REGENT PARK REVITALIZATION RESHAPING LIVES
Youth program provides `runway' to `jumpstart' careers
The Regent Park redevelopment project is about much more than reshaping the physical landscape. It's also about reshaping lives and even providing a “runway” to help young people “jumpstart” their careers.
“From the outset, residents of Regent Park recognized the revitalization could be a powerful platform for capacity building and local economic development,” says Heela Omarkhail, vice president for social impact at The Daniels Corporation.
“In recognition of this principle, Toronto Community Housing (TCH) was intentional in prioritizing employment and training opportunities for Regent Park residents as a key goal of the redevelopment and Daniels has embraced this,” she says.
Daniels worked with employment service agencies within Regent Park to employ more than 50 TCH residents since the revitalization project began in 2007. “The youth-serving organizations in the community also identified that the lack of a social capital was often one of the missing links or barriers between Regent Park youth and employment opportunities in the corporate sector,” says Omarkhail.
Unlike peers whose parents, neighbours or friends could make a phone call and help them secure summer employment, many young people from Regent Park haven't had access to roles in corporate, not-for-profit and institutional sectors, she explains.
“We knew that Daniels could play a significant role in addressing that gap and leverage our networks in the banking, real estate, law, engineering, higher education and other professional industries.”
WORK PLACEMENTS
Moving Towards Opportunity (MTO) was piloted in 2015. The youth employment initiative for 16- to 18-year-olds living in Regent Park and surrounding neighbourhoods provides on-the-job training and paid work placements. “This has changed outcomes for young people and their families, propelling them into their future careers,” says Omarkhail.
The program aims to connect young people with work placements that match their career interests but even if the match isn't perfect, MTO participants still benefit. “They not only can learn about industries they may not have previously had exposure to but also gain soft skills and grow their networks,” she says.
“We have seen many instances where a participant has joined MTO with an interest in one career field but has discovered a new and greater interest in a completely different career path because of the employer they were placed with.”
One participant discovered a love of law during a placement with a law firm and decided to take university courses to help him prepare for law school. “We have seen firsthand that high school youth have diverse interests and although they may have an initial idea of the career path they want to follow, the reality is they are still exploring,” says Omarkhail.
“MTO gives them that freedom to explore and find a career that they can love or at the very least, experience a professional work environment and build both their skills and networks.”
NETWORKING
Regent Park resident Gazinajnin (Neha) Sultana followed in her sisters' footsteps and took part in the program in 2020. “Since my MTO cohort took place during the pandemic, the focus of the program was networking,” she says.
Sultana completed her placement with Daniels' social impact team. Her responsibilities included facilitating MTO workshops, which involved creating Powerpoint slides, connecting students to potential employers and organizing virtual coffee chats. She credits the experience with teaching her how to network and how to apply her email skills in a professional environment.
She's now at university and is interested in information sciences like library work, copywriting and archive management. “The MTO program left me with a very strong sense of confidence that I really didn't have growing up,” she says. “Because of my MTO experience, I ended up running for student government as a first-year representative and am now the president of the student government.”
Daniels intentionally incorporated language within its contracts with trades and consultants working on revitalization projects that underscores the importance of local hiring. Participating in MTO helps them fulfill that commitment while giving them a chance to train and evaluate the next generation of workers.
“Programs like the MTO arm employers with the talent and tools they need to innovate in a changing labour market by getting exposure to young talent and learn about new technologies and innovations to boost their businesses,” Omarkhail says.
“Participating in MTO is also an opportunity for these employers to create positive social impact in a community in which they work and, in many cases, contributing to diversifying their workforces, both of which are priorities for most businesses these days.”