4.

Reaching out for community support

Reaching out for help is part of building resilience.

Sometimes it is hard to ask for help because we think it

makes us look weak or incompetent. The truth is that
asking for help is a sign of strength. By reaching out to
others, we teach our children that everyone needs help
sometimes. And you are giving the helper an
opportunity to experience the good feelings that come
from helping someone else.

There are many ways to get through the tough times.

One way is to ask for support from family, friends and
people who share your religious or spiritual beliefs.

Another important way to handle hard times is to reach

out to services in your community that help families with
young children. These services can help you learn to
reduce stress, handle your children’s challenging
behaviours, or support their special needs.

Building a network of people that you can count on is

very important. And it helps build your resilience at the
same time.

Tips for teaching children how to reach out

˒ ǻsĶĶɴŸȖNjOÌÞĶ_NjsŘÞǼÞǣŷħǼŸǣĨ¯ŸNjÌsĶƼʳSit down with them and think of all the people they
could reach out to for help, when they need it.
˒ NNjsǼsˆËsĶƼǢÞ¶ŘĶˇɠÞǼÌɴŸȖNjOÌÞĶ_NjsŘʳ Let them know that some problems need adult help.
Choose a code word or signal that they can use to alert you (or another caring adult).
˒ ǣĨɴŸȖNjOÌÞĶ_EŸȖǼÌŸɠǼÌsɴÌsĶƼs_ǣŸŎsŸŘssĶǣsǼŸ_ɴʳ Find out what they did to help
another person and ask them how it felt to be helpful.
˒ ǣĨɴŸȖNjOÌÞĶ_Þ¯ǼÌsɴɠsNjsÌsĶƼs_EɴǣŸŎsŸŘssĶǣsǼŸ_ɴ and help them identify how it feels
to be helped.
• Read or tell stories about how other people reach out to give or get a helping hand.
Yukon resources for Parents

Being a parent is not easy, but information, support and help is available. Free services for
expecting parents and parents of young children include:

• Healthy moms, healthy babies programs;

• The Canadian Prenatal Nutrition Program;
• Well baby visits with your Community Nurse at Health Centres;
• Child Development Centre;
• Recreation programs for children and families;
• Literacy programs, the Family Literacy Centre, the Imagination
Library, and public libraries in all communities;
• Parent/child learning programs; and
• Parenting programs such as Nobody’s Perfect and Traditional
Parenting.

To find out about services in your community, contact your local Health
Centre, First Nations Health Office, or ask your health care provider.

Yukon also has on-line resources which provide information on a range of

topics of interest to parents and other adults who care for children from
birth to six years of age.

The Department of Health and Social Services provides information on

child care, public health services, family support and services for children
with disabilities on their website at www.hss.gov.yk.ca.

Pathways to Wellness is another website of the Department of Health and Social Services which
offers information, videos, and other resources on a wide variety of wellness topics of interest
to parents, including brain development, play, healthy eating, activity, sleep, and happiness.
Visit us at www.yukonwellness.ca.

Partners for Children, located at Yukon College, publishes Healthy Beginnings – a Resource Guide for
Parents that lists many services to support families and children throughout Yukon. To access
an on-line copy of this guide, go to
http://ycdl4.yukoncollege.yk.ca/frontier/files/PFC/ResourceGuideHealthyBeginnin.pdf.

The Imagination Library provides free, monthly books for children from birth to 5 years of age.
This website provides more information on the program and on-line registration at
http://yukonimaginationlibrary.ca/register.php.

This document has been adapted and produced with permission

ɠɠɠʳɴȖĨŸŘɠsĶĶŘsǣǣʳO by the Best Start Resource Centre, Ontario 2014 ɠɠɠʳEsǣǼǣǼNjǼʳŸNj¶