Journaling Our Journeys

Journaling Our Journeys is a creative writing program with youths, operating out of the Bernice Sayese Centre in midtown, Prince Albert. The youths are part of Communities Building Youth Futures (CBYF), who help young adults ages 15 to 30 identify barriers to education, employment, and holistic health, building the futures they want. 

The program stems from a successful pilot beginning in November 2023, led by Prince Albert writer Beth Gobeil and Program Coordinator Jesse Campbell, responding to the youths' needs. Multiple youths expressed that they were seeking creative ways to explore and express their backgrounds, stories, and identities. Beth Gobeil is a Prince Albert writer, known for her book Breathing Room—a collection of narrative poems about her sonʼs life with cystic fibrosis. Beth’s writing is sensitive, exploring themes of experiencing and overcoming intimate personal hardships, which informs her capacity for sharing and leading youths through their journaling experiences. 

During the program, the youths meet regularly with Beth, writing in journals through prompts, sharing entries, developing the group bonds of support and deepening their self-knowledge with the tools and practice of the guided writing techniques. The group meets in a friendly, familiar setting, including food and drinks to ensure that regardless of their circumstances, they are comfortable and prepared to engage with the activities. 

Over the summer of 2025, the youths were supported by Shauna Eveleigh Harris, who along with being a writer, brought her experience as a registered social worker and therapist. The group welcomed Shauna to lead her series of journaling sessions. Shauna in turn has been mentored by Beth in the techniques she has developed over the years. It has been a positive expansion to have diverse program leaders share their experiences in writing and approaches to journaling, creating wider connections within the community. The youths continue to meet weekly with writer Beth Gobeil. As the program continues the youths have flourished through their writing: processing challenges, nurturing their interests, and improving personal wellbeing as they seek out paths to express their stories and identities in ways to enable their healthier futures, and striving to be a positive force in their communities.

One long-time participant shared: “ When I first heard about the journaling class, I felt a warm sparkle  growing in my heart—that’s exactly what I’ve been looking for! And I was right. Beth Gobeil is such a tactful, humble, caring teacher, that her classes always turn into a deep meditation, where people can feel safe no matter what they write, and get blown with the flow of thoughts and feelings. Personally I would say that these classes helped me go through depression and PTSD, which I had been experiencing since I came to Canada from the war zone of my homeland—Ukraine. I had my highs and lows, I laughed and I cried, I remembered the deepest moments of my childhood and dealt with my darkest demons, but I also felt so loved, Beth embraced my wounded soul with her careful hands and gave me a warm, supportive, non-judgemental shoulder when I needed it most. Thank you, dear Beth, for everything you do for me and for the community of Prince Albert. This is very much needed and appreciated.”