School + Work

Genesis

There are three Genesis Schools, each staffed with a teacher from the Vancouver School Board and a youth worker from PLEA. The program provides students, age 16-18 years, with a flexible learning environment that encourages them to identify and pursue educational and vocational goals. The Genesis Schools provide a positive learning experience for each student and strive to reconnect students to school and community. Individualized, student driven, self-paced programming is designed to meet the academic, personal and social needs of each student. The schools combine to offer recreational programming, and initiatives such as Yardworks provide job readiness training and vocational opportunities for students.

Yardworks

Yardworks is an initiative that allows students to participate in a venture that provides them with valuable work experience and skills required to enter the workforce. Under the close supervision of PLEA staff, the students provide customers with a variety of services, including junk removal, lawn care and garden maintenance. Participating students are paid an hourly wage and additional earned revenue is utilized to purchase and maintain equipment. This social enterprise is part of the school programs at Genesis and GOAL.

GOAL

GOAL is provided through a partnership between School District #43, the Ministry of Children and Family Development and PLEA. Our Youth Development Workers provide comprehensive support to young people by engaging them individually and in groups (where appropriate) to accomplish their goals. The program includes academic curriculum, life skills, recreational activities and work experience through our Yardworks program. We also work with young people and their families to reduce risk factors and increase their protective factors.

Connex

Connex provides comprehensive support services to youth who are referred by their probation officers to access support services around academic curriculum, life skills, and recreational activities. The program is provided through a partnership between School District #42, the Ministry of Children and Family Development and PLEA. Youth are able to access our support services after regular school hours and during the summer. We also work with youth and their families to reduce their risk factors and increase their protective factors.

The Key Program

The Key Program is an alternate school program for North Shore youth in grade eight to 10 who have previously experienced difficulty in mainstream schools. This program gives youth an opportunity to attend a day program in a safe, positive and caring environment that facilitates change and growth. The Key Program is committed to providing individual academic programming for each student in order to develop the necessary skills for them to integrate back into the mainstream school system, pursue vocational/job training programs or secure employment. It is a unique program, delivered and mutually supported by the Ministry of Children and Family Development, North Vancouver School District and Hollyburn Family Services.

Q – Creative Urban Employment

The Q Program provides opportunities for youth who are not enrolled in school and have little or no job experience. The program combines work experience and employment opportunities with an employment and life skills training that improves participants’ level of employment readiness. The Q team helps participants develop the life skills they need to apply for, secure and maintain employment, and provides them with consistent support and encouragement.

Career Path

Career Path provides meaningful employment and mentoring to young people, age 15-18, that will result in a real job with strong prospects to carry forward into adulthood. The program combines intensive one-to-one support and supervision, job placements and employer mentoring with a variety of training and educational opportunities. The program provides a practical, multidisciplinary approach to employment by increasing the youth’s ability to function in work and community environments. Career Path will collaborate with and support employers who offer employment preparation and apprenticeship programs and who are willing to mentor the participant in the workplace.