On television you often see advertisements or programs about homeless youth around the world in need of help and support.
However, it’s not just in other parts of the world it is occurring.
There are youth in the midst of our own communities who are homeless, struggling and in dire need of help.
Not all young people in a country like Canada start out with a good foundation of family and financial support. And some, no matter what their upbringing, end up going down the wrong road.
That’s where groups like Choices for Youth come in.
Choices for Youth builds programs for youth and provides opportunities focused on, according to its website, “providing individualized support for young people, celebrating who they are, and working together to unlock their potential to build a brighter future.”
“Childhood trauma, mental illness, addictions, incarceration, family breakdown, poverty, violence, abuse, and exploitation are the tragic set of common experiences of the over 1,500 young people we work with every year.”
There are many partners of Choices for Youth that realize the work the organization does.
On Wednesday in St. John’s, Choices for Youth and RBC announced a new partnership with funding of $40,000 from RBC.
RBC will be stepping in a key role to support the growth of Choices for Youth employment-based programming.
The partnership and money will enable Choices for Youth to deliver expanded, targeted pre-employment programming, training, and on-the-job experience through supported work opportunities at Choices for Youth social enterprises.
The announcement took place at the Choices for Youth Social Enterprise and Employment Centre on Ropewalk Lane in St. John’s.
Young people there involved in employment-based programming can’t say enough about how their lives have been transformed.
Samantha McGrath, 23, found herself homeless and abusing drugs at about 16 years of age. She had lost control of her life and didn’t know how to turn things around on her own.
“I felt worthless and nothing mattered to me,” she said. “I wanted to give up.
“I was a drug user, and I just thought there was no help for me. I didn’t have many friends and no help from family, and I was completely lost. I was bouncing around from couches and friends’ homes.”
McGrath said when she “made it” to Choices for Youth, she couldn’t believe the support and understanding of the people she met.
“It feels like home here,” she said. “You can be yourself. No one judges you.”
With help from the people at Choices for Youth McGrath was able to gain control of her life and build it from there.
“I didn’t have any money. I didn’t have confidence to go for job interviews and stuff like that, so one of my friends was involved and I came up here and they interviewed me, gave me a job and here I am three years later,” McGrath said. “I have my own car, my own house, a full-time job. I’m in bed before 10 p.m. every night. It’s really life changing.
“Without the support, I wouldn’t have been able to get the confidence I have, I wouldn’t have been able to believe in myself the way I do. I’m after learning skills I didn’t know I could, which is amazing. I did the SmartIce Program (development and production of a stationary SmartBUOY sensor to detect ice thickness in northern communities), and it is technical work, and I actually designed the jig that we are using to make them. So now I’m planning on going into architectural engineering when I finish my GED. So, it will be pretty cool if I can make it.
“I like to draw and if I could draw … a blueprint for a building and see it (go) up it would be sick. It would be amazing.
“I’ve worked with Impact Construction for a year. Within a few months I could put up my own fence, do dryer vents, door boxes, window boxes, plaster and paint, so it’s amazing. They teach you a lot.”
The Centralized Employment Support Program at Choices for Youth acts as the hub for all pre-employment, employment readiness, on-the-job, and educational supports for young people. Choices for Youth believes that given the opportunity with the right supports, young people who started out in difficult circumstances can become valued members of the workforce.
Confidence to go forward
Kim Hamlyn, 22, talks with confidence and enthusiasm about what the future holds for her. Since coming to Choices for Youth, she has stepped out of a past that would see her cower in a corner at a public gathering to now standing before the crowd and speaking confidently.
“I dropped out of high school when I was very young. I have anxiety and it was very hard for me to talk to people, and I didn’t know how to manage that when I was younger,” Hamlyn said.
“I didn’t know how to fend for myself. I wasn’t prepared at all. Coming to Choices for Youth and having all these people being there for me, and like they basically got my back, was a huge life changer.”
Hamlyn said she has learned everything from preparing a resumé and interview techniques, to dealing with customers, and organization and time management skills.
“I got to do the Jumpstart program and I jumped to different programs, doing art and stuff, like the mural in the (Choices for Youth) lunchroom and also got an interview with the Neighbourhood (a second-hand clothing store), which was a great experience there, and now I’m full time there.
“I learned how to work in a team with different people. I feel like an adult now. I can get on the bus by myself, get to work, and get myself ready. Before this I thought like for the rest of my life I didn’t have any chance. I feel like Choices for Youth gave me that chance.
“Today I was in front of a group of adults talking about how I made it, that I’m actually doing something with my life. I feel amazing. I feel completely confident in where I’m going in my life right now.”
