SfC Magazine - February 2018

Helping
Youth to
THRIVE
SfC gives an inside look
into the many ways we’re
supporting youth in the GTA
and Southwestern Ontario
Over the last several years, Skills for Change has been successfully
supporting and guiding youths of all ages through a wide range
of programming and initiatives. The Jane-Finch community
was selected as the area of focus through much research and
community conversations.
“I’m honestly so glad I found
out about this program…Since we’ve
started I’ve learned so much on how to
become a better leader and person and much
more, and I’m excited to share what I’ve learned
and gained with my community as well! Through
the program, I managed to not only learn but
also grow as both a person while reflecting on the
various skills we learned each week. I wish it
had gone on longer because it was truly a life
changing program!”
Reia Tariq, Jane-Finch Community
Impact Hub participant
As one of the most marginalized communities in the City of
Toronto, the Jane-Finch community faces a range of social issues
related to poverty, social isolation, and lack of services. The atrisk
youth residing in Jane-Finch are part of an overall trend in
Canada towards increased spatial segregation according to race
and class. Jane-Finch experiences higher than average rates
of single parent households, unemployment and participation
rates, the lowest neighbourhood equity
scores in the city, low high school
graduation rates, and percentage of
low-income residents and those on
social assistance, compared to the
City of Toronto as a whole (City
of Toronto, 2011a, 2011b, 2014;
Ramchad et al., 2012). The abovementioned
barriers encountered
by youth in this area lead to social
and economic alienation, feelings
of detachment from school, lack of
safe recreational spaces, as well as peer
delinquency and violence. While many
youths struggle to complete high school, others find difficulty
locating sustainable, well-paying employment and become more
susceptible to negative influences such as gangs, drugs, and
other punishable activities.
At Skills for Change, we believe these barriers are significant
but not intractable, and more importantly, that they can be
changed for the better by informed, directed, and community-
6 Volume 2 - Feb 2018