A new partnership in Leamington hopes to change the lives of children and youth in the care of the Children's Aid Society by helping them gain the skills and confidence needed to find fulfilling work.
It's called "Capturing a Future Through Life Opportunities, Leadership & Experience", and it will give 36 kids on the job experience at Highline Mushrooms.
Mike Clark, manager of public relations and fund development at the Windsor-Essex Children's Aid Society, said many of the youth aged 14 to 18 lack many of the skills required to start their careers.
"Many of our youth have experienced some very challenging circumstances. So, we're dealing with things like mental health issues, social issues and homelessness," he said. "Many of these youth probably don't have the confidence, the basic skills or the support systems to look at a traditional education or career future."
The Children's Aid Society runs a similar program in Windsor with New Beginnings and has seen real success.
"Some have stayed in that particular occupation where they have done their placement. Some have gone back to school. Some have looked at other positions," said Clark. "A lot of these young people didn't really have a lot of motivation, aspirations at the beginning of this program and what's happened through this is they've been able to see that they can be successful. They can really aspire to whatever they want to be."
The youth in Leamington, and throughout Essex County, will attend six weeks of classes at The Bridge, a youth organization in Leamington before starting their co-op placements at Highline Mushrooms. The first module begins April 1.
The year-long pilot project is possible because of a $50,000 grant from RBC.
