Plan and Disability Works.
If your are available on June 19th from 5pm, then join us for this special event to celebrate Yukon's leadership in disability employment.
May 22, 2012
Calgary Conference a Success
Disability Works and the Yukon Disability Employment Strategy were recently showcased at the Community Futures Treaty Seven Disability Employment Symposium on the theme "Keeping the Momentum Moving Forward". Lisa Rawslings Bird and George Green presented both the process and the outcomes of the Yukon Disability Employment Strategy.You can read a bit more about who was there and the direction Alberta First Nations are taking in their efforts to improve employment and business opportunities here.
April 26, 2012
Disability Works Launch Party in June
The official launch party of the Disability Works website will be held in June! Check back for updates and announcements in the weeks to come.In the meantime, we are asking visitors to the site to send us their thoughts and view during the month of May and early June so that we can ensure we catch issue and address glitches that we might have missed.
April 24, 2012
Phase 2 Report Forthcoming
The Yukon Disability Employment Strategy Phase 2 Report will be published on Disability Works in June. The report will provide a summary of the key outcomes achieved in Phase 2 and serve as the foundation for the development of the project planning for Phase 3 through March 31 2013.We are always interested in hearing from Yukoners (and people from outside Yukon too for that matter) to help us identify any gaps in our process. We are working to support your needs and goals. Feel free to let us know if we are missing something important!
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