Youth 4 Success platform provides opportunities for social connection

BY PAUL JUNOR

The global pandemic and the dependence on remote learning have created many challenges for youth worldwide. In order to connect youth socially and bridge the academic gap initiated by online schooling, the organization Youth 4 Success has come to the rescue.

According to its website; youth4success.com, the organization “Focuses on removing barriers that Canadian youth face when it comes to employment and higher education. We believe that everyone deserves equal access to employment and education.” It identifies four barriers that Canadian youth face when it comes to access to employment and education. These include the following:

Drug Education

Its website notes that this is a significant problem among Canadian youth. According to Statistica survey approximately 33% of youth in Canada between the ages of 15-19 and more that 50% of young adults between the age of 20-24 have used drugs.

Education Gap

The dropout rate across Canada has been estimated to be 14% and is as high as 50% in low-income communities according to the 2016 Statistics Canada census.

Criminal Record

Youth who have a criminal record faced enormous barriers to obtaining gainful employment. If they have been convicted of a crime there are additional challenges that can cause discrimination and stigma.

Language

Newcomers to Canada face significant barriers. Almost 50% of them speak another language other than English or French at home.

Its mission drives the Y4S Platform, “We believe that everyone deserves equal access to employment and education.” In order to achieve this purpose, it holds seminars, workshops, talk series, as well as weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual events to ensure that the four identified barriers are overcome. These provide a safe space for youth to bring questions forward, improve their communication skills and foster new friendships.

It is a volunteer-driven, non-profit organization that operates in four major cities in Canada: Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Edmonton. There are plans underway to include: Vancouver, Regina, Hamilton and Kitchener.

Y4S is intentional about developing online content that is targeted to youth using their social media platforms. It is constantly recruiting volunteers and any student in high school, college or undergraduate can complete a volunteer registration form at form.jotform.com/211575522376255.

Many of the volunteers serve as tutoring assistants to help students in academic subjects such as Science, Mathematics, English and French. Students who are interested can check their:

Website: https://youth4success.com

Instagram: canaday4s

Twitter: Your 4 Success

Facebook: Youth 4 Success

YouTube: Youth 4 Success Platform Canada