Ally Lyske Email & Phone Number

Toronto, On, Ca

Provide one-on-one case management support for Members in the community, including informal counseling, outreach, person-centered goal planning, referrals and system navigation.Develop strong, trusting and professional relationships that help Members build solid networks of formal and informal supports.Create individual care plans guided by Members and any other formal or informal support people.Support activities geared toward establishing and maintaining an independent, healthy lifestyle with an emphasis on primary health care, mental health and wellness, harm-reduction, community engagement, conflict resolution, crisis management and life skills.Develop partnerships and collaborate with other providers from across the mental health and other service systems (i.e., criminal justice, safe beds, hospitals, developmental services, substance use etc.).

Together with other collective members, help guide the collaborative effort to connect communities street by street and empower residents to restore nature in Toronto. The collective completes grant applications, plant sales, workshops and seed sitting activities to increase urban biodiversity support with pollinator habitat gardens in Tkaronto.

Volunteer as a Block Ambassador with Project Swallowtail in Parkdale & East York. Successfully increased diverse pollinator habitat through leading community native plant garden creation and education. Grew native plants from seed for community gardens as a #seedsitter. Share information and informally educate neighbours and wider community through one-on-one conversations and social media.

Founded neighbourhood volunteer pollinator gardening group. Fundraise through donation collection and grant applications. Coordinate and facilitate meetings, site prep and planting events. Outreach to community members through social media and posters. Focus group efforts on the decolonization and ecological restoration of urban green spaces. Group creation and maintenance of ten habitat gardens to date. Most recent gardens include a fully accessible garden at a TCH building and Indigenous Every Child Matters Garden in partnership with NaMeRes.

The Rooming House Project

Provide intensive case management to vulnerable tenants living in Toronto Community Housing rooming homes. Maintain a focus on eviction prevention by addressing hoarding, unit take-overs, rental arrears, pest issues and roommate conflicts. Provide emotional, harm reduction and mental health supports with compassion and flexibility. Advocate and coach to resolve tenancy, OW and ODSP issues. Accompany to medical, legal and other appointments. Successfully increase quality of life through skill development, meaningful roles and community engagement. Co-facilitate weekly Seeking Safety trauma and harm reduction support group.

Coordinate the Dixon Hall Meals on Wheels daily volunteer schedule. Maintain close communication with community and corporate volunteers; process and record changes to volunteer and corporate team availability. Successfully collaborate with the Meals on Wheels Supervisor, Volunteer Services and Human Resources Management, using a team approach to solve problems and develop effective work strategies. Respond to client inquiries, concerns and orders in a timely fashion. Efficiently manage the kitchen during lunchtime hours by directing and delegating tasks in a fast-paced environment. Recognized for quickly developing a positive rapport with volunteers; generate a welcoming atmosphere through acknowledgement and appreciation.

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Established and manage social media sites to outreach to underrepresented populations; significantly increased visibility, diversity and overall community participation for The Human Awareness Institute (HAI) in Ontario. Train other volunteers to use media such as Facebook, Eventbrite and meetup.com

• Co-wrote the HAI Canada Anti-harassment Policy and Procedures• Coordinator of the Toronto HAI Pride Committee• HAI Canada Board Member

Coordinated, promoted and hosted annual social, community building and fundraising events.

Affiliated with Supporting our Youth (SOY), volunteered as a mentor to a queer and trans identified youth living with mental health issues in transitional housing. Provided emotional and various other kinds of supports with love, care and humour. Informally coached to achieve life goals, improve self-advocacy and manage mental health. Supported to respond to systemic and individual oppression and conflicts in an empowering and constructive manner. Modeled interacting with others in a non-judgmental, compassionate and authentic manner while expanding his social and support network. Attend appointments, meetings and life events such as doctor and psychiatrist sessions, birthdays and graduations. Had weekly dinners, sleepovers, family events, went to petting farms, queer & trans events in the GTA.

Volunteered with Supporting our Youth (SOY), co-facilitated group for bisexual, pansexual, bi-curious, two-spirit, omnisexual, questioning and other youth who don't fit neatly into categories around sexuality and gender.

Support and empower individual living with multiple disabilities, mental health issues and complex medical conditions to build a personal support team in her home environment. Write job descriptions, staff guidelines, policies and procedures together with supported individual. Advertise for, interview, hire and support team members; design efficient scheduling procedures. Train staff on physical support techniques, procedures and transfers. Effectively problem solve and incorporate team member ideas and strengths. Successfully maintain constructive communication and emotional supports through crises; adapt to changing needs by informally practicing a range of active listening, counselling methods and approaches.

Toronto, Canada Area

Rotating monthly facilitation of peer support and discussion group for bisexual women. Includes women who are pan-sexual, two-spirit, questioning, queer, women who have sex with women, women who experience attraction to more than one gender and who don't fit neatly into other categories. Open to cis, trans and all women who identify as women. Topics may include biphobia, coming out, the meaning of bisexuality, intersectionality, our place within the larger queer community, relationships, dating, sex, safer sex, polyamoury and monogamy, community and social organizing, referrals and resources. Member since 1998, facilitating since 2011.

Guide sea kayak, canoe and multi-sport adventures. Train upcoming guides and support to use inclusive, trans positive, anti-oppressive approaches to facilitation while on trip. Develop and instruct programming such as Making Outdoor Adventure Inclusive, Planning Canoe Trips in Ontario, Gourmet Wilderness Cooking, Kayak, Canoe and Wilderness Skills workshops. Compile and update the WWE Staff Manual and Wilderness Skills Resource Manual for members. Give public talks, slide shows and information sessions all about Wild Women."Ally was an awesome trip leader and really made the trip extra special! She genuinely cares about each participant and their experience and does what she can to make it special for each person. She is great with groups and individuals, is professional and yet also a lot fun. She encouraged group decisions, yet wasn't afraid to make decisions for the group (e.g changes in itinerary) when necessary (i.e. due to the weather called for it). She's a great guide/leader!!" ~ Karen McGlynn“Thank you for being such a fine, highly competent guide, sensitive to the whims particularly of us older women, for the fine meals you prepared for us, for being such a great tent-mate, for your fun, your laughter, for...., for...., for.... I could go on and on praising you for all your skills, for all you brought to being our guide. A++ is what you get from me! I mentioned to several of my friends that I was struck by the change in my demeanor in the course of the days we nine women spent in each other's presence. I sure loosened and lightened up, became, to use your term, “wicked", got into nearly raunchy behaviour, laughed more in those few days than I do in months and months, here in my 'regular' life. Thank you for being you, Ally. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know you, our laughing together and carrying on as we did. Be well and know that I think of you with great warmth in my heart." ~ Elisabeth Jud

Provided counselling and case management from a strengths-based model, naturally developing a positive and empowering rapport with service users and their families. Conducted intakes, assessments and assisted to attain goals through appropriate goal setting and treatment. Maintained up-to-date progress notes and provided referrals to other agencies as needed. Facilitated monthly adult support group. Performed outreach and public education to diverse and marginalized peoples and communities in the GTA. Trained Epilepsy Toronto staff on 2SLGBTQ+ terminology, including issues and concepts around sexual orientation, gender and being an ally to clients.

Provided support to individuals labelled with intellectual, developmental, physical disabilities and living with mental health issues with individualized funding. Working form a model of inclusion and interdependence, provided support for people to maximize the contribution of their gifts and strengths to their communities in valued roles. In the context of following dreams and passions, supported individuals to secure volunteer and paid work. Provided guidance in the areas of financial management, negotiating complex relationships and medical appointments. Hired and trained support workers to work from a model of inclusion.

Facilitated a diverse group of vulnerable inner city youth through communication, conflict resolution and decision making exercises in this experiential leadership development program. Included facilitating a 10 day canoe trip where the youth increasingly took on leadership as they developed both hard and soft skills. Continuously assessed and evaluated participant progress; anticipated future needs and put the missing pieces into place. Invented out-of-the-box, creative and fun ways to engage the interest of youth in achieving their personal and leadership goals; facilitated and gave feedback in a direct, constructive and enthusiastic manner.From a grade 11 participant:"Ally was one of the most positive influences and by far most inspirational group facilitators I have had the privilege to work with. Since the time Ally joined our Trails community she has personally taught me how to overcome homophobia not only at school, but in my own household. She has taught me how to be comfortable with my sexual orientation and helped me gain the confidence to come out to my friends and peers."

Motivated and empowered diverse groups of inner city youth and adults with physical disabilities by encouraging ownership of personal choices, control and responsibility in taking risks and achieving their goals. Preformed all the duties of an attendant while simultaneously coaching youth to direct their own supports.

Personal assistant to one of Canada’s leading activists and social inventor in the area of inclusion, human rights and person-centred planning for people labelled with disabilities. Participated in conferences, workshops and training around the themes of giftedness, contribution, social role valorization and inclusive citizenship. Assisted in a variety of settings (home, office, volunteer and social) in a manner that maximized Judith's control over her environment, activities and associations. Envisioned and developed new training methods, trained and supported new staff members, organized team meetings.

Diverse experience working in education, including students aged 8 to 21 with a wide range of attention deficit disorders, physical, learning, developmental and intellectual disabilities. Developed classroom modifications to meet the social, communication and learning needs and gifts of each student; demonstrated creative ability to adapt and teach the standard curriculum to make it appropriate to individual learning styles.

Social Service Work

Note: awarded two scholarships; see award section

Feminist, Anti-Oppression, Anti-Racist Facilitator Training Program

Proficiency In Spanish Certificate

Completed 1 Year, Environmental Science

Activities and Societies: Founded and coordinated the Trent Outdoors and Nature Group (TONG)