Business community is stepping up to the challenges faced by at-risk youth
Because the Toronto Board of Trade is a business organization, many people assume it’s only concerned with issues such as taxes and regulation. However, in a global economy, the quality of life in a city is second only to its economic strength as the key factor to attract jobs, investment and talented, creative workers.
In order to be a great place to do business, a city must first be a great place to live. Therefore issues such as youth crime, poverty and the lack of economic opportunities for some people in Toronto are of great concern.
Cities need to be great places to live, work and raise families. As business people, we want Toronto to be the greatest place to invest, grow and succeed.
For all of these reasons, the business community is stepping up to the challenges faced by at-risk youth in our city. By doing so we not only help address the root causes of youth crime, we can also take advantage of the tremendous pool of talented, bright and eager young people.
So many young people are “at risk” because of where they live or their circumstances, not because of who they are. These are fellow citizens who don’t always feel like they belong and do not see any doors open for them. They do not want to be at risk, they want to be part of society, belonging and succeeding.
In other words, it is an HR challenge.
Throughout 2005, as Toronto’s increased gun violence and youth crime made international news, we spoke to many people about this issue — community leaders, police, youth workers, ethnic business people, residents, social workers and experts.
We asked all of them the same question: “What can the business community do to help?”
The answer was always the same. There is no single, simple solution. But one thing businesses can do to make a tremendous difference is create more opportunities for the youth who need them most.
Social agencies are already doing a great job of identifying youth at risk and helping make them job-ready with additional skills and training. The city government was already working with all of those groups to provide support and to collate the resumés of the qualified young people coming out of these programs.
The missing element was the final link in the HR chain — the actual employment opportunities.
So, we created a new program, Youth ONE, to encourage Toronto’s business community to provide those opportunities.
Quite simply, we are calling on those who make the hiring decisions in Toronto companies, from HR managers to CEOs, to set aside at least one of their upcoming positions for an at-risk youth from a vulnerable neighbourhood.
The ‘ONE’ in Youth ONE stands for ‘Opportunities, Neighbourhoods and Employment’. It also stands for the number one, as in “one job,” “one apprenticeship” or “one opportunity.”
It often takes only one opportunity to completely rewrite a young person’s life. It can take someone from “at risk” to “at work”; from being shut out to being a real member of and contributor to society.
For every life that can be turned around, there is a family that benefits. There is one less person that may be sucked into a life of crime or wasted potential. And there is one more person to serve as a positive role model, inspiring other young people and showing them there are positive options for their lives.
That’s why the slogan of Youth ONE is “Building our neighbourhoods, one job at a time.”
Youth ONE is aimed at creating 1,000 new employment opportunities for at-risk youth. We are doing that by helping bring employers and youth together through the city’s Youth Employment Partnerships (YEP) program.
YEP operates in the 13 neighbourhoods across Toronto identified as “priority” neighbourhoods through research by the United Way and city officials. It seeks out and screens young people with the skills and motivation to succeed, then looks for willing employers who will give youth a chance.
And that’s where the Toronto Board of Trade and its 10,000 members come in. We only need a fraction of them to step up to the plate and offer just one opportunity each to meet the goal.
There have already been dozens of commitments from companies to create employment opportunities. I’ve been particularly encouraged by the variety of employers coming forward, from a small software company with a dozen employees to mid-sized manufacturers, large law firms and multinational corporations.
So what can HR professionals in the Toronto area do to help? First, identify an employment opportunity to offer to an eager young person. It can be a full-time job, summer job, apprenticeship, internship or training position.
Then, go to the City of Toronto’s website at www.toronto.ca or call the jobs hotline at (416) 397-JOBS and sign up for YEP.
The experts there will match the job description with their pre-screened applicants and send over some matching resumes. You can then go through your normal hiring procedures and determine which, if any, of the highly qualified young people you want to select.
Companies outside of Toronto don’t have to wait for a Youth ONE-like program to start up in their city. Your community likely has a city-run or social agency-based initiative to help create opportunities for at-risk youth.
I have challenged every employer in Toronto to pick up the phone or visit the website and take the simple steps that will change a life. But every business in Canada has a stake in reducing youth crime, strengthening neighbourhoods and improving the local economy.
As an HR professional, you have the power to help build your neighbourhoods, one job at a time.
Glen Grunwald is president and chief executive officer of the Toronto Board of Trade. For more information about Youth ONE visit www.bot.com/youthone.
In order to be a great place to do business, a city must first be a great place to live. Therefore issues such as youth crime, poverty and the lack of economic opportunities for some people in Toronto are of great concern.
Cities need to be great places to live, work and raise families. As business people, we want Toronto to be the greatest place to invest, grow and succeed.
For all of these reasons, the business community is stepping up to the challenges faced by at-risk youth in our city. By doing so we not only help address the root causes of youth crime, we can also take advantage of the tremendous pool of talented, bright and eager young people.
So many young people are “at risk” because of where they live or their circumstances, not because of who they are. These are fellow citizens who don’t always feel like they belong and do not see any doors open for them. They do not want to be at risk, they want to be part of society, belonging and succeeding.
In other words, it is an HR challenge.
Throughout 2005, as Toronto’s increased gun violence and youth crime made international news, we spoke to many people about this issue — community leaders, police, youth workers, ethnic business people, residents, social workers and experts.
We asked all of them the same question: “What can the business community do to help?”
The answer was always the same. There is no single, simple solution. But one thing businesses can do to make a tremendous difference is create more opportunities for the youth who need them most.
Social agencies are already doing a great job of identifying youth at risk and helping make them job-ready with additional skills and training. The city government was already working with all of those groups to provide support and to collate the resumés of the qualified young people coming out of these programs.
The missing element was the final link in the HR chain — the actual employment opportunities.
So, we created a new program, Youth ONE, to encourage Toronto’s business community to provide those opportunities.
Quite simply, we are calling on those who make the hiring decisions in Toronto companies, from HR managers to CEOs, to set aside at least one of their upcoming positions for an at-risk youth from a vulnerable neighbourhood.
The ‘ONE’ in Youth ONE stands for ‘Opportunities, Neighbourhoods and Employment’. It also stands for the number one, as in “one job,” “one apprenticeship” or “one opportunity.”
It often takes only one opportunity to completely rewrite a young person’s life. It can take someone from “at risk” to “at work”; from being shut out to being a real member of and contributor to society.
For every life that can be turned around, there is a family that benefits. There is one less person that may be sucked into a life of crime or wasted potential. And there is one more person to serve as a positive role model, inspiring other young people and showing them there are positive options for their lives.
That’s why the slogan of Youth ONE is “Building our neighbourhoods, one job at a time.”
Youth ONE is aimed at creating 1,000 new employment opportunities for at-risk youth. We are doing that by helping bring employers and youth together through the city’s Youth Employment Partnerships (YEP) program.
YEP operates in the 13 neighbourhoods across Toronto identified as “priority” neighbourhoods through research by the United Way and city officials. It seeks out and screens young people with the skills and motivation to succeed, then looks for willing employers who will give youth a chance.
And that’s where the Toronto Board of Trade and its 10,000 members come in. We only need a fraction of them to step up to the plate and offer just one opportunity each to meet the goal.
There have already been dozens of commitments from companies to create employment opportunities. I’ve been particularly encouraged by the variety of employers coming forward, from a small software company with a dozen employees to mid-sized manufacturers, large law firms and multinational corporations.
So what can HR professionals in the Toronto area do to help? First, identify an employment opportunity to offer to an eager young person. It can be a full-time job, summer job, apprenticeship, internship or training position.
Then, go to the City of Toronto’s website at www.toronto.ca or call the jobs hotline at (416) 397-JOBS and sign up for YEP.
The experts there will match the job description with their pre-screened applicants and send over some matching resumes. You can then go through your normal hiring procedures and determine which, if any, of the highly qualified young people you want to select.
Companies outside of Toronto don’t have to wait for a Youth ONE-like program to start up in their city. Your community likely has a city-run or social agency-based initiative to help create opportunities for at-risk youth.
I have challenged every employer in Toronto to pick up the phone or visit the website and take the simple steps that will change a life. But every business in Canada has a stake in reducing youth crime, strengthening neighbourhoods and improving the local economy.
As an HR professional, you have the power to help build your neighbourhoods, one job at a time.
Glen Grunwald is president and chief executive officer of the Toronto Board of Trade. For more information about Youth ONE visit www.bot.com/youthone.
