Thank you.
Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and honourable members of the committee.
My name is Julie-Ann Vincent. I am chief operating officer of the YMCA of Greater Halifax/Dartmouth, and I'm accompanied by my colleague Rebekah Skeete, director of employment services.
Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to speak about youth employment and the important role the YMCA plays both in Halifax/Dartmouth and across Canada in helping young people find meaningful work and build the foundation for lifelong success.
The YMCA's mandate is simple yet profound: to ignite the potential in people. This helps build stronger, healthier communities. A healthy community is one in which young people have equitable access to opportunities, including employment. The impact of this work extends far beyond a first job. It builds confidence, resilience and the skills needed for lifelong employability.
At the YMCA, youth are at the very core of what we do. Examples of youth-focused programming include settlement services, before and after school care, child care, health and wellness programs and employment services, including those designed specifically to help youth find employment and support their workplace readiness. These programs recognize the strengths and assets that youth bring to work as well as the unique barriers they face in finding meaningful employment.
We also do more than provide services for youth. We also bring the perspective of a youth employer. Last year alone, 260 youth were employed through our programs and operations, representing over 52% of our workforce. Among our leadership team, 12 of our leaders are youth, making up 18% of our leadership positions. That's just the YMCA of Greater Halifax/Dartmouth. Collectively, YMCAs employ more than 13,000 youth across the country. With 37 associations across Canada, YMCAs are among the country's leading youth employers. Organizations like the YMCA are major employers, innovators and economic drivers in our communities. These numbers reflect our belief that youth are not just tomorrow's leaders; they are also the leaders of today.
Today, we're here to talk about the challenges young people are facing when it comes to accessing employment. Specifically, we're here with three recommendations to improve the current challenges.
The first is to adopt a youth-centred, people-first approach. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Each young person brings unique strengths and unique challenges. Programs must be designed to meet youth where they are, recognizing their lived realities and building on their assets. We see first-hand how employment programs like the summer work student exchange, Canada summer jobs, and the youth employment and skills strategy program can alter the trajectory of lives. Programs like these support youth development and instill transferable skills—now appropriately called skills for success in ESDC's framework—for a variety of different careers and industries.
The second recommendation is sustained investment in community-based programming. Invest in what works—the continued and stable funding of community-based programs with demonstrated success and long-term impact. Earlier I mentioned that our experience has shown us that there is not a one-size-fits-all solution to youth gaining meaningful employment. Community-based organizations ensure that a variety of programs are offered to meet youth where they are, whether that is geographically, culturally, developmentally or their socio-economic status.
Further, proven youth employment models must be protected and expanded, not reimagined for every funding cycle. Funding programs that support pilots and innovative solutions are critical; however, there is a significant need for funding available to support programs that have been proven to work. If ongoing program funding is not available, programs enter the market and are then withdrawn, leading to instability and confusion, and it reduces the trust in the organizations providing these supports for youth.
The third recommendation is the recognition of the role that the social determinants of health play in youth employment. Employment interventions must support whole-person outcomes. Stable housing, food security, access to education, mental health support and a sense of belonging are prerequisites for employment success. They play a long-term, defining role in a young person's ability to succeed.
Investing in youth employment is an investment in healthy communities and a strong, inclusive Canadian workforce. The YMCA is proud to continue this work alongside government, employers and community organizations, and we are proud to stand with youth as they build the future of this country.
Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. We look forward to your questions.