Government of Canada provides opportunities for youth working in northern Indigenous communities

Aug 8, 2017 @ 09:22
Giving Canadian youth the tools they need to find and keep good jobs will help grow the middle class and strengthen our economy.
Today, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, announced that Teach For Canada will help 158 youth in Thunder Bay and Toronto learn how to work in partnership with northern Indigenous communities, learn Indigenous languages and learn about Canadian history through an Indigenous lens.
The Government of Canada will provide close to $1.6 million in funding for this project through the Career Focus program of the Government’s Youth Employment Strategy (YES) for Teach For Canada’s Youth Career Focus project. Through this project, Teach For Canada will also provide youth with teaching placements in elementary, middle or high schools in Indigenous communities in northern Ontario and give them the support they need to adjust to the environment and learn how to engage with Indigenous communities. In addition, Teach For Canada will provide two years of follow-up support to ensure the teachers hired in these communities have the necessary tools to keep good jobs.
 
“A good education is essential in breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty. Helping young Canadians pursue their passion for teaching in Indigenous communities in the north will ensure that communities are healthier and stronger. Giving youth opportunities to find and keep good jobs will help grow our economy and strengthen the middle class.” – The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour
“Too often, teachers arrive in remote Indigenous communities without the preparation and support they need to succeed—and stay—in the classroom. Teach For Canada addresses that gap: we work with northern First Nations communities to recruit, prepare, and support outstanding teachers. This contribution from Employment and Social Development Canada will help us recruit and train over one hundred teachers between 2017-2020.” – Kyle Hill, Executive Director of Teach For Canada
“What Teach For Canada and northern First Nations communities are doing is an example of the ongoing reconciliation that we hope to see in this country. Teach For Canada’s work is already having a huge impact in the north, and we are delighted that Employment and Social Development Canada will allow us to expand that impact.”
– Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux, Chair of Truth and Reconciliation at Lakehead University, Director at Teach For Canada
Quick Facts
  • Career Focus is one of three program streams under the Government’s Youth Employment Strategy (YES) and supports projects that help post-secondary graduates transition to the labour market through paid internships, and helps to provide youth with the information and experience they need to make informed career decisions, find a job and/or pursue advanced studies.
  • Budget 2017 invested a further $395.5 million over three years in YES for additional employment and skills development opportunities for youth
  • Since 2005, YES programs delivered by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) have helped over 582,000 youth develop skills and gain work experience to find a job or return to school. ESDC’s Career Focus program has helped over 14,000 youth since 2005.