Jamie Dri Success Story: Celebrating 15 Years With Jobs West

For many, success is defined by job title and bank accounts. For Jamie Dri, overcoming crushing anxiety and living independently means she is on top of her game. She has been a part of DDA's employment program, Jobs West, for the last 15 years and has no plans to stop! She shares her lived experience in this episode of the Encouagring Abilities podcast.

 

TRANSCRIPT

 

Jamie Dri Success Story: Celebrating 15 Years With Jobs West

 

00:05

Welcome to DDA's Encouraging Abilities podcast. I'm your host, DDA communications manager, Evan Kelly. Here we are in our comfy little sound studio, DDA head office in Richmond, BC. This is our 29th podcast. And fortunately today we have a long-term client of DDA talking to us about her lived experience with some of our programs. We have done many podcasts with advocates and experts, but not always someone who brings their lived experience for us to hear.

 

00:33

So joining me today is Jamie Dri, who's been involved with our Jobs West program. And not only that, she's celebrating 15 years of working with our Infant Development Program, which is absolutely amazing. It is a huge success story, but it hasn't always been that easy, of course. So thank you for joining me today and making the effort to come to head office and do this face-to-face, because we don't often get to do it, sometimes thanks to COVID, but I'm really happy to have you here. Thank you.

 

01:00

So right off the top, Jamie, tell me a little bit about yourself. Well, I live on my own in Vancouver and I have a job working with kids. I love painting, reading, and I'm a huge fan of Shania Twain.

 

01:21

Shania Twain. I'm a musician myself, so I like to talk about music a lot. One of my questions was going to be what's your interest in music? So what's your interest in Shania Twain? Not only do I love her songs, but I love her as a person. I think she sets a very good example for everyone.

 

01:47

out there. After all she's been through, she's, I find her to be a very strong woman. Yeah. Just a good all-around Canadian. I adore her. Yeah, she is very good. So how did you start with DDA and Jobs West?

 

02:05

Well, I was referred to Jobs West by a social worker 15 years ago. And I said I wanted to work with kids and that's when I started working at IDP and I've been working there ever since.

 

02:25

15 years is a long time for anybody to be at a job. I don't think I've held a job for 15 years in my entire life, to be totally honest. I've been with DDA for about four years now, and really quite enjoying it. So tell me what you like about working with kids.

 

02:43

I just love kids. I think they're so cute and they're sweet. And I just love them and they come up with the funniest things to say sometimes. Absolutely they do. So how many days a week do you work at IDP? Three days a week, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Do you have another job outside of IDP? Right now it's just IDP.

 

03:10

And you've mentioned you like working with pets. Yes. I love animals and actually I used to do work experience at a doggy daycare about 17 years ago. I played with the dogs and fed them. And I remember there's one little dog who

 

03:39

He got pretty attached to me and every time he saw me coming in he would run up to me with his little paws in the air. I'm a dog lover myself. I totally, I totally get what you're talking about. I don't have one right now. Do you have any pets at home? I have a cat. Oh, do you? Yes. She's with my mom right now. What's her name? Her name is Abby.

 

04:01

Abby. Yeah, I call her Abby-dabby-doo or abber-dabbers. Abber-dabbers? Yeah. Is Abby a tabby? Yes. Is that right? Yes. I guessed it. I had no idea. And so do you still take part in a l