The human service agencies of Yorkton have a common goal, to ensure all members of the community are involved and supported in a healthy and safe community. As a result of this common interest, Yorkton Community Unity (YCU) has been founded to get different agencies together and
John Denysek, a member of the group, says work started in May of 2012 and it has been a steady effort to get human services groups meeting, put together a website and handle bringing the different groups together. Denysek says that the main challenge in YCU is time management, since everyone has their separate workload, but it can be worked through.
"Everybody has a sincere desire to help the community, so we make it fit and we make it work," Denysek says.
Getting all the agencies together is something that will help the people they serve, Denysek says, because it will allow interaction, collaboration and discussion on different topics.
"It's going to bring more innovation in how we tackle various problems, and we'll be more proactive. As Yorkton continues to grow, that introduces other social issues that we have to deal with as a community, and hopefully we will be a more proactive and innovative group as we share common ideas and approaches," Denysek says.
The group is also launching a website, which will be designed with two goals in mind. First, it will help the public connect with human services, giving a directory of different services provided in the area as well as how to access those services. The site will also have a members-only section where members of those services can carry on the work of the YCU, as they set targets and work to meet the community needs.
"It's a venue for brainstorming and collaboration," Denysek says.
The connection and communication between different agencies is something that is a natural fit.
"A lot of the people we are supporting, there are more than one agency supporting that individual. Hopefully through this organization it will build the relationship between organizations so we can respond more quickly to individuals," Denysek says.
Movements to get services connected are increasing, and Denysek says he knows of similar movements in Manitoba. He says that it's something that makes sense for Yorkton.
"I think Yorkton has a history of being on the leading edge of service delivery and collaboration and cooperation. This is just another example of bringing multiple groups together to make Yorkton an even better place," Denysek says.
