Foundry Victoria

Join Foundry Victoria and march in the Victoria Pride Parade!

We’re walking in the Pride Parade again this year on Sunday, July 7th and would love to have you join us. Everyone is welcome, even if you haven’t had the chance to visit Foundry Victoria yet. Bring your friends and loved ones too! We have free t-shirts for everyone who participates. You can pick one up ahead of time at Foundry Victoria and we'll bring a limited number with us to the parade.

Swipe through the photos for a map of the route and where to meet us. Our muster location is on Fisgard St between Douglas and Blanshard. We’ll be there as early as 9:30am, but you can join us any time before 10:30am. We'll be in spot 26, between Friends of Dorothy Lounge and AVI Health & Community Services/ PRISM Wellness. The parade starts at 11:00am and should last about 90 minutes. It’s supposed to be HOT this weekend so please wear sun screen, drink water, and do what you need to do to stay safe in the heat. We'll have some things on hand to help out, but it's strongly recommended to bring your own as well.

You don’t have to sign up in advance, but if you have questions or want us to set aside a specific size of shirt you can message Theo at 236-638-3941.

We’ll also be at the festival in the park after the parade, so stop by and say hi!

We have big news! After many years of partnership with Victoria Youth Clinic Society, we are excited to announce that Island Health will be deepening their support of Foundry Victoria by assuming operational leadership.

There will be no disruption in service for clients. Young people and families/caregivers who rely on Foundry Victoria will continue to receive the care and the support they need through this transition.

We know there is a great need for health and wellness support for youth ages 12-24 in greater Victoria, and that this need is only growing. After much reflection and consideration on how to best meet the needs of our community, Victoria Youth Clinic Society’s Board of Directors (VYCS), Island Health, and Foundry Central Office (FCO) have unanimously agreed to position Island Health as Foundry Victoria’s lead agency moving forward.

The lead agency transition will be effective July 2nd, 2024. FCO, Island Health, and the VYCS Board of Directors remain deeply committed to our common goal of supporting youth and their caregivers to receive the health and wellness services they need, and to minimize any disruptions to service during this operational transition period. We hope to make this change as seamless as possible. Our commitment to being a safe and supportive space has not changed, and many things about Foundry Victoria will still look the same during this transition. Foundry Victoria will continue to offer our services in our bright and beautiful downtown space at 546 Yates St, including mental health and substance use support, physical and sexual health care, peer support, and social services.

For more information about the transition please visit https://www.victoriayouthclinic.ca/blog/foundry-victoria-transition or https://foundrybc.ca/expanded-partnership/

For more information about accessing services at Foundry Victoria, please visit foundrybc.ca/victoria

We’re excited to announce that counselling services are returning to Foundry Victoria! Thanks to our friends at Foundry Virtual we are now able to offer a limited number of same-day virtual counselling sessions. We will be offering two different kinds of appointments: Video chat sessions and phone call sessions. In addition, starting on Tuesday June 4th in-person same-day counselling services will be available as well. For the time being these in-person sessions will only be available on Tuesdays, but we hope to expand to more days later this summer.

To book a phone or in-person appointment please call our front desk at 250-383-3552. Spots are limited and we expect them to fill up quickly, so we always recommend calling us at 9:30am when our phone lines open.

You can book a video chat appointment directly through the Foundry BC app. Follow this link for more instructions: https://foundrybc.ca/virtual/

Do you have questions about the different kinds of counselling sessions and how they work? Give us a call or pay us a visit and we’ll talk you through it.

Take Care ❤️

Come join a team of passionate, dedicated, and funny folks to help make a difference in the lives of local youth and families.

We are currently hiring two full-time Youth Clinic Counsellors and one full-time Youth Engagement Facilitator. Visit our website to learn more! https://www.victoriayouthclinic.ca/jobs

Announcement: Pausing Same-Day Counselling

It is with heavy hearts that we announce a temporary pause of same-day counselling services at Foundry Victoria - Victoria Youth Clinic. This pause is effective immediately and will continue until further notice. This is not news we ever wanted to give, and we recognize the impact this pause will have on our community. We are working hard to fill vacancies on our Counselling team and will resume services as soon as possible.

In the meantime, here are some places you can reach out to for support. You’re also welcome to call our front desk at 250-383-3552 to chat through other options:

Foundry Virtual (Foundry BC App) – Same-day virtual counselling appointments for young people and caregivers across the province. Download the app or give them a call at 1-833-308-6379 to check them out.

Central Access and Rapid Engagement Services (CARES) –Offers Single Session Therapy and other Mental Health and Substance Use supports for people 19+. Give them a call at 250-519-3485 for more info.

Urgent and Primary Care Centres (UPCCs) – There are 6 UPCCs across greater Victoria, including the Downtown Victoria UPCC. They can offer free, short-term counselling. Give your local centre a call at 9:00am (to avoid the 8:00am doctor’s appointment rush) and ask to make an appointment with a counsellor or “consultant”.

Vancouver Island Crisis Line – Call them at 1-888-494-3888 24 hours a day to talk to a mental health counsellor. You can also text them at 250-800-3806 between 6:00pm and 10:00pm every night. You don’t have to be in crisis to call for information about local services, or if you just need someone to talk to.

Community-Led Crisis Response Team (CLCR) - CLCR is a peer-assisted care program and a mobile crisis response team, led by persons with lived/living experience and mental health professionals, who are able to de-escalate crises and develop community care plans with persons experiencing crisis. The CLCR team can be reached at 250-818-2454. The Team's current hours are Monday-Friday, 7:30am-12:30am and Saturday and Sunday from 2pm-9pm. These hours are subject to change.

Spring has sprung! Doing some spring cleaning? Our youth need some clothes👚👢

If you have some items in our wish list, we would love to add it to our free Clothing Closet.

We can receive donations Friday from 11-12:30 or send an email to [email protected] to arrange a pickup.

Check out two of our upcoming offerings for parents and caregivers!

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Emotion Focused Family Therapy Workshop
Jan 31st 2024 10:30am to 3pm & Feb 2nd 9am to 4pm
Presented by Darcy Allder MSW, RCSW

Need help with your teen or young adult? Friends don’t get what you’re going through? Come to Foundry’s 2-Day Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) Advance Caregiver workshop.

There will be a focus on youth who have challenging mental health and or substance use, however these tools can also be used by all caregivers as preventative strategies for mental health challenges.

This free workshop is for caregivers of youth ages 12-24 who live in the Greater Victoria area (south of Duncan) and Gulf Islands. You will need internet access and a device with a camera.

Online (Zoom), must attend for the full duration of the course with your camera on, certificate of completion provided at the end of the course.

Please RSVP to [email protected] with your name, age of youth, your relation to the youth (parent, group home staff etc.) & your phone number

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Stop Arguing and Start Connecting
Feb 5th, 2024 – April 29th 2024. Mondays 8:45am -10:15am (excluding holidays). Rolling Enrollment
Facilitated by Facilitated by Darcy Allder MSW, RCSW and Chantal Brasset

In this group we will support caregivers to learn a deep validation tool Emotion Coaching. We will also start and end the group with mindfulness activities to help decrease stress in your own body.

We will trouble shoot difficulties, discuss when and when not to use it, script typical situations that occur in your home and tailor things to your unique situations. This is a great follow up for after completing the 2 Day Advance Caregiver Workshop or other EFFT training.

No EFFT experience but want to join? Let us know! We can send you free video links to get you up and ready for the group. Then come to the group and learn more about why you want to validate a kid who is screaming at you, silent or doing dangerous/annoying behaviour?

Please email [email protected] to register/for more info.

We need your help 🎁

This year, we have 75 young people and their children on our list. Help us spread some holiday cheer by sponsoring a hamper or by donating any amount to help us reach out goal.

Every hamper helps a young person with some basic essentials, a grocery gift card, a Holiday Meal gift card (thank you !!!), and a present picked just for them by our staff.

You can donate now on our site!!!

Are you interested in supporting our hampers in another way? Send Sophia an email, [email protected]

✨Welcome to 546 Yates✨

Today we are celebrating the opening of Foundry Victoria’s new centre!

With almost double the space and number of exams rooms, we also have been able to add smudging-friendly group rooms, private patios, and low-stimulation waiting room!

We are so grateful to everyone who helped make this happen: , , Hillel Architecture, , , , , , and all our individual donors who helped make this happen.

The biggest thank you goes to our young people and families. This space was designed with your input and totally with you in mind, we hope you feel welcomed and loved here! You deserve this wonderful new space!

Big news: Foundry Victoria is on the move!

In early Fall 2023, Foundry Victoria will be moving to 546 Yates. With almost double the space, group rooms, and outdoor space, we look forward to continuing to strengthen our support for youth in downtown Victoria!

We are so grateful for the support of , the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, and our community of donors who have made this possible!

With the help of Hillel Architecture and , we are so excited to turn this space into a welcoming space for young people and the perfect home for Foundry Victoria.

Get all the details (and donate!) in the News section of our site.

Lucy is just so cute we can't handle it. 😊❤️ She's here a few times a week with her mom if you want to say hi! 🐶

Vela is happy it's Friday! This was a long week.

Happy Halloween weekend folks, take care and see you on Monday! 👻🎃🧡🖤

Interested in joining Foundry in the outdoors? We are having our last outdoor activity on Nov 1st and are looking for participants!

🗓When: 3-6pm on Tues, Nov 1st
📍Where: Prospect Lake (meet at Mayfair)
🛶Activity: canoeing or kayaking

If interested or for more info please email [email protected]

Apply today to be a part of the Youth Advisory Committee for the Victoria Youth Clinic – Foundry Victoria!

In order to apply candidates must be:
- ages 12-24
- residents/living in Victoria and the Capital Regional District
- able to commit 4-5 hours/month

Apply know at the link in our bio!

What does it mean to be on the Youth Advisory Committee?
The Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) advises on the development of Victoria Youth Clinic – Foundry Victoria. Youth use their experience as young people in the community to ensure that the space, programs and services for youth are informed by youth. The YAC works in collaboration with the Victoria Youth Mental Health Coalition to explore mental health activism, hosting events and building community.

Summer isn’t over quite yet.. Consider joining Foundry in some fun outdoor activities!☀️⛱

Foundry has partnered with Power to Be and will be running outdoor activities throughout the summer and fall!

📍Where: Prospect Lake
🗓When: Sept 13 from 4:30 - 7:00pm
🛶Activity: Paddle boarding

✨We are looking for some youth to join our outing on Sept 13. If you are interested in participating or want more info please email Andrea at [email protected] by Friday✨

Hope you (and your friends) can join!!

*under 19 will need approval and signature from parent/guardian*

⚠️ There will be no counselling available today (Aug 8th) at Foundry Victoria ⚠️

If you are in need of support, please reach out to Foundry BC Virtual Services at foundrybc.ca/virtual or download their app for free. You can also call the Vancouver Island Crisis Line at 1-888-494-3888. ⁠
⁠
If you are experiencing an emergency please call 911 or head to the nearest hospital!⁠

Take care ❤️

Hello pals!⁠ ☀️
⁠
We'll be closed on Monday, Aug 1. Just a reminder:⁠
⁠
If you are in need of support, please reach out to Foundry BC Virtual Services at foundrybc.ca/virtual or download their app for free. You can also call the Vancouver Island Crisis Line at 1-888-494-3888. ⁠
⁠
If you are in an emergency please call 911 or head to the nearest hospital!⁠
⁠
For questions related to your health, you can call HealthLink BC at 811, 24/7.⁠
⁠
Take care ❤️

Are you interested in getting outside this summer? Consider joining Foundry in summer activities!☀️⛱

Foundry has partnered with Power to Be and will be running outdoor activities throughout the summer and fall!

📍Where: Prospect Lake
🗓When: Aug 8 from 1 - 3:30pm
🛶Activity: Canoeing

✨We are looking for some youth to join our first outing on Aug 8. If you are interested in participating or want more info please email Andrea at [email protected] by Friday✨

Hope you (and your friends) can join!!

*under 19 will need approval and signature from parent/guardian*

Join our Youth Action Committee on August 13th for an inclusive LGBTQ2S+ youth clothing swap!

Where: 709-711 Douglas Street
When: 10 am - 3 pm
How: Bring clothing (max 5) to the swap, email our youth action team to find a drop off location, or drop it off ahead of time at the Clinic and pick up a ticket. On the day, you can pick up whatever clothing you want in exchange! All leftover clothing will be donated.

✨Hey all! Check out this research project from McCreary Centre Society!✨

“Are you between the ages of 18–25 and have experience with the criminal justice system? Do you want to share how you think the justice system can better support young people? We want to hear from you!

McCreary Centre Society is a non-profit organization that works to improve youth health through research, evaluation, and community engagement. The Department of Justice has asked us to talk to young people to better understand the needs and challenges faced by young people in the justice system.

For July and August, we are scheduling phone, video, and in-person interviews to discuss what parts of the system young people think are working well and what could be improved, as well as any suggestions for how young adults could be better supported.

Interviews usually take about one hour and are voluntary, anonymous, and confidential. Youth will receive a $30 honorarium for participating.

If you are ages 18–25, have experience in the criminal justice system, and are interested in participating or want to learn more, please email Evelyn at [email protected].”

Hey Folks, if you're trying to reach Youth Clinic staff on our cell phones today- we're impacted by the Rogers Outage- so we aren't able to get your calls or texts-

you can reach us on FB if needed. or call our front desk 250-383-3552.