Crystal Ashton

As a Child & Youth Worker and Personal Support Worker, I have the ability in delivering outstanding support to children, young people, adults, elderly, and families. Through this, this will allow me to additionally broaden my experience so that I can use my strong skill set, and enhance my knowledge, while vigorously promote the establishment of a secure and healing environment.

Educational Assistant - Durham Catholic District School Board

(2025-09)

• Built rapport with students by actively listening, being empathetic and interacting with them to discover interests or hobbies.
• Create a welcoming and safe environment, which is necessary for healthy development in children and youth.
• Embrace the importance of promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion by embracing a range of activities, recognizing all holidays, providing youth with a voice, and accommodating various learning styles.
• Assist students with personal care such as toileting.
• Help in the implementation of programming.
• Give the students company at recess time outside or in the library.
• Work one-on-one with students that needed support with emotional regulation by performing deep breathing exercises, allowing them to express their feelings in a comfortable environment, confirm their feelings, teach healthy coping skills, and explore the zones of regulation.
• Encourage students to fulfill and support their goals in academics, communication, social skills, psychological wellness, and personal management.
• Self-reflect on my performance to find areas for improvement in certain areas and to highlight the strengths and attributes I own.

Personal Support Worker - Tania's Place

(2024-08 - 2026-01)

• Provide clients with programs and services that encourage individual growth, inclusion, and a safe environment.
• Establish trusted and professional rapport with the clients that support social and psychological needs.
• Aid in promoting healthy support for clients with Autism, ADHD, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, developmental delay, vision impairment, and other special needs conditions.
• Aid clients with toileting and feeding.
• Administer daily medication as well as use a Vagus Nerve Stimulator device on clients to help control seizures as needed.
• Administer g-tube feedings and medication.
• Follow lifting and transferring procedures carefully.
• Support clients in ambulating with wheelchairs and walkers.
• Implement and contribute to activities and programming that promote life skills, engagement, and independence.
• As necessary, answer phone calls, complete case notes, incident reports, and passport funding receipts.
• Maintain daily cleanliness of the facility.

Child & Youth Field Placement - Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Durham

(2023-05 - 2023-07)

• Fulfilled the weekly one-hour in-school mentorship program for students in grades 1 through 8.
• As a mentor, I met twice a week with three to four mentees in person and through Zoom. During our conversations and activities, we worked to foster healthy growth, strong relationships, and positive self-esteem.
• Created a welcoming and safe environment, which is necessary for healthy development in children and youth.
• Designed weekly activities that included life skills, mental health awareness, mindfulness and self-care techniques following as board games, painting/coloring, scavenger hunt, friendship bracelets, meditation, physical activity, reading, awareness of negative thoughts worksheets, building short-term and long-term goals, and listing positive coping mechanisms.
• Encouraged mentees to fulfill and support their goals in academics, communication, social skills, psychological wellness, and personal management.
• When the school year ended for the summer, I facilitated a four-day summer camp for kids and young people with a variety of challenges, including fostering positive role models, enhancing self-confidence, fostering friendships, fulfilling the significance of growth, and offering support through games and one-on-one care.
• Embracing the importance of promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion by embracing a range of activities, recognizing all holidays, providing children and youth with a voice, and accommodating various learning styles.
• Self-reflected on my performance to find areas for improvement in certain areas and to highlight the strengths and attributes I had.
• Carried out the weekly paperwork requirements following the Big Brother Big Sisters program (daily logging of tasks).
• With my supervisor, I reviewed and evaluated the youth's improvement daily as well as the skills they still need aid with (behavioral, emotional, and/or psychological).

Child & Youth Field Placement - Bobby Orr Public School

(2022-04 - 2022-06)

• Developed a rapport with students aged 4-6 by being compassionate, providing support to them when they needed something, teaching them to express themselves without fear of criticism, and expressing interest in their toys and stories.
• Created a welcoming and safe environment, which is necessary for healthy development in children and youth.
• Embracing the importance of promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion by embracing a range of activities, recognizing all holidays, providing children with a voice, and accommodating various learning styles.
• Implemented various hands-on activities to foster social and emotional growth that followed physical activity, sensory bag making, puppets, self-love worksheets, reading children's books, role play, monster emotions match game, and making art.
• Observed how students performed in class, how they interacted with one another, any potential triggers, and how long they were able to stay focused.
• Encourage students to fulfill and support their goals in academics, communication, social skills, psychological wellness, and personal management.
• Self-reflected on my performance to find areas for improvement in certain areas and to display the strengths and attributes I had.
• With my supervisor, I reviewed and evaluated the young children's improvements daily as well as the skills they still need aid with (behavioral, emotional, and/or psychological).

Personal Support Worker - Extendicare

(2020)

• Ensure and respect dignity, and privacy, along with promoting independence, and choice while showing compassion.
• Create a welcoming and safe environment, which is necessary for healthy mental and emotional health for adults and elderly.
• Embracing the importance of promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion by accepting differences, making sure everyone is treated equally and with respect, and giving choice instead of dictating it.
• Assist 8-10 residents with daily hygiene responsibilities, along with bathing, dressing, oral care, and grooming during a shift.
• During provided care, check for conditions of the skin including bruising, rashes, skin tears, discoloration, and cuts.
• Support residents who need one-on-one care because of heightened behavior or difficulties with mental health.
• Maintain bladder and bowel needs.
• Facilitate feeding and nourishment.
• Follow lifting and transferring procedures carefully.
• Support residents in ambulating with wheelchairs, walkers, and canes.
• Knowledge of documentation on residents (Point Click Care).

Advanced Diploma - Child & Youth Care - Durham College (2021 - 2023)

Certificate - Personal Support Worker - Archbishop Anthony Meagher (2019 - 2020)