Woods Homes helps woman achieve her goals

By Toyin Obatusin - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on November 22, 2024.

Herald photo by Toyin Obatusin Taynaz Mahomed is one of the many success stories from Woods Homes.

Taynaz Mahomed, who moved to Canada in 2010, is one of the many success stories from Woods Homes, a not-for-profit organization in Lethbridge, Alberta.

She encountered difficulties within her family home which led her to needing assistance from Children and Family Services, who then referred her to a Transition to Adult Program worker in November of 2023.

This program helps youth leaving government care and young adults who were formerly in care transition successfully to adulthood.

The transition to the adulthood program provided Taynaz a referral to connect with Woods Homes, where she received a peer mentor who assisted her with finding employment and stability. The peer mentorship program which started in Calgary is brand new to Lethbridge.

Although this was a daunting experience for Taynaz, during the time where she couldn’t find employment, her peer mentor supported her through employment workshops in a classroom setting, which consisted of cover letter composition and resume creation specific to her target industry.

She received training on how to be a community helper with support from the Youth Employment Connections Program. The students receive certificates of completion upon success.

Once a peer mentorship position opened up in May of 2024, Taynaz was a prime candidate being that she was such an exceptional student, Woods Homes offered the position to her.

Sharing her main goals of being able to confidently open up and effectively network within the professional realm, created a firm foundation for what Taynaz’s training would look like.

Taynaz takes this position to heart as it was a position that helped her get better organized and find purpose.

She enjoys being the encouraging authority figure, and takes on a friendship stance to promote a healthy and communicative relationship with the youth who attend the programs.

She acknowledges that her situation may not have been as extreme as others who come to Woods Homes, but through the peer mentor training she’s able to effectively co-facilitate, support and give guidance.

She aids with the learners prep program, interactive game programs, Elders Indigenous beading workshop, professionalism training, and is now creating programs based on her background in accounting on finance and budgeting.

“Don’t be afraid to go seek help, because help is out there, there is support, and once you get that help there will be people there supporting you to get to where you want to go,” Taynaz says. If not for taking the steps to reach out for help, Taynaz acknowledges that she would not be where she is right now.

Since starting with Woods Homes, Taynaz has made a conscious decision to be a community helper throughout her professional and personal life.

She’s grateful to the organization as opportunities would not have presented themselves to Taynaz without the support of Woods Homes.

She wants to continue on this trajectory in order to help others achieve their goals by not just being there for them, but to also show them support.