October 2024
Noah first heard about YES Employment Services from a friend who had successfully completed the Youth Job Connection program. After several months of searching for employment with little success, Noah was eager to find a way into the job market. His friend mentioned that YES offered a Youth Job Connection Summer program, which could help him gain valuable job search tools and certifications. Intrigued by the opportunity, Noah decided to visit YES and see if the program was a good fit for him. After an assessment and meeting with Youth Worker, Aaron, Noah was enrolled into the program and he participated in a week of paid pre-employment training. He was hopeful that this would be the first step toward securing meaningful employment and a plan for the future.
With some experience in the health care field, Noah knew that building on his existing skills would be crucial to standing out in the job market. The Youth Job Connection Summer program provided just the opportunity he needed. He completed certifications in Smart Serve, Safe Food Handling, First Aid, and Service Excellence adding these valuable qualifications to his resume. The job search skills and interview preparation he received through the program gave him the confidence to apply for a position at Wequedong Lodge. After a successful interview, Noah was offered a job as a Relief Worker, a role that allows him to support Indigenous visitors in need of lodging, meals, and connections to local health care and community services.
Working at Wequedong Lodge has been an eye-opening experience for Noah. His responsibilities at the front desk and assisting with intakes have given him a firsthand look at the challenges many people face and the importance of accessible support services. This role has inspired him to explore a future in social work. Noah now plans to pursue post-secondary education in Social Work at Lakehead University, motivated by his desire to make a difference in his community. We congratulate Noah for securing a position that is helping to lay the foundation for a better future and fulfilling career, and we wish him continued success as he works toward his career goals.
The YES Annual General Meeting is always followed by a dinner and Celebration of Services. We had a great night of celebration on Wednesday September 25th at the Italian Cultural Centre! We would like to thank YES leadership, staff, board of directors, clients, employers and guests who joined us in celebrating a year of success. We love what we do and we love it when the community shares their stories and connections.
We would like to congratulate the winner of the YES $500 Memorial Scholarship, Phoenix Kirkup! Phoenix is pursuing her Mental Health and Addictions Counsellor Diploma at Confederation College as a way of giving back to her community. She received the award at the YES Celebration of Services on the evening of Wednesday September 25th. The YES Memorial Scholarship was created in loving memory of clients and staff who are no longer with us. It is awarded annually to a client who has registered within the current year (September to September) and the winner is selected through an application process that begins in late August. Congratulations, again, to Phoenix. Good luck in your studies.
September was filled with community events and YES staff was thrilled to be out in the community meeting with potential clients and employers face to face. The month kicked off with our participation in the Dennis Franklin Cromarty Amazing Race and student orientation on September 12th. YES hosted a booth at the students’ lunch check-in location at the marina. Also on September 12th, YES staff met with the Alpha Court team at their community barbeque and our Employer Relations Team spoke with business representatives at CENCAN. The same day our Resource and Information lead, Shelley participated in Ka Na Chi Hih’s 25th Annual Safe walk and Program Supervisor, Tom Nesti attended the grand opening of the Youth Wellness Hub. The events continued with the Lakehead University part-time Job Fair in the Agora on September 18th. We also attended the NAN Student Orientation at the Valhalla Inn on September 19th where we helped welcome hundreds of students to our community. YES participated in the Accelerate Conference – hosted by the Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre on September 26th, and we also sent a team to the LEVEL UP! Apprenticeship and Tech event at the CLE Coliseum. As a community-based organization, we have been grateful to receive so many invitations to community events this September!