Team 11- Co-op Opportunity for Preventing Youth Homelessness

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  A Co-op Opportunity for Preventing Youth Homelessness in Ontario Highschools

Group 11 - Collective Minds

Inspiration

Youth frequently experience obstacles in the school system. These are related to lack of available information and individual support from teacher and support staff and discrimination from other students which place them at risk of homelessness, despite motivation to stay and complete their schooling. Often, students don’t see schools and staff as helpful resources. Stable housing also has direct links to success in school and has been described as the “most significant predictor of high school completion”.

What it does

How we built it

A co-op program for students at risk of homelessness may be implemented in local schools to provide students with work experience that can equip them the skills they need to support their needs, while remaining in school and earning credits towards their Ontario Secondary School Diploma. Specifically, the co-op partners are strategically selected to naturally provide resources that homeless youth often struggle to provide themselves, for example, providing free meals or discounted products. Additionally, this initiative is designed so that students who complete the program can transition into peer mentors.

Built With

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