Skills for Change hosts a highly successful connections fair for youth new to Canada

BY RUSHANE FERRON

In a bid to empower newcomer youth and facilitate their integration into Canadian society, Skills for Change recently hosted a highly successful Connections Fair, alongside the innovative Newcomer Youth Leadership Project (NYLP). The event, which took place at Skills for Change office located at 791 St. Clair West in Toronto, garnered widespread participation and praise from attendees and community organizations.

The Connections Fair focuses primarily on newcomer youth ages 16-29. It is rare to find an event like this, which caters to the unique yet complex experiences of newcomer youth. The Connections Fair served as a platform for newcomer youth to connect with local employers, educational institutions, and community organizations. All the organizations present either had opportunities that were exclusively for newcomer youth, or had the proper resources and capacities to support newcomer youth.

Attendees had the opportunity to explore various career paths such as: bridging programmes, access job opportunities sessions, educational programs, and support services available to them.

Amidst the buzz of the fair, Skills for Change also highlighted the Newcomer Youth Leadership Project, which is designed to foster leadership skills and empower young newcomers to become agents of change in their communities. Through a series of workshops and hands-on experiences, participants will develop essential leadership competencies, gain valuable insights into Canadian society, and build networks that will support their personal and professional growth.

Newcomer Youth Settlement Worker, Nour Ramzi at Skill for Change, explained that newcomer youth bring with their passion, talent, and grit to empower themselves and their communities, and the Newcomer Youth Leadership Project (NYLP) including the Connections Fair- offer them the: resources, connections, and support they need to achieve more equity in their settlement journeys.

She further explained that the NYLP was born out of a gap in programming for newcomer youth. There was a scarcity of programming that was relevant and actionable. However, based on the feedback from several focus groups and surveys disseminated in January 2024 to newcomer youth in Toronto, the NYLP is youth-centered at its core.

“Its goals are two-fold: one of them is to empower newcomer youth by growing their skills, building their professional portfolios, and giving them hands on experience to not only talk the talk but also walk the walk. Another is to work with them to foster and grow their social and professional networks, including their access to streamlined and uncomplicated resources and information. Thus, the Connections Fair was born,” Ramzi said.

Ramzi continued: “To create a space where NYLP participants can: practice what they have been learning, connect with organizations currently looking for volunteers, interns, and, or students and find their next opportunity, all under one roof.”

The event drew a diverse crowd of: newcomer youth, community leaders, employers, and service providers, underscoring the importance of collaboration and partnership in supporting the successful integration of newcomers into Canadian society.

Attendees expressed their enthusiasm for the initiatives launched by Skills for Change, highlighting the positive impact it will have on the lives of newcomer youth and the broader community.

One of the attendees, Shannick Dawkins, said, “It sounds cliché but it is true that our young people are the future. The level of guidance and support we give to them will ultimately determine the kind of future we will have. As such we need to help young people to learn and grow to become productive and law-abiding members of the society.”

As Canada continues to welcome immigrants from around the world, initiatives like the Connections Fair and Newcomer Youth Leadership Project play a crucial role in ensuring that newcomers have the support and resources they need to succeed. Skills for Change offer more than 25 programs and services, and annually serve 20,000+ people, including: newcomers, immigrants, refugees, women, seniors, youth, Black Canadians, and members of LGBTQ+ community with services in: settlement, language training, employment, career development, mental health, leadership, entrepreneurship, climate change and more.