A month of Gratitude

Trust in God with All your heart and lean not on your own understanding…  Proverbs 3:5-6

Wow… what a month of gratitude. So grateful to be able to push forward and to witness AMI stand today. Grateful for the vision of AMI, our team (from family to our youth mentors and leads to our board) and of course our community (from donors, stakeholders, and definitely you!).

I’m often asked what and why AMI started. Why is it that we feel led to serve our children and youth in ways that highlight their interests and support their strengths. The simple answer, it is because we know that through our mission that our mentees continue to confidently lead in the ways that they were created to. I know that without such an important organization, our voices will remain silenced often resulting in hidden talent and misunderstanding. However, today I stand with gratitude because it is through our community as a whole that the mission of AMI has been welcomed and carried forward and for that on behalf of our Afro-community, I say “Thank you”.

Reflecting on my own life, I think about the many challenges it has taken to achieve the outcomes that we have experienced within the organization. Firstly, I need to say that I love remaining intentional with my career (the work of a clinician) because it is through our knowledge, skills, and lived experience that we are able to achieve that which we have envisioned. Whether it was working as a crisis counsellor in Saskatoon, working as a medical social worker up north, or most recently, working in acute care here in Regina, the educations and trainings that I have been granted over the years have equipped me with the opportunity to invest within the Afro-community so that the next generation does not have to struggle in the same manner but instead stand tall with pride in who they are. God has placed intention within my career and with that I am grateful. Perhaps this is why it is paramount that we coincide with the various professions and businesses that pour into our mission, simply so that our children and youth can also begin to recognize that they too have a voice and that their voice matters.

The Voice

As a mother, I am grateful for the opportunity to have my girls sit at the same table as myself. To acknowledge that their voices are in the midst of the decision-making process. To know that the voices of our children and youth shape the goals that are implemented, as we know that this equips them with the capability of initiating change regardless of the spaces that they move though. Our children are equipped with the ability and willingness to formalize discussions and to create change in the ways that align with who they are intrinsically. Through AMI they begin to feel a sense of connection so that they too can lead nations and represent their purpose in ways that has been envisioned for them. The realization that they are called to serve with the gifts that God has entrusted within them so that they can stand as the voice for the community that they identify with.
As we move forward daily I am reminded what and why AMI exists. Simply put, it is because all children and youth are worthy of embracing their greatest potential.

And so for now…

I find myself within this place not knowing what the remainder of this year has in store, however, I know that God has so much grace even when we think we are undeserving. Even in our darkest moments, there is still hope and for that I am grateful.

Remember

Each day you wake up, may you open up your day with gratitude. What is one thing that you are grateful for? Because that very thing may be the one thing that propels you forward to your next step in life.

As you move forward may you know that You Matter. May you know that your voice is exactly what is needed… until next time.

Have Faith.