Your Impact: Building Skills for a Brighter Future
How can multi-barriered youth gain the life skills, confidence and experience to find employment? The answer is YOU.
Your support of our specialized youth employment programs helps young people, like Suzy. Soft-spoken, quiet and nervous, Suzy was a lovely high school student looking to take the next step in her life. She came to the Inglewood Opportunity Hub (IOH) looking for real world training that would help her prepare for and find her first job. Suzy wasn’t quite sure where to start, but when she came to Wood’s Homes and the specialized employment program, she found support and guidance. With an interest in our work experience program, Suzy took part in four weeks of “on the job” training. She developed her skills and her confidence grew.
As she came to the end of her work experience placement a new challenge developed – COVID-19. Unfortunately a temporary hiring freeze for her store was in place due to the pandemic, and Suzy would need to find permanent work elsewhere. Suzy was disappointed and frustrated, but with the support of Wood’s Homes, began a new job search and started preparing for interviews. She was not going to give up. Then, on the day scheduled for Suzy to meet with potential new employers, she received a very special surprise. Her work placement manager had received approval to hire one staff and Suzy was at the top of her list.
Thanks to your support of Suzy’s journey, she was able to accept the position with tears welling up in her eyes and a smile that has yet to leave her face.
John Wynne, Youth Employment Counsellor, shares, “Securing employment and having a purpose to their day makes SUCH a difference in our young population when it comes to mental health and addictions, and we can all play a part in helping them break that cycle of hopelessness so many are caught up in.”
Thanks to your generosity, multi-barriered youth have the opportunity to develop the life and employment skills needed to successfully find and maintain a job, while receiving mental health support through Wood’s Homes’ specialized youth employment programs. In addition to personal barriers such as addictions, mental health, housing and family challenges, many IOH clients are facing employment barriers – scattered or no work experience, limited education, little or no training and lack of interpersonal skills. Gaining employment during a pandemic is a challenge for most unemployed Calgarians, let alone vulnerable, multi-barriered young people. With your help, young people can find long-term, meaningful employment and begin their path to a brighter future. Thank you for helping us Never Give Up on youth that need skills, training and mental health support to build resilience for their future.
“Seeing the smile and excitement coming from a client who has worked so hard for a job (and often their first job) and the fact that someone outside of their personal supports basically said “I believe in you!” is what makes this all worthwhile. This is not JUST a job for most of my clients- it’s a life-changing moment and can kick start their belief that things CAN get better and this may be the first step.”
– John Wynne, Youth Employment Counsellor