Get Involved
Help a young person build their future
Time, skills, a first job, or the kettle that goes in someone's first apartment. Here is what actually helps young people leaving care in Winnipeg, Manitoba — and what we cannot offer you in return.
Four ways to support New Steps
Young people arrive here with the same needs anyone leaving home has: someone to show them how, somewhere to start working, and enough of the basics to make a room feel like a home. All four of these are things a person or a business in Manitoba can do this month.
Volunteer your skills
Tutors and GED coaches, workshop leaders, resume and interview coaches, cooks, drivers, and steady adults who show up on the same evening every week. Consistency matters more than expertise here — a person who comes twice a month for a year is worth more than a one-off expert.
Offer work or a placement
A shift, a summer role, a day of shadowing, or a paid entry-level job. The first line on a resume is the hardest one to get, and our staff stay attached to the placement so you are never managing it alone.
Partner with us
Trades and training providers, certification bodies, community organisations, health and wellness practitioners, and property owners across Winnipeg. Every partnership here is operational — programming, space, and skills, not fundraising.
Give in-kind
Furniture, bedding, kitchen basics, winter gear, and gift cards go straight into a young person's first apartment or into the Learning Centre. This is the most direct way for an individual to help, and the list below is what we genuinely run short of.
What volunteering here actually looks like
You do not need a background in child welfare, social work, or youth work. You need a skill, a bit of patience, and the ability to keep a commitment.
Tell us what you can do
A short note or a phone call. What you are good at, and roughly how often you could show up. There is no minimum, but we will be honest about what is useful.
Screening and orientation
Everyone who works with our residents goes through screening and an orientation before they meet anyone. It covers boundaries, privacy, photos, and what to do if a young person tells you something difficult.
Start small, alongside staff
Your first sessions are shared with a staff member who knows the group. Nobody is dropped into a room and left to figure it out.
Settle into a rhythm
A regular slot beats an occasional big gesture. Young people who have had a lot of adults come and go notice which ones keep coming back.
In-kind donations we always need
Everything on this list ends up either in the Learning Centre or in a young person's own apartment. Furniture should be clean and in good repair — we would rather turn something down than pass on a couch nobody wants.
Call (431) 444-2114 before you load the truck, so we can confirm we have room and arrange a time to receive it.
Investing in young people — the honest version
New Steps Ltd. is a for-profit Canadian-Controlled Private Corporation (CCPC). We are not a registered charity. That means we cannot issue charitable tax receipts, and it would be misleading to run a donate button as though we could.
So we do not run a public fundraising campaign. If you have been looking for the donation page, this section is it. What helps is investing in a young person's future: your time, a work placement, or the items on the list above — services and resources so young people can grow, be independent, and self-sufficient.
If you represent a foundation, an employer, or a community organisation with something specific in mind, talk to us directly rather than guessing from a web page. We will tell you honestly whether it is something we can use.
Or come and work here
Supporting young people in their own homes is real work for people who are steady, unshockable, and good at the ordinary parts — a shared meal, a ride to an appointment, a calm room at two in the morning. If that sounds like you, send us a note and tell us what you have done.