The Career Foundation - Completing the Circle Program

The Career Foundation is raising funds for our "We Believe in Youth" campaign. Since 1988, The Career Foundation has been positively impacting lives by facilitating employment and training opportunities for people looking for work.

Our youth clients benefit from several programs, including Completing the Circle (based in Mississauga and Hamilton, Ontario), Experience Ontario, Career Focus, Youth Job Link, Youth Job Connection, Youth Job Connection Summer, and Empowering Abilities. Without these programs, many youths facing barriers in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area would not have access to critical supports that are often required to sustain stable, healthy lives.

In 2016, The Career Foundation raised nearly $30,000 to help fund our reputable youth programs and to ensure that our youth clients achieve their employment goals through various services, including: job search coaching and strategy development, interview training, résumé writing and support, skills development, and beyond.

We help youth by paying for transportation costs to and from interviews, as well as interview clothing, food, new computers/software to enhance their job search experience, tutors, workshops, guest speakers, and other equipment to assist individuals who are blind, partially sighted, and/or deaf or hard of hearing with accessing the labour market.

The Career Foundation sincerely appreciates your kind donation to help us to continue providing such vital supports to youth in the GTHA. We Believe in Youth — and the potential they all have to make positive contributions to society!

Video Script:

David, Completing the Circle Project Coordinator: There are many youth out there who have barriers to employment.

Kyle, Completing the Circle client: Before I got here I was actually homeless and living with a group of homeless people at the abandoned bus shelter. I ended up there due to a stroke of bad luck. I feel like the people here [at The Career Foundation] actually care about you and what you’re going to do and accomplish.

David: You always work from the experience of the group. There are 15 people in a class; that’s 15 experiences in there. Add myself and an employment advisor — there are 17 experiences in there from all walks of life… So, we work with a pool of experience from the people who are there and we build on that.

Kyle: I work at a customer service call centre. I had been trying to get in there for years; never got it. Not once. [The Career Foundation] arranged a meeting between [the employer] and I. First time, got it in like that — like nothing. It’s the best job I’ve ever had, hands down. If you’re coming in here [to The Career Foundation’s CTC Program], all I’ve got to say is take is seriously because this is a real opportunity to change where you are and how things are for you right now. It’s a doorway to a better place, to actually get where you want to be.

David: These programs cost money, like everything often comes down to money… These programs cost money. But it is money well spent. If you look at the amount of money that it costs to keep a person on the benefits system for a lifetime, you know, that’s an awful lot of money.