Join the John Howard Society of Saskatchewan Board

Join our highly talented and dedicated volunteer Board of Directors. Applications are being accepted for new Board members from across Saskatchewan. There is one vacancy, and we accept and consider application from anywhere in the Province. Board members must demonstrate a strong desire to guide JHSS as we support youth and adults who are at risk or are involved in the criminal justice process by providing prevention, intervention, support services and advocacy as key candidate attributes. Those who have lived experience with the criminal justice system (incarcerated or family of someone incarcerated) are encouraged to apply.

JHSS Logo

Regular meetings of the Board of Directors are held at least 4 times per year with additional participation in Committee meetings. The Board abides by existing governance regulations for not-for-profit organizations.

About the John Howard Society of Saskatchewan

The John Howard Society of Saskatchewan (JHSS) is a well-established non-profit provincial organization that provides effective, just, and humane services in response to the causes and consequences of crime and assists individuals who are at risk or are involved in the criminal justice process.  

Mission Statement 

  • The John Howard Society of Saskatchewan provides prevention, intervention, support services, and advocacy for individuals who are at risk or are involved in the criminal justice process. 

Vision Statement  

  • Communities have effective, just, humane practices that support positive social outcomes.

How to Apply
If you want to make a meaningful difference in our community, interested candidates should apply by sending a letter of interest along with a current CV or other indication of the skills the candidate is providing to the Executive Board Coordinator at preimer∂sk.johnhoward.ca by May 27th 2022. Applicants will be sent a self-evaluation form to be complete. If an applicant with lived experience is interested, support can be provided to complete the self-evaluation if needed.

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Pathway to Miyo-Pimâtisiwin is a network of community-based agencies, people with lived-experience, Elders, and vested governmental agencies collaborating to provide our communities with equal access to supports. Our mission is to provide a collaborative and community-led initiative to combat the social factors that reposition some to street-based lifestyles; decrease social violence; and promote community healing. Our vision is for safe, healthy communities, where all citizens are valued and have equal access to meaningful supports, connections, and avenues to healing.

Pathway to Miyo-Pimâtisiwin acknowledges the devastating effects incarceration can have on mental health. Paired with COVID-19, it is no secret inmates around the world are grappling with the new realities of their physical and mental health over and above their imprisonment. We do not need to look far to find stories of grief, loss and sorrow around the world stemming from COVID-19 and related pandemic burnout, but with all these stories of sadness, there are also complementary stories of resilience, kindness, healing, and hope. Yet, so many of these stories leave out the voices of incarcerated people from the narrative, the majority of whom identify as BIPOC.

Art work for the Altogether Gallery: Through Prison Eyes by C. Slippery.

Pathway to Miyo-Pimâtisiwin has developed a virtual art gallery as a means to give those who are incarcerated a chance to showcase how COVID-19 has impacted them and tell the personal story of their mental health journey through art, writing, beading and other available mediums. Our intent was to create a space to give incarcerated individuals agency over their experiences and provide opportunity to connect with the community through art and story.

Art work for the Altogether Gallery: Through Prison Eyes by Tanya Sayer.

To kick-start the virtual art gallery, we held two contests: one to choose the name of the gallery and a second to submit artwork for the gallery. Through these contests, we arrived at the name of “Altogether Gallery: Through Prison Eyes”, which was a combination of two submissions by Julie McAdams and Gary Iron. The artwork chosen to represent the gallery was also by Julie McAdam and her piece titled “Through Prison Eyes” beautifully represents the gallery name.

Art work for the Altogether Gallery: Through Prison Eyes by Ceekay Bird.

Our hope is to see online art galleries such as this become more common within prison systems, as providing individuals who are incarcerated the opportunity to show the world their talent and beauty is critical to keeping that connection to community alive. Not only did inmates have the ability to receive payment for their skills and expertise, but they were also able to tell their stories, connect with culture, have their voice amplified, and take advantage of healthy ways to support their healing journey.

You can see all entries in the art gallery at the following link:

Altogether Gallery: Through Prison Eyes (https://pathwaynetwork.ca/gallery/

Our hope is to see online art galleries such as this become more common within prison systems, as providing individuals who are incarcerated the opportunity to show the world their talent and beauty is critical to keeping that connection to community alive. Not only did inmates have the ability to receive payment for their skills and expertise, but they were also able to tell their stories, connect with culture, have their voice amplified, and take advantage of healthy ways to support their healing journey.

Pathway to Miyo-Pimâtisiwin would like to thank the following artists who submitted work to our gallery and allowed us to share their experiences, with COVID-19 and incarceration.

  • Ricky Kayson
  • Juice the Savage
  • Ty Sangwais
  • Tanya Sayer                                       
  • Reece Fiddler                                    
  • Corey Slippery
  • Candace Lacheur                               
  • Carlos Tom                                        
  • Jasmine Ahpay
  • Chantelle Bird                                    
  • Tanya Deschamps                             
  • Savanneh Denton
  • Melissa MacQueen                            
  • Julie McAdam                                   
  • Curtis Morin
  • Jordan Baptiste                                  
  • Mike Scramstad                                 
  • JT ShaOulle
  • Iron Gray                                           
  • Francis Sylvestre

Furthermore, Pathway to Miyo-Pimâtisiwin would like to thank all those involved in the creation and implementation of this project. If it were not for your interest, dedication, and time this would not have been possible.

  • Stan Tu’Inukuafe                               
  • Marilyn Stone                        
  • Chelsea Roy
  • Andi Zografi                                      
  • Kylie Frass                            
  • Amanda Richter-Goddard
  • Carter Lovelace                                 
  • Alyssa Marinos                      
  • Richard Dubois

John Howard Society of Saskatchewan is grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such an amazing group of people on this important project. Please share the link with your friends and family.

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We want to let you know that our Provincial Office team is moving across town to join our local office at 1801 Toronto St in Regina.

If you are wondering what will change for you as a result of this move, the answer is NOTHING! If you access our programs at 1801 Toronto St location (Cornerstone Drop-In, Fine Options, etc.), that’s still where you’ll go! The only change is that anyone trying to get in touch with our Provincial Team (CEO, Finance, HR, Communications, etc.) can now find us at 1801 Toronto St.

The coffee is always on, so come on by!

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What is life like after exiting prison? Starting over isn’t easy. Those who are released from prison face all sorts of challenges as they work to reintegrate back into community. This can be difficult for individuals, as they navigate a system that doesn’t always set them up for success. Most inmates will return to their communities. So we have to decide. Do we want them to succeed, or are we satisfied with the status quo?

In part one of this series, we examine housing and homelessness after incarceration through the voices and stories of frontline workers and those with lived experience. Listen up and learn along with us!

CONTENT WARNING
This episode contains discussion around suicidal thoughts. If you not in a place to listen, please consider skipping this episode.

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The fine folks at Kal Tire graciously gifted us a $1,500 gift certificate through their non-profit grant program to get new tires on one of our program vehicles, along with a $250 gift basket filled with goodies! So grateful for this generous support to help us drive our clients from place to place.

Kal Tire Store #703, Regina SK

Thanks to Derek MacIsaac and the whole Kal Tire team for their generous support!

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Shout out to Jason, Kim and Hazel from The Loyalty in Saskatoon! They generously donated $4,000 worth of PUMA basketball shoes for the youth in our social programs! It’s an incredibly generous gift and we are so grateful for their support.

The Loyalty is a community minded business and they wanted to give back to the community. They know basketball has been important to several of the youth in our programs, so they wanted to help fuel their passion for the game while building up their dignity and self-worth with a beautiful new pair of shoes!

Many thanks to Jason, Kim, and Hazel of the Loyalty crew and to PUMA for their generous support of these youth in our Saskatoon programs. Visit theloyalty.ca to learn more about their business.

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Do you listen to podcasts and care about justice issues?

If so, we’re excited to announce we’ve started our very own! It’s called Know Justice and you can find it wherever you listen to podcasts.

You can listen directly at https://knowjustice.simplecast.com/ or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

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As we get close to the end of John Howard Society Week, we’re continuing to recognize our staff by announcing winners of the Leadership Award. This award goes to staff members who show strong leadership qualities. Through times of crisis and with a steady hand, those nominated show their ability to support the mission and vision of JHSS while supporting their co-workers in a positive way.

We had several names come forward and it came down to a tie. Both winners were nominated more than once.

The winners are:

  • Gordon Fox
  • Irene Yanick
  • Gordon Fox
  • Irene Yanick
Leadership Award Winners

Below are some notes from the nomination letters they received from their peers:

Gordon Fox
“Gord maintains a strong sense of humor and dedication to working within trying times. He consistently shows up and supports staff and youth when they are struggling, and when they are not. He is a joy to work with and he can be seen engaging youth playing cards, listening to music, going to get coffee, or just being a friendly ear. He listens with patience and offers strong example of how to face adversity with action and commitment. He is a leader who inspires and he builds a team atmosphere with those he works with by encouraging discourse and consistency. As a co-worker, I never have to guess what Gord is thinking, expecting, or if he is going to actually help out with the work (as he always does).”

Irene Yanick
“Irene is one of the best people in a stressful time. Through all of COVID-19, she has been a vital part of running many different programs. She is someone that you can explain a broad concept to, and she will make the vision come true. Irene is organized, and stays more on top of things than anyone else.”

“We are so lucky to have Irene on our staff, as it makes us all better.”

Congratulations to Gord and Irene! We are stronger because of you.

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Today, we’re continuing our celebration of John Howard Society Week by announcing staff winners of the Client Engagement Award. This award goes to nominated staff members who have gone the extra mile in engaging their clients. Supporting vulnerable individuals is hard work, and we want to recognize those who go above and beyond to engage and support their clients.

We had several names come forward and it came down to a three way tie again! All winners were nominated more than once.

The winners are:

  • Ryan McCorriston
  • Abdikadir Warsame
  • Marilee Brown
  • Ryan McCorriston
  • Abdikadir Warsame
  • Marilee Brown
Client Engagement Award Winners

Below are some notes from the nomination letters they received from their peers:

Ryan McCorriston
“Ryan is consistently going above and beyond for our clients in terms of his level of engagement and interest in our clients lives. He takes time to get to know them and has been a rock in the residential programs during COVID. His calm demeanour is not only grounding to the clients he works with but transfers to the staff as well.”

Abdikadir Warsame
“Kadir is the best at being fully present with the youth. He dedicates his time to picking up any new hobby he is presented with. I’ve seen him watch tutorial after tutorial to learn card tricks, board games, and new skills. He takes the youth skiing, snowboarding, sledding, and skating. Kadir doesn’t just pretend to be interested, he dives in with real enthusiasm.”

Marilee Brown
“Marilee always brings out the best in our youth, and is nurturing, I have learned a lot from her as a new staff.”
“She is always trying to do the best for the kids.”

Congratulations to all three of you! Your hard work and efforts towards supporting the youth and clients in your care is so important, and we are so grateful for your efforts.

We’ll be back tomorrow with the Leadership Award announcement. Cheers everyone! Have a good day!

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