For many, fall really is the start of the year. This time is characterized by new school routines, the leaves changing colour and learning how to make the best of life while navigating COVID-19. For YW, what remains consistent are the programs and services we continue to offer virtually and in-person to support women and families in our community. 

If the return of cold weather has you looking to move your workout indoors, YW Fitness continues to provide a safe and healthy workout space with bookable workout times to accommodate physical distancing and help you get back into your routine. As well, the YW Childcare Centre has part-time, drop in and fulltime spaces available if you are easing back into working from the office or juggling school and childcare. 

While nature and the changing seasons remind us of what is constant in life, the uncertainty of the months to come adds layers of stress for many. If you're nervous about a potential second wave of COVID-19 and the stress associated with it, YW has supports available to help you and your family navigate this challenging time. Take advantage of our new web-based skill-building tool, Mindfulicity to enhance your capacity to manage your mental wellness. We welcome our community members to try Coping with Uncertainty, the first offering of this new initiative, available now, FREE until Thanksgiving. To learn more about Mindfulicity and its potential benefits for you, keep reading!

Building resilience will help each of us navigate this challenging time. In this month’s newsletter, we are excited to tell you about some of the free resources we offer at YW Calgary that may be of value to you and your family. 

Mindfulicity is a program YW Calgary developed from our “secret sauce” – our depth of experience and proven outcomes from working in mental health and high conflict situations. We’ve taken our counselling expertise and applied it to the workplace to help build individual and organizational capacity for psychological safety. Through a series of 10 quick, online skill-building modules, Mindfulicity helps employees gain critical skills to regulate their emotions and manage ongoing micro-aggressions. We truly believe that when employers and individuals invest in this skill-building training, they lay the groundwork for safe and secure spaces at work and at home.

Those who have taken Mindfulicity courses say it helps! Of the nearly 500 people who have signed up to date, 84% report that the free Coping with Uncertainty course prepared them to better manage stress and uncertainty. Many of our community members who have tried Mindfulicity say that they know people who could benefit from this training, whether it be their colleague, boss, partner, or teenage children. It really applies to everyone as Mindfulicity tackles the basic foundational skills that many programs skip over – it focuses on promoting personal accountability and how each of us has the opportunity to influence the outcome of a stressful situation.

We highly encourage everyone to check out our Coping with Uncertainty course that we’re offering for free for a limited time at Mindfulicity.ca. If you know of employers who would be interested in the Mindfulicity program for their employees, please let them know about your experience with the course and share the link to Mindfulicity with them!

Join YW Calgary on the evening of October 8^th as we host our inaugural virtual event in celebration of International Day of the Girl. Geared to an inter-generational audience, this event aims to inspire and uplift, while examining the present-day issues facing girls and women in their lives.