Learning Opportunities

Desiree Henry is an individual passionate about mental health and community engagement. Her diverse educational background in Television Broadcasting, entrepreneurial experiences, and Mental Wellness Coaching allow her to lead our Youth program with tenacity. Desiree sustained various roles with Canadian companies to assist in their growth and supporting youth programs for different Not for Profit groups. Desiree’s passions are with serving her community and creating constructive and accessible spaces for black youth. In her current role as Programs Manager at Realize Your Potential Youth Society. she oversees the effective planning and implementation of the NewLife Youth ReGeneration Programs. Desiree is also the Co-Founder of the original 2013 RYP Dreamers Program.

Passionate changemaker focused on amplifying the excellence within youth. Edna holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work along with a Diploma as a Developmental Services Worker.. She is also working on obtaining her trauma certificate.

For the last 30 years, Edna has worked in the mental health field with consumers aged 16 and up. Presently in her role as Mental Health Care Coordinator, she works closely with a psychiatrist and other healthcare practitioners. She provides counseling support, facilitates groups, completes assessments, and plays a lead role in running the psychiatric clinic. Edna’s interest centers around education and training, and her greatest joy is helping others to see the value in themselves and achieve the goals they have set for themselves. With this as her goal she works tirelessly with  Realize Your Potential Youth Society of Alberta (RYP) to assist the Dreamers and Ambassadors to develop the tools they need to thrive in social development, employment, entrepreneurship, and civic engagement as they become the next leaders within the communities they reside in.

Krisha has been teaching in the Calgary Board of Education Public Schools for nine years. During that time, she has had amazing opportunities building meaningful and impactful relationships with a diverse array of students, parents and staff members. Her experiences with team teaching and looping in Division 2, and her willingness to provide engaging, personalized, and discipline-based inquiry learning opportunities for all learners are a few of the accomplishments she has achieved during her time as a teacher.

Krisha’s experiences in education have shaped her pedagogy and belief in the absolute importance of relationships to student success, achievement, and happiness. It is her belief that there can be no significant learning in the absence of significant relationships. She believes that students need to feel cared for, successful, safe and respected for each to take ownership over their learning, take risks, identify and solve problems, and form meaningful relationships with peers and adults alike. She is a firm believer that communication is likewise imperative to a successful learning environment as children need to know what they are trying to accomplish and what they are doing right, in order to identify their next steps in learning. With having such strong beliefs about education, Krisha is very excited to be a Member of the Realize Your Potential Youth Society of Alberta, where she will have an opportunity to work with other professionals to empower black youths to be future leaders.