Gordon Hawkins - President
Gordon has been working with youth since 2004 in various roles and capacities. He currently Heads The Child Youth Care and Addictions Support Worker Program at Keyin College, St John's, and is the school's primary CYC instructor and trainer for the program.
Gord is very excited about CYC education and practice and wants to see more educated helpers working in CYC. Having originally worked with community organizations and youth outreach he also wants to see a tighter CYC community and better relations between all practitioners and the organizations they inhabit.
Gord comments, "I am honoured to serve CYCANL to the best of my ability, and I look forward to working with our community to build tighter bonds and help us all meet the demands of a changing world".
Kathyrn Colford (She/Her) - Vice President
Kathryn Colford has been a Child and Youth Care Practitioner for over 13 years. She currently is a Child and Youth Care Counsellor at Tuckamore Youth Treatment Centre in Paradise, Newfoundland. Kathryn has been at this agency since 2014 and has previous experience working at other youth serving agencies around St. John’s. Kathryn has been a member of the CYCANL since she was a CYC student in 2008. Kathryn is often the person that updates our Facebook group.
Kathryn’s comments on the Association: “I love the networking aspect that being involved with the association provides. I enjoy interacting with cyc’s and students at training and social opportunities. I look forward to being a part of the association for many years to come.”
Kathryn’s comments “I absolutely love being a CYCP. I can't imagine doing any other job. No two days are alike and I enjoy that. I love seeing youth learn new skills and being a part of their life, doing what I can to help support them in the short time I’m a part of their life. As Dr. Seuss said: To the world you may be one person but to one person you may be the world.”
Jaime Lundrigan - Treasurer
Jaime has been a Child and Youth Care Practitioner for the past 11 years. She currently works with Key Assets as a Program Supervisor and Live-In-Carer. Jaime has been a member with the CYCANL since 2009. Jaime is the treasurer of the association as well as the Chairperson for the Public Relations/ Fundraising Committee. She also serves on the Standards and Hospitality/Social committees.
Jaime’s comments “I am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the Executive Committee with the CYCANL. I am proud to be a part of the group of people who are beginning to set formal practice standards for the Child and Youth Care profession in our province. I also have a passion for sharing what amazing and important work CYCP do each day. Promoting and educating people in our province about our practice and the children, young people and families we work with is something that energizes me on a daily basis”.
Natalie Bursey - Secretary
Natalie is a certified Child and Youth Care Practitioner and has been working in residential care for 20 years. She is currently employed as a Program Coordinator with Waypoints in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Natalie has been an active member of the association since 2000. She has been involved in conference planning for the conference on the provincial and national levels. She was also involved in the success of the 2013 World Conference.
Natalie was the recipient of the Provincial CYC award in 2010 and Canadian Council Child and Youth Care award in 2013. Natalie is excited about the growth of CYC in this province and the steps we are making toward the professionalization of the field. She encourages CYC’s , new and experienced, to become involved in their association and avail of the many opportunities it provides.
Jennifer Kettle - National Representative
Jennifer has been a Child and Youth Care Practitioner for the past 20 years in residential care. She is currently a Program Coordinator with Waypoints in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Jennifer has been a member of the CYCANL for the past 19 years, all of which she has held committee roles.
Currently, she holds the role of National Representative to the Council of Canadian CYC Associations. Jennifer’s comments on the Association: “I would like to see an increased presence in membership outside of the metro area, to see the certification process continue to grow and to continue to offer quality training to members so that they can continue to grow”.
Jennifer’s comments on CYCP, “I am very proud of being a youth care worker. I recognize the importance of the work we do and think it is a field that is continuously evolving. That means our skills and knowledge base should always continue to evolve. I see the Association as being an important part of the process”.
Lesley Goodyear - Student Liaison
Lesley Goodyear has worked in the child and youth care field for the past 18-plus years. She is currently the Manager of Family Engagement with Amal Youth and Family Centre.
Lesley is known for her passion and commitment to working with families and is currently helping to develop a provincial intensive family engagement service within the Amal organization. She has worked within a variety of areas in the Child and Youth Care field including: Out of home care, family support, and out-of-home treatment, as well as providing family-based care to children in her own home.
Lesley also has an extensive background in teaching both Child and Youth Care and Psychology at the post-secondary level. She is currently a facilitator of Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) training, a trainer of the Person Brain model and an avid student of developmental and growth culture practice.
