SIGN for the Times
The Society for the Involvement of Good Neighbours, commonly known as SIGN, is a not-for-profit agency in Yorkton, Saskatchewan Canada that provides 24 social and community programs and services ranging from daycare and before-and-after school programs to parenting and family support, from senior mobility to assistance for those living with HIV, from housing support to vocational employment, from walk-in counselling services to Indigenous cultural programs. Our podcasts explore those programs and include conversations with people who speak first-hand about the issues they have faced, but more importantly, how they have successfully overcome them.
Episodes
29 episodes
Assisting youth with life skills
SIGN Life Skills works with youth ages 12 to 20 to prepare them for the adult and working world. Services include one-on-one individual and group mentoring, opportunities to meet socially with their peers, and in all activities encourage them t...
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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18:03
Donations of many kinds provide support
SIGN Chair of the Board Sheila Hintz and Executive Director Andrew Sedley talk about the support the organizations receives, both financial and donations of goods which are passed on to those who need them. Sheila donates the funds for the Elto...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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16:06
Supporting families
The SIGN Family Support program provides guidance, assistance and advice to up to 75 families in east-central Saskatchewan. Included is a program started in the fall to assist students going back to school to ensure they have the supplies they ...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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12:16
Something to think about as winter approaches
We revisit the work being done by Housing Support, a program of SIGN which assists people who are homeless or hard to house, and talk about World Homeless Day, which this year fell on Thanksgiving Day in Canada, Oct. 10.
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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14:31
A personal perspective
Sydney Leik, a college student working towards her social work degree, spent nine months working at SIGN in the Life Skills program. She provides her personal perspective on transitioning from studying to working, and her experiences at SIGN. R...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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9:51
When you need someone to talk to
What started out as SIGN Walk-In Counselling in 2016 has now expanded to be a province-wide program called Rapid Access Counselling. People who need to talk to someone about their problems and concerns can connect with a counsellor at SIGN in Y...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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20:29
Youth and Our Community: Update
An update about a project of the Society for the Involvement of Good Neighbours (SIGN) which started last fall, which encourages and enables youth to become more involved in the community, and helps promote their well-being. Youth Resilience wo...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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18:02
Careers at SIGN
A discussion about career opportunities at SIGN, how and where to apply, and the compensation and benefits offered by SIGN.
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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15:01
When all else fails
This podcast explores and explains Yorkton Hub, a collaborative effort by local agencies, provincial government ministries and organizations that help those in Yorkton who need assistance to stay out of harm's way, or to prevent harm to others....
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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21:24
Looking back, looking ahead
A conversation with SIGN Executive Director Andrew Sedley about the challenges and accomplishments of 2021, and a look ahead at the new year.
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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18:13
Youth and Our Community: Resilience and Participation
A new project of the Society for the Involvement of Good Neighbours (SIGN) encourages and enables youth to become more involved in the community, and helps promote their well-being. Youth Resilience grew out of the realization that there is a n...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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29:07
Housing and homelessness: where we go from here
A report assessing housing in Yorkton concludes that homelessness and hard-to-house issues in Yorkton are worsening and recommends both short-term and long-term action to address them.The report was prepared for the Society for the Invol...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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22:53
SIGN board does its job without fanfare
A look at the workings of the SIGN Board of Directors, a group of nine dedicated volunteers who go about their job quietly behind the scenes.
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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18:03
Food security help for Kamsack
The Kamsack Family Resource Centre (KFRC), a SIGN program which serves the community northeast of Yorkton, is undertaking a two-pronged food security and nutrition program starting in June. There is no food bank in the community, so...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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15:36
Yoga Mats Have Room for Everyone
SIGN Sexual Assault Counselling and All In One Family cultural awareness programs are conducting virtual live-streamed yoga classes in April, under the guidance of Nicole, who was trained by the Saskatchewan Indigenous Yoga Association. As she ...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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21:19
Homeless? Make Your Voice Heard!
SIGN and 13 other agencies in Yorkton are conducting a comprehensive study of homelessness and hidden homelessness in Yorkton, which is expected to be completed at the end of May. It is intended to provide a path forward for the community to ta...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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16:30
Life Skills for Local Youth
We talk with the manager of SIGN Life Skills, a program for youth ages 12 to 20 years of age -- and sometimes a bit older, depending on community need and interest. It is a preventive and proactive program which focuses on assisting youth to de...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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20:34
Serendipity Thrift Store: People Helping People
Serendipity Thrift Store, located on Broadway St. in Yorkton and operated by Yorkton Victory Church, is a great example of people helping people -- goods ranging from baby clothing to large furniture items are donated to the store, and resold a...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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14:42
Life After Brain Injury
Life Without Barriers is a SIGN program which assists people with acquired brain injury. It is a partnership with Saskatchewan Health Authority and SGI (Saskatchewan Government Insurance), which last year marked its 20th year. The program aims ...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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16:54
Never Thought It Would Be Possible for Me
Until she moved back to Yorkton in September of 2019, Kachine had lived out of a suitcase most of her life. A mother of two who is now in her late 20s, she had spent her childhood and teen years moving from place to place, her family seldom in ...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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25:15
The Positive Impact of Red Kettles and Christmas Hampers
The story of how SIGN Positive Impact worked with The Salvation Army in Yorkton, Norquay Co-op and many others to bring Christmas food and toy hampers to families in Kamsack and area in this year of Covid. Almost 700 people had a better Christm...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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21:09
Part 2: Homelessness in Yorkton, Mostly Hidden but Very Real
Homelessness in Yorkton is not very visible, but it is very real, and SIGN Housing Support deals with it on a daily basis, helping those who do not have a place to sleep. This is the second of a two-part series examining the problem. We talk wi...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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23:27
Part 1: Homelessness in Yorkton, Mostly Hidden but Very Real
Homelessness in Yorkton is not very visible. There are no camps, no people sleeping on the sidewalks. But it is real, very real, and SIGN Housing Support deals with it on a daily basis, helping those who do not have a place to sleep. This is th...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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32:23
When Lunch Can't Be Taken for Granted
Candice Nelson, the SIGN Positive Impact social worker, talks about the lunch program she and staff of the Kamsack Family Resource Centre initiated in spring when school lunch programs in Kamsack SK -- and the schools -- shut down because of Co...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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18:41
