McGuinty Government Providing More Summer Job Opportunities To Youth In Toronto 

     TORONTO, June 28 /CNW/ - Seven hundred and fifty youth from underserved

Toronto communities are gaining valuable skills and work experience as part of

the McGuinty government's Summer Jobs for Youth program, Minister of Children

and Youth Services Mary Anne Chambers announced today.

     "Now in its second year, Summer Jobs for Youth is providing young people

with the job readiness skills and the work experience they have told us they

need," said Chambers. "Youth and their parents have told us that last year's

program was very beneficial and that's why we are offering it again this year

so that more youth are given positive options to improve their life and job

skills."

     The Summer Jobs for Youth program is part of the government's three-year,

$28.5 million Youth Opportunities Strategy. It provides youth ages 15 to 18

with employment placements in a variety of fields such as recreation, business

and youth leadership.

     Another successful summer jobs program, Youth in Policing, is also

continuing in Toronto, providing opportunities for 100 youth ages 14 to 17 to

work with the Toronto Police Service. Through this initiative, young people

have an opportunity to work in a variety of areas, including technology,

forensic identification, community events and traffic safety.

     The government is investing approximately $5.4 million annually to

deliver the Youth Opportunities Strategy in Toronto. This includes salaries

for youth participating in the summer programs, as well as 35 new outreach

workers who work year round to help youth access services, programs and

supports they need.

     The ministry worked closely with community stakeholders and partners,

including the City of Toronto, the United Way of Greater Toronto and community

leaders, to identify Toronto's most underserved neighbourhoods. They are:

Crescent Town; Dorset Park; Eglinton East-Kennedy Park; Flemingdon

Park-Victoria Village; Jamestown; Jane-Finch; Kingston-Galloway; Lawrence

Heights; Malvern; Scarborough Village; Steeles-L'Amoureaux;

Westminster-Branson; and Weston-Mt. Denis.

     Minister Chambers met with participating youth and their employers at a

special orientation. She was joined by Scarborough Centre MPP Brad Duguid.

     "The Summer Jobs for Youth and Youth in Policing programs provide the

opportunity for young people to gain real work experience, obtain a job

reference for future employment, build self-confidence and make a positive

contribution to their communities," Duguid said. "These young people might

have otherwise been out of work for the summer."

     "This year youth are even more excited about the program as they have

seen the benefits for those who participated last year," said Carmen Brown

Harper, program coordinator at Tropicana Community Services, the agency

coordinating the Summer Jobs for Youth Program. "The program also offers one

high school credit to students who are doing their co-operative placements.

This is great as students get a chance to gain valuable work experience and at

the same time benefit educationally."

     The Youth Opportunities Strategy is one of the many steps the McGuinty

government has taken to create more opportunities for young people in Ontario.

Other initiatives include

     -   Youthconnect.ca, a youth-oriented website that helps young people by

         providing a forum geared specifically to them with access to

         information, services and resources.

     -   Almost $11 million of investments so far for the Youth Challenge

         Fund, an innovative public and private sector initiative that

         supports 58 youth led groups across Toronto's most underserved

         neighbourhoods

     -   $3 million in grants to a community-designed initiative in Toronto

         that encourages youth to lead lives free of violence

     -   Implementing Student Success teams in every secondary school to

         ensure that every at-risk student is connected with a caring adult.

     "Young people in these communities have told us that they are not often

given the opportunities they need to be successful," said Chambers. "But

employers will find they are eager to learn and willing to work hard."