Human Resources committee  I would certainly focus on new Canadians because the schools are overwhelmed, quite honestly, and they are really having a lot of difficulty servicing these kids and getting them the language. These are kids who don't speak English or French and are all of a sudden thrown into the school system, and they really struggle.

Human Resources committee  They participate with the regular program, with all of them. It's interesting. I've had a number of parents say to me that they sent their kids to the Boys and Girls Club to learn what it is to become Canadian, and I love that. We try to integrate learning, though, from other cultures.

Human Resources committee  Yes, I would love to see it go back to 16 weeks, because, as I said before, they're not getting a great work experience in eight weeks. That's one of the things, and 16 weeks allows many students to see different parts of the workplace, not just one. The other thing is that tuition is just so expensive these days, especially for the kids we see at the Boys and Girls Club, that they have to be working the 16 weeks.

Human Resources committee  I think you're 100% right. That is something we have been spending a lot of time looking into at the Boys and Girls Club. For example, in Ottawa, we've convened something we call the leadership round table, where we've invited everybody who does leadership training—the City of Ottawa and many other non-profits—to participate.

Human Resources committee  Their 19th birthday.

Human Resources committee  I can talk about what we have available at the Boys and Girls Club. We have homework clubs. That's probably our primary program across the country. We also have Raise the Grade, which is a really great program. It's a one-on-one mentorship program where we match a student. You can start in grade 8 and go up to grade 12 in Ontario, or whatever your last grade is.

Human Resources committee  Yes, that definitely is a problem. We see some of those kids at the Boys and Girls Club. We work very closely with those youth to get them through high school. For some of them, it's just so challenging because of language, for example, a lot of the Syrian refugees. The younger kids who are in grades 1 and 2 are going to be fine, but when those kids who are coming are in grades 9 and 10, that's a lot more difficult.

Human Resources committee  We've tried to work across the country, but in particular in Vanier, with the other organizations that are serving aboriginal youth, like the Wabano Centre and the Ottawa Inuit Children's Centre. I think it's working in partnership with those who serve particularly the aboriginal youth, and being culturally sensitive.

Human Resources committee  I think that's what's been so great about the skills link program, and what's been very powerful in terms of engaging private sector employers to work with us and with the government on that. I think that's a key program to continue. I would encourage the continuance of that, just helping kids get that experience that they need to move on.

Human Resources committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you to the committee for inviting Boys and Girls Club to present as part of this important study. Although I'm the executive director in Ottawa, I'm actually here on behalf of Boys and Girls Clubs across the country. Normally, you would be hearing from my lovely director of public policy, Rachel Gouin, but she's not available, so I'm the pinch-hitter.