TORONTO – Sometimes a little hope goes a long way.
Heading Toward Opportunities for Pre-Employment or “H.O.P.E.”, is a unique partnership between Service Canada and the Boys and Girls Club of East Scarborough.
H.O.P.E. brings community experts together like its founder Mawuli Chai, to educate disengaged youth by helping to build their self-esteem, reinforce positive change, and personal success.
“Any time you go into the workforce, know that you, all by yourself, are enough- It’s not just a pre-employment program, it’s a program that holistically teaches young people how to properly integrate in society- I give them the life skills that they need, how to set goals, and hopefully attain them with a job placement that they feel good about,” Chai said.
Former participant Joseph Samuel, remembers all too well what life was life before there was H.O.P.E.
Before entering the H.O.P.E. program, Samuel was incarcerated. No he is living a good life and working hard.
“Just trying to be career driven, have a focus, and the Program basically helped me to see what I wanna do,” He said.
Now working in the film industry, Samuel often comes back to the H.O.P.E. program to speak to participants. Samuel believes in himself now because of the H.O.P.E. program and said that they gave him the tools he needs to be where he is today.
Participants between the ages of 15 and 30 acquire the tools, skills and knowledge they need to overcome barriers that prevent them from finding sustainable employment. The Program is three weeks of group based employability and then ten weeks of placement.
“We’re about a 54 per cent success rate and we’re still climbing,”Chai said.
“You give them a 100, they’re giving you 110 per cent. They make it happen, they make it work, they give you opportunities,” Nik-Kaleisha Moodie, a H.O.P.E. participant said,
Founder, Chai, says young people continue to come back to the program saying that they would have been on the streets selling drugs, but H.O.P.E. has allowed them to set new goals and believe in themselves.
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