Emma's YEP Insider

I’ve been working as a YEP program officer for about a year now, and every person in my personal life who finds out about it says something along the lines of, “Wow, so you can actually make a difference.” Indeed, my favourite part about working with the Youth Employability Program is that I’m provided with the tools and support that I need to actually make helpful and concrete contributions. Being funded by community services, we have been able to help remove financial barriers that youth face while seeking employment, or to further their education. In this role, I am not only able to help our youth navigate the complexities of the system while applying for various forms of identification, but I am also able to pay the fees that can be a real barrier for people. I am also able to pay for training so that youth can bulk up their resume, or get a job that is of interest to them. A number of YEP youth have attended traffic control training, first aid, or food safety, to name a few. My other favourite part about YEP is that it is an outreach-based program. I love going to different communities to meet with youth in a place that works for them. 

It’s a many-stepped journey to getting a job - especially your first one - that I think a lot of us tend to underestimate the difficulty of. Before you can apply for a job, it’s important that you have a SIN. To get a SIN, you need to ensure that you have several forms of identification and proof of address. The process to obtain identification (birth certificates, photo IDs, bank accounts) is not an easy one to navigate; In order to get a bank account, you will usually need a form of photo ID, but to get a photo ID, one of the easiest routes to take is to provide a debit card as a form of reinforcing identification. It can be a complicated and frustrating process, and one of the things that makes YEP so special is that we’re able to help youth navigate this process, pay the correlating fees, and advocate when necessary. 

After all the documentation is obtained, the next step is to build a resume and gather experience and references. YEP has a few different ways to go about this, including paying for training, or setting up work and volunteer placements that allow youth to earn a stipend or a wage in an environment that allows them to learn and grow, while obtaining a reference in addition to experience. We can also help with job searching, the application process, interview prep, and transportation to interviews. Once a youth secures a job, we’re able to purchase any supplies that they might require (for example, steel-toed boots, non-slip shoes, uniforms, criminal record checks, etc). 

Every day of work is a little different at YEP, and it’s always a joy as youth come and go from your caseload, depending on how their needs and goals change.

- Emma, YEP Officer