Shaping Calgary’s Future: Our CEO presents as Impact Speaker

Our CEO, Frank Cattoni, presented as the Impact Speaker at the United Way of Calgary and Area’s Event for Enbridge on September 22 at The Petroleum Club. Frank spoke about the simple belief that drives our work: when young people feel safe and supported in school, they can see a future for themselves in Calgary.

“When a young person arrives in Canada, they may be learning a new language, adjusting to new routines, carrying big expectations from home, and trying to make sense of a new school system,” Frank said. “For some, every school day can feel like something to survive, not a place where they feel safe, seen, and belong.”

“The goal is not only to help a young person get through a difficult day, the goal is to help them build the confidence, belonging, and skills to imagine and pursue a future here in Calgary.”

The young people we support today are the future workforce of Calgary, and they bring multilingual ability, cultural fluency, persistence, adaptability, and resilience they’ve developed through real-life experiences.

Frank highlighted our Outreach Program, which is funded by the United Way of Calgary and Area. Our Outreach Program is a mobile unit, meeting youth at their schools to offer culturally responsive, non-therapeutic counselling. The Outreach Team helps young people ages 5-30 build confidence, social connections, family relationships, and school engagement.

During his speech, Frank spoke about a newcomer youth from Syria who had frequent outbursts in his classroom, throwing and breaking his glasses. Our team worked closely with him, taking time and speaking with him in his native language to understand why he became frustrated.

This youth told our Outreach Worker, Selam, that school was overwhelming and confusing. Over time, with the help of Selam, he was able to learn skills to calm himself down and regulate himself, which helped his academic development. He was able to focus for longer, and participate in school more effectively.

For many of the youth and families we serve, our work is not just helpful, but essential. Our funders and community partners make it possible to be able to positively impact the lives of newcomer children, youth and their families.

Thank you to the United Way of Calgary and Area for your continued support. We are grateful for the opportunity to share our mission and positive impact on newcomer youth and their families with the Enbridge community in Calgary.

“When we support newcomer youth, we are not simply responding to immediate needs,” Frank said. “We are helping shape the workforce, leadership, and civic life of Calgary’s future.”