We started as a provincially funded youth employment secretariat, and although it was a hard start, I'd say a real benefit of the start was that the provincial government at the time would invest a certain platform of dollars and match either donations or in-kind contributions to the organizations. They might have approved a couple of hundred thousand dollars in funding, but only if you got a couple of hundred thousand dollars' worth of contributions from the community. They would match that. I'd say that created within this organization a spirit that is phenomenally community based.
For example, we have a federal training program that's delivered through something called ISE. We can purchase short-term training from a registered educational institution to leverage employment opportunities in high-demand areas for youth. In London, for example, we purchase customer-care training from Fanshawe College. They deliver it on-site at our facility.
The young people who we support would not go to the college. It's a physical barrier and an emotional barrier. They just wouldn't go. We can coach the college staff. They have amazing expertise, but what they don't necessarily have is a platform for how to engage with a vulnerable population, with a marginalized population. We work with them on curriculum adjustments, and the feedback we get from the youth who go through this program is amazing.