Elaine Keays

As dedicated Educational Assistant seeking a permanent position, equipped with a profound understanding of Catholic school culture and strong postgraduate education, I bring not only a passion about supporting children with complex needs but as well a commitment to foster an inclusive environment that empowers students to reach their full potential. I have a proven ability to collaborate effectively with educators ensuring that tailored supports for diverse learning requirements are met.

• Facilitator; CFSSC & 411 Community Support-Slow Cooker Club 2023 - Present
• Helped facilitate a free 6- week cooking program for low-income seniors that encouraged socialization through coming together and cooking crock pot recipes while discussing the importance of nutrition as one ages. Bringing the seniors together to facilitate new friends was also the goal of this program and therefore, my role was to engage in conversations and finding common interests between the participants. As a volunteer, I was responsible to ensure the cooking stations were setup and taken down at the end of the session.
• Graduate Writing & Communications course; McMaster University 2021
• Online writing course to assist with writing professional reports for the purpose to further advocate and draw attention to social justice issues with those individuals and organizations of influence
• Bereavement Ministry course; Archdiocese of Toronto 2021
• 8-week course that addressed the issues of dying; how coping with dying differs for individuals and learning how to show various forms of compassion throughout the grieving process
• Immigrant & Refugee Mental Health Project course; CMHA 2021
• A six-week program that supplied information, tools, and resources for service providers to provide mental healthcare and support services to both immigrants and refugees arriving in Canada.
• Coordinator & Volunteer; Project Hope 2015 - 2018
• Coordinated sponsorship for two Syrian Refugees, while supporting their settlement into Barrie; fund raising, provided housing, jobs, enrolment in English as a second language classes, and connecting new families with established Syrian households.
• Group Counsellor; Hospice Simcoe 2010 - 2014
• Facilitated Group Counselling for bereaved family members, attended home visits to show compassionate care to individuals suffering pain.
• (Student) Coordinator; Youth Justice Circles 2009 - 2010
• Attended court, kept youth files, and wrote follow up reports; arranged mandated meetings that brought together the victim, the perpetrator, and social worker to offer a resolution for all parties.
• (Student Placement) Victim Support; Elizabeth Frye Society 2009- 2010
• Provided Victim Support for women and youth at the cells and court.