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Employment Programs

As young adults move to independence they need the support of a network of caring people, often families are unable to help, that’s when transition-focused employment programs make a difference towards self-reliance.

Fernie Works

A TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT READINESS PROGRAM FOR YOUTH AGED 16-24.

Youth participating in this program are getting more than just a job. Rather, they become a member of the Fernie Youth Services community where they are regularly making positive community connections while being supported by a team of dedicated Youth Workers and other positive adults.

The service includes one year of career training/educational placement and social/emotional counselling. In addition to enrollment in career training or school, we offer daily living programming that seeks to strengthen family perceptions and connections, increase positive community engagement, establish self-care habits, and connect youth to positive relationships for support and success. This service is holistic with a comprehensive strategy to address young adults through building skills, creating capacities, and establishing positive relationships in a safe and supportive environment.

These youth need the training and support to go out into the world to become independent. Most of all they need the support most of us likely received from our parents; a safe place to live, advice or tuition for continuing education and overall counselling to achieve a better sense of responsibility.

Youth standing in front of  the Presbyterian Church

This program is not so much a ‘program’, but rather a real life support community; it encompasses techniques for supported living that we would want our own children to experience. Fernie is not proposing anything extraordinary. Rather we are creating a platform that the young person’s environment was unable to provide for them. Throughout the process, we want to change perceptions and raise the young person’s level of consciousness surrounding core values, principles and life skills. From our experience, we know three significant factors contribute to success in a person’s life:

  1. Timely application to resources
  2. Healthy and supportive network
  3. Significant positive adult relationship

Our service model builds these capacities in a young man’s life. In addition, we acknowledge that finding suitable housing, managing financially by way of gaining stable employment through education, and accessing services and supports are the major tasks for our young adults. Most available services are focused on youth under the age of 18 and are not accessible for young adults. Our young men are in a post-service transitional period and face several challenges that impede upon their ability to connect in their communities. Young men who need services are often disconnected from their positive natural support systems or form unhealthy support systems. This program is a comprehensive response to many of the challenges young adults face and equips them with resources and capacities to appropriately use their environment as a tool toward nurturing their positive development.

Youth will participate in a Fernie Works 51-week training program to provide them with vocational skills in trades with well-established market demand. The 51-week program will include an on-site training centre and a practical component at local churches. Elements of the training program include: participation of at least 30 hours per week in the Fernie Works Training Program, training education for landscaping and building maintenance employment Work Training certificate programs; WHIMIS, CPR/First Aid, AODA, Occupational Health and Safety, Driver’s License and pesticide operator certification.

Individuals who live at our transitional residence will have a private room with coop living for 2-4 young adults for up to one year. Residents are mutually accountable to one another and must maintain consent from all to stay in house. The daily living component will expose young adults to supported living and teach them core values, principles and life skills. Elements of daily living include:

Family (i.e. family counseling, spending time with family member(s))
Relationships (i.e. finding mentors, making new friends, intimates)
Volunteer (i.e. somewhere in the community, nursing home, soup kitchen, church, school)
Faith (i.e. small group, place of worship, bible study, foreign mission)
Self-Care (i.e. financial literacy, anger management, health/hygiene, cooking)
Community (i.e. individual or group activity, gym, sports, classes, YMCA)
House Keeping (i.e. chores, cooking, shopping, cleaning)

A graduate from the program will earn Alumni status at Fernie Youth and may continue to be an active participant in the Fernie Community. This may include attending the annual Christmas Party and Picnic as well as becoming a mentor to the next group of young adults who enter the program. Upon graduation, each youth will plan for independence, employment and housing with an identified mentor.

REFERRAL PROCESS

We accept referrals from Probation Officers, Social Workers, Custody Facilities and other professionals working with youth. We also accept self-referrals from youth who are in need of our services. Previous youth justice involvement is a requirement for participating youth.

 

To make a referral or ask a question please contact

Vanessa D’Souza at

(416) 984-4050

vdsouza@fernieyouth.ca

We see success

Youth grow with their environment, the better the community supports the better the outcome. Read about some youth who have made a commitment to change.

Be the Change

There are many ways to join our community of change - donate, give, participate - be a partner in changing a youth’s story from ‘could have been’ to ‘look at me now’.

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(416) 284-3711

437 Port Union Rd, Scarborough, ON M1C 2L6