Healthy Communities • Y Stories • YMCA Employment Programs • YMCA Youth Programs
Award-winning YMCA of Greater Toronto leader is helping to change the lives of youth
06 September 2018 - by YMCA of Greater Toronto
Stephanie Chan is one of the latest leaders from YMCA of Greater Toronto Employment Services to receive an award. Earlier this year, she won the York Region District School Board Vice-Principal Community Service Award for her work running the Skills Development for Youth program. This 12-week program helps youth attain common certifications and improve job search skills, while offering paid incentives to participants.
In her role as program facilitator, Stephanie is responsible for recruiting program participants through outreach to community partners, including schools, other employment and community centres, and the Chinese Social Services Network (York Region). She then conducts orientation sessions and one-on-one interviews with potential candidates in order to identify the 8 participants who take part in each 12-week session.
Stephanie is proud of the relationships she has established with local schools; in fact, she was nominated for the Community Service Award by a contact at Markville Secondary School in Unionville. Stephanie feels her greatest impact is in her ability to reach students. The connections she fosters helps the school support youth who are often otherwise hard to reach. She also helps foster communication between parents and schools through clear communication and bridging gaps between parents who only speak Chinese, and teachers only speak English.
When working with youth participants directly, Stephanie is observant and goes out of her way to make her workshops more interactive. She tries to minimize slides, and conduct more discussions, activities and games. This helps engage the youth, and to create a better atmosphere for learning and development. Her goal: to create an environment for youth to gain the skills they require in the workforce, and transform their lives.
If you are interested in applying for the Skills Development for Youth program, or need help navigating the employment landscape, and seeking and finding work that matches your skills, book a meeting today at a YMCA Employment Centre near you.
In her role as program facilitator, Stephanie is responsible for recruiting program participants through outreach to community partners, including schools, other employment and community centres, and the Chinese Social Services Network (York Region). She then conducts orientation sessions and one-on-one interviews with potential candidates in order to identify the 8 participants who take part in each 12-week session.
Stephanie is proud of the relationships she has established with local schools; in fact, she was nominated for the Community Service Award by a contact at Markville Secondary School in Unionville. Stephanie feels her greatest impact is in her ability to reach students. The connections she fosters helps the school support youth who are often otherwise hard to reach. She also helps foster communication between parents and schools through clear communication and bridging gaps between parents who only speak Chinese, and teachers only speak English.
When working with youth participants directly, Stephanie is observant and goes out of her way to make her workshops more interactive. She tries to minimize slides, and conduct more discussions, activities and games. This helps engage the youth, and to create a better atmosphere for learning and development. Her goal: to create an environment for youth to gain the skills they require in the workforce, and transform their lives.
If you are interested in applying for the Skills Development for Youth program, or need help navigating the employment landscape, and seeking and finding work that matches your skills, book a meeting today at a YMCA Employment Centre near you.
