If the girls took anything from this program I would hope they know that they are all amazing spectacular human beings and see dove as being an open environment where they are free to be themselves. I hope that they are able to go out into the world and know that at the end of the day they know that it is okay not to be okay and to just be kind humans because you never know.

Paige Cox- Founder

Positive community connection creates effective pathways into participation and decision making for marginalized community members. These connections also provide important opportunities to respond to community based challenges.

Children benefit from the opportunities that these programs provide such as social inclusion, interpersonal empathy and greater sense of their place within the community.

The strengthening of social relations is central to community resilience and therefore is pivotal to the development as well as maintaining child and youth resilience.

Source:

Liebenberg, L., & Scherman, V. (2021). Resilience and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Promoting child and youth resilience and related mental health outcomes. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 31(5), 455-463. DOI:10.1080/14330237.2021.1978180

When the girls come to Dove programs and I let them know that they can do anything they set their minds to, they tend to be caught off guard. The Dove program has been operating for about two years, and when I look at the children who started right at the beginning with me, I often laugh because their ambition to change the world is amazing.

Through fostering community resilience the children are able to learn their place in the broader global community. When they hear that they can do something and have a positive relationship in their life that tells them, "Yes, you can," you see the children change and develop skills that will carry them throughout their lifespan, although it is not a quick fix. So, when they are in a position where they hear these negative things about themselves or are exposed to traumatic events, they can see beyond what has happened. They are able to develop the skills to help them bounce back from what life throws at them. They can become more than the area they come from. We are also therefore working to flip the narrative and turn the kid's perception of “I cant because I am from Cape Breton” to “ I am so proud of where I come from”. It is through programing such as this we are able to create a brighter and more sustainable future for everyone.

Connection is how I grow. Connection is how we grow. Connected is what we are; Part of a worldwide community, diverse and magnificent, kind and accepting, supportive and present period all of us important, none of us alone. I am not just me. I am we – Susan Verde (Verde, 2024)