Our Story
How Did Recovery College YVR Come Together?
The idea of Recovery College YVR came about when a group of enthusiastic community members came together to explore establishing a local Recovery College in the Vancouver area. We shared the desire to have a culturally relevant and safe space that champions lived experience through courageous vulnerability and empathy. Two organizations then formed a partnership to bring this to life.
At CMHA North & West Vancouver Branch (CMHA NWV), it started with a Kelty Dennehy Mental Health Resource Centre (the Kelty) volunteer coordinator attending a conference about RCs and realizing the Kelty was already operating like a miniature RC. The secret behind the Kelty’s success is its unwavering sense of community and connection.
For Vancouver Coastal Health’s Consumer Involvement & Initiatives program (VCH) already providing peer based community education programming, the need for a Vancouver based brick and mortar space to not only offer courses but also a safe space for participants to find meaningful connection and build relationships was the dream.
With leadership from both organizations onboard and excited by the Recovery College YVR (RC YVR) concept, by December 2020, we had a small team working on the first research pilot to test the local appetite for RC programming.
In May 2023, after a few delays along the way, Recovery College YVR opened its virtual doors with each partner offering programming both in-person and virtually.
CMHA needed to step away as a partner in early 2025 to focus on their own local programming but VCH has continued on with RC YVR. We are now looking at ways to spread the concept throughout the larger health region, promoting more resilient communities by providing individual opportunities for growth through community-based programming.