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Anchor

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Anchor Youth Space – North End Halifax

A safe, inclusive space for youth aged 12–25 and their caregivers.

Anchor is a welcoming, low-barrier space designed to support the health and wellbeing of youth and their caregivers in the North End of Halifax. No appointments needed. No fees. Just a space built for you — open evenings and weekends.

What is Anchor?

Our mission is to empower youth and caregivers through accessible, responsive, and wholistic support.

Through collaboration with local organizations and government partners, Anchor offers integrated services in:

  • Mental health and substance use

  • Employment and housing support

  • Community and social development

All under one roof — designed by youth, for youth.

 

Our Approach

At Anchor, we:

  • Are open and accessible — no appointments, no fees

  • Celebrate diversity in all forms

  • Center youth voices in everything we do

  • Create inclusive, safe spaces for all identities

  • Support youth in achieving their goals, their way

Our team and services are rooted in equity, ensuring everyone gets the support and opportunities they need.

Meet the Team

  • Site Lead
    Oversees all programs and ensures Anchor is youth-centered and inclusive.

  • Administrative Support Worker
    The first friendly face you see — ready to guide you through the space.

  • Mental Health & Addictions Clinician
    Offers group programs, supportive conversations, and system navigation.

  • Community Outreach Worker
    Helps youth connect with resources and talk through tough moments.

  • Family Support Worker
    Supports caregivers through one-on-one and group sessions.

  • Youth Support Workers
    Provide mentorship and help coordinate activities and advisory work.

  • Recreational Therapist
    Leads group programs focused on skill-building and wellbeing.

Guiding Principles

Our work is shaped by the 10 Pan-Canadian Principles for Integrated Youth Services:

  1. Accessible – Easy to access with few/no barriers

  2. Culturally Safe – Respecting intersectionality and identity

  3. Socially Just – Rooted in anti-racism and equity

  4. Engaging – Co-created with youth and caregivers

  5. Youth-Centered – Inclusive and strength-based

  6. Responsive – Based on youth’s actual needs

  7. Learn and Improve – Driven by evidence and feedback

  8. Collaborative – Built through strong partnerships

  9. Wholistic – Trauma-informed and harm-reducing

  10. Health-Focused – Promoting health and equity early on

CONTACT US

902-812-6932

[email protected]

Community YMCA 2269 Gottingen St Halifax, NS B3K 3B7

Financial Assistance

We are committed to eliminating financial barriers and providing everyone the opportunity to participate in YMCA programs and services. A YMCA financially assisted membership offers access to the same facilities, programs, and services at a reduced rate.

YMCA Financial Assistance Program

Important Links

Programs

Locations

Contact Us

If you wish to leave a comment or have a question, please contact us through:

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Located in Mi’kma’ki, the YMCA of Greater Halifax/Dartmouth acknowledges and respects the unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people.

Purdy's Wharf

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Kelly


Director of Purdy’s Wharf Child Care Centre

“I graduated from St. Joseph’s College in 2006 and have been working in the early childhood field for almost 20 years now. My passion has always been centered around the health and wellbeing of all children, and fostering a warm, welcoming atmosphere where children feel safe and secure. Family means the world to me, and I look forward to bringing that love and care into my work.”

Mandeep


Assistant Director Purdy’s Wharf Child Care Centre

"I’ve worked with the YMCA since June 2021 and my passion is to work with preschoolers. On my personal time, I enjoy listening to music, reading books and spending time with my little ones."

Marg

"I have been with the Y as an ECE for over 38 years. My greatest achievement was developing the Grand friends' program which brings together children from the Y with residents of nearby geriatric facilities and promotes social and emotional elements."

Jobanpreet

"I believe that every child is a different kind of flower and all together, makes this world a beautiful garden. My hobbies are listening to music and travelling to new places."

Kiranpreet

"I started working with the YMCA in august 2022. I really like being around and playing with little ones and I’m so grateful that the “Y” gave me an opportunity to do what I love!"

Supreet

"My interests include cooking, drawing, and listening to music. I love to work with children, and I believe that only if the success feels like your own, it can be both happy and valuable."

Satinder

"I really enjoy working with children and this is a great chance for me to do what I love! My hobbies are reading, travelling, and exploring different places. I encourage students to actively play and explore new things with their friends (based on their interests).

Manisha

"I am graduate from Conestoga College, Ontario. I am so grateful to be a toddler teacher. In my spare time, I love cooking and exploring new places."

Fall River

Mandy


Director of Fall River Early Learning Child Care Centre

 "I've been a part of the YMCA in Alberta, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. I am honoured to be a part of building stronger communities through supporting families and most importantly children!"

Alex


Assistant Director of Fall River

"I love building relationships with the children and watching them discover new interests. On my personal time, I enjoy reading, listening to music and spending time with my family."

Jenna

" I am an ECE who is passionate about inclusion, and I strive to create warm environments where everyone thrives and feels supported."

Michelle

"I have worked as an RECE with the YMCA of Greater Toronto for the past 17 years. In my spare time, I enjoy time with my two children and husband, reading, gardening, traveling back to Trinidad to spending time with my extended family."

Rajwant

"I completed my Early Childhood Education diploma in Montreal and have been working with children since April of 2023. I love working with children because it gives me the opportunity to explore the world again through little eyes. "

Harman

"It has been a rewarding experience working with children and families. Each of them are unique in their own ways. I work to create an environment where children feel loved, cared for, respected, and like they belong."

Mujeeb

" Authentic play comes from down deep inside us. It’s not formed or motivated solely by others.

Satinder

"I love to spend time with children and believe in creating positive learning environments for them."

Gagan

"I adore working and playing with children and families; it is so rewarding. I work to create environments which will foster children’s holistic development, and where they can feel loved and safe. "

Navjeet

"For children’s development, I believe it is very important for an educator to be a good role model. I will give my best to my class in order to promote children’s social, emotional, lingual, cognitive, and intellectual development. "

Blessing

" The beauty of working with children is the ability to make a positive impact, not only in the children’s life but in the lives of their family and the community.

Priya

" I am an ECE who loves to spend time with the children, and I believe that we can learn more from the children than we expect. I also believe that in order to be a good educator, we must first be friends with the children.

Morgan

"I’ve worked with infants, right through to preschoolers! I absolutely adore all children and have a vast experience working with children of different backgrounds, cultures and needs."

Fengjun

"I used to work as an after- school group leader with HRCE and helped my mom run a daycare at home. I have 3 nephews and 4 nieces; it is always a pleasure to spend time with them in the parks or doing activities like craft or play dough." 

Siya

" Children require an environment that reflects and respects their interests and ideas, provides creative and open-ended experiences, offers opportunities to work alone or alongside each other and promotes a sense of authentic choice.

Holly

"I have been in the ECE field since 2005, guiding and helping children ages 18 months to 10 years. I enjoy being outdoors, hiking, camping, beaches, or a nice peaceful walk. I think it's important for children to learn from their outdoor environment and neighborhood."

Kate

" Play is not knowing where you’re going, but having a great starting point

Tushar

ECE, Level 2

" As early childhood professionals, our job is simply this…to help children make meaning out of the world in which they find themselves"

Devynn

ECE, Level 1

" We value the zest for living and learning that embodies curiosity, playfulness, determination, persistence, pleasure in accomplishment, resilience, and the sheer joy of being alive.”

Gurleen

ECE, Level 1

" If a child is to keep alive [their] inborn sense of wonder… [they need] the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with [them] the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in..”

Kayleigh

" The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice.”

Daven

"I completed my culinary management diploma in Ontario, and I have five years of experience working in different restaurants across Canada. Children are so pure; like angels. Being able to make food for angels is a very rewarding thing to do. "

Coming Soon

Leadership Team

The YMCA leadership team supports all areas of the organization in serving our community. We provide quality programs and services that are reflective of the evolving communities we serve.

Brian Posavad

President & CEO
He/ Him
[email protected]
p. (902) 222-1177

Julie-Ann Vincent

Chief Operating Officer
She / Her
[email protected]
p. (902) 222-7533

Maureen L. Hayward

Chief Financial Officer
She/ Her
[email protected]
p. (902) 601-1736

Heather MacDonald

Chief Development Officer, Donor Relations
She/ Her
[email protected]
p. (902) 456-0583

Sahra MacNeill

Director, People & Culture
She / Her
[email protected]
p. (902) 225-2790

Anna Barnes

Vice President, YMCA Atlantic Regional Development Centre (RDC)
She / Her
[email protected]
p. (902) 221-8974

Victoria Collins

General Manager, Child Engagement & Operations
She/ Her
[email protected]
p. 902-223-0015

Kailee Hominick

Director of Strategic Communications
She / Her
[email protected]
p. (902) 222-7279

TL Johannesson

General Manager, Youth and Leadership Development
She/ Her
[email protected]
p. 902-237-7490

John Meagher

General Manager, Asset & Development
He / Him
[email protected]
p. (902) 223-3986

InHae Park

General Manager Of YMCA Immigrant Services
She/ Her
[email protected]
p. 902-457-6871

Michelle Rivoire

Vice President, Health, Fitness, and Aquatics
She/ Her
[email protected]
p. 902-717-8060

Nick Flynn

Director of Development
He / Him
[email protected]
p. (902) 229-4311

Rebekah Skeete

Director, Employment Services Centre
She/ Her
[email protected]
p. 902-461-2513 ext. 228

Lynda Thomas

Director, Employment Services Centre
She/ Her
[email protected]
p. 902-499-7560

Meet our Current Directors

As a leading charity, the YMCA is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. This group of community volunteers provides vision, strategic leadership and stewardship for the Association. The YMCA Board of Directors meets regularly with an Annual General Meeting held every spring. We are extremely grateful to every member, past or present, of the YMCA’s Board of Directors.

Lora MacEachern

Chair

Lora MacEachern is a Senior Executive and Lawyer, with extensive experience in leadership, law, human resources, public policy, governance and strategic planning

Sian Wren

Vice Chair

Sian Wren is Vice President of Business Transformation at Emera. In this role, she led a large team of internal employees and external

Ashley Hill

Ashley Hill is the Founder and Executive Director of the PREP Academy, a community based non-profit organization that inspires and prepares African Nova Scotian students for college, university and beyond.

Jacob Woods

Jacob Woods is a Research Associate at the Nova Scotia Community College. Jacob is skilled in energy system analysis

Kenny Hilaire

Sr. Manager, Global Affiliate Network Operations, Prosci Kenny is responsible for the success of Prosci’s global network of partners located throughout Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. Additionally, he leads Prosci’s global Sustainability strategy and program.

Nikki Hilton

Chief Financial Officer, EfficiencyOne Nikki oversees all financial, treasury, procurement, and information technology functions of the organization. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant (Chartered Accountant) and holds a Master of Business Administration from Saint Mary’s University.

Kevin Stoddart

Kevin is a Managing Partner at KBRS, Atlantic Canada’s largest talent management and recruitment organization with over 75 staff and offices throughout Atlantic Canada and Ontario.

Krista Jangaard

Dr. Krista Jangaard is the IWK Health Centre’s President & CEO. She first joined the IWK in 1996 in the division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine and

Mary Navas

With three years of marketing agency experience at NATIONAL Public Relations working with clients across Atlantic Canada, Mary brings a fresh perspective to communication strategies,

Michelle Bussey

Michelle Bussey is the CEO of the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency (NSAA). Through NSAA, Michelle is working with industry, Government and communities to address the

Safia Rahemtulla

Safia is an Associate Partner in the Consulting practice of EY and holds a CPA, CA designation, a Certified Internal Auditor designation and a Certified Third Party Risk

Samantha Nixon

Samantha is a Coordinator with the Canadian Red Cross, supporting International Emergency Response through collaboration with the Government of Canada.

Sanjay Khanna

With over 25 years of experience, Sanjay has worked as part of the private and public sector focused on Information/Knowledge Management, ...

Sarah McInnes

Sarah is a Partner at McInnes Cooper, specializing in Immigration & Employment law.

Shelly Martin

Shelly Martin is a Mì’kmaq lawyer from Millbrook First Nation, is the Director of Governance for the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq, a tribal Council providing programming and advisory services to eight Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq communities.

Sonia Beattie

Sonia Beattie is the Vice-Provost, Planning & Analytics at Dalhousie University. With a strong passion for education, she completed degrees at both Dalhousie University and Memorial University before starting her career in postsecondary education.

YMCA Honourary Trustees​

The YMCA Honourary Trustees are former Directors who continue to support and provide strategic counsel to the YMCA.

Gregory (Greg) D. Auld,

Jennifer Berry,

Lydia Bugden,

Daniel M. Campbell &

Wesley G. Campbell,

Peter M. Conrod,

Paul J. Dyer,

Peter Doig

Patty Faith 

Peter G. Fardy,

Lou Gannon,

Mary Ellen Gurnham,

R.F. (Bob) Healy,

Wilfred Jackson,

John W. Lindsay Jr.

Brian Jessop

Cliff Langin,

Ayo Makanjuola

Carole McDougall,

James MacGowan,

Stuart MacLean,

R.A. (Rod) McCulloch,

Kirk D. McIntyre,

Don C. Mills,

David Murray

Robert Richardson,

L. Robert (Robbie) Shaw,

George Waye,

Sarah Young

Honourary Life Members

Audrey Manzer & Lou Gannon

Fred Honsberger

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