Markham Stouffville Review, November 2023

4 MARKHAM STOUFFVILLE REVIEW COMMUNITY NOVEMBER 2023
A lifetime of helping youth
Seneca grads can launch
medical careers in Grenada
BY ANDREW FUYARCHUK
Bonnie Harkness, chief operating officer
of 360kids, describes the organization
and shares her experiences and impressions
of young people in Markham and York
Region.
Harkness has worked with youth for
over thirty years and has been working with
them in York Region for over twenty-four
years, initially, at Youth Homes in Markham
in 1996. Since referrals were coming from
Richmond Hill, she became the director of
Home Base Drop-in Centre in Richmond
Hill. It is now known as Richmond Hill
Youth Hub. She also served as the director
of Big Brothers and Sisters in Durham
before joining 360kids.
360kids is dedicated to the long-term
success and well-being of low-risk to multibarriered
youth the latter of whom may be
homeless or at risk of homelessness. To that
end, they manage employment programs,
house young people on a broad spectrum,
provide family support and help to stabilize
those with possible drug addiction or
possible exploitation by human traffickers.
Their motto is “Every kid matters. No kid is
left behind.”
Harkness reflects on the youth today,
“In the past, trade schools were there to
help but when they were phased out, people
who ought to have been placed there were
channelled into academic streams. This
created anxiety for them.” She explains that
immersion in technology is also creating
problems. Young people benefit most from
healthy social interactions, but the technologies
they use today stand in the way.
Harkness adds that in addition to academic
pressures and the negative influence of technology
on social skills, youth are experiencing
stress at home. She explains that further
stress is added when middle-class families
are getting by paycheque to paycheque.
One of her memorable experiences
happened late at night at a bus stop in
Newmarket. She had just finished work and
recognized a man she remembered having
helped twenty years ago. He hugged her and
said, “I was thinking of you last week.” He
told her about his life and success. Harkness
reflects, “What we do today really matters
to their future.”
Harkness relates that there is poverty
in Markham. There are multigenerational
families living together, and some youth
in Markham are ending up on the streets.
“Kids left on the street are preyed upon by
drug dealers and pimps. That is our competition.”
Since support services in the city
are lacking, “360kids” partners with community
centres to help young people access
services.
As COO of 360kids, Harkness is
resilient. She solves problems and overcomes
obstacles to deliver the best service
possible. She concludes, “Our backyard is
their backyard. They have a right to live and
be successful in their own communities.”
A new partnership opens the door for
Seneca Polytechnic graduates to launch their
careers as medical doctors at a university on
the tropical island of Grenada in the West
Indies.
A new partnership with St. George’s
University will offer qualified Seneca students
fast-track status and expedited entry
into the five- or six-year M.D. programs at
the St. George’s School of Medicine.
“We are excited to offer this direct
pathway to M.D. programs,” says Marianne
Marando, Vice-President of Academic &
Students at Seneca Polytechnic. “This new
partnership will provide our students with
an outstanding opportunity to pursue further
studies in medicine and the long history of
excellent medical education at St. George’s
makes them an ideal partner.”
St. George’s draws students and faculty
from 140 countries to its programs in
medicine, veterinary medicine, public health,
science and business. Its School of Medicine
is accredited by the Grenada Medical and
Dental Council, which is recognized by the
World Federation for Medical Education.
Seneca students can apply for the
special admissions pathways to St. George’s
when applying to or while enrolled at the
polytechnic. In addition to completing all
required prerequisite coursework, they must
maintain a strong undergraduate GPA and
score competitively on relevant entrance
exams.
Seneca’s Arts and Science – University
Transfer diploma program graduates
who complete all required prerequisites
enter St. George’s five-year M.D. program.
Pre-Health Sciences Pathway to Advanced
Diplomas & Degrees certificate program
graduates who meet St. George’s admissions
standards enter the six-year program.
Students in the five-year track must
complete one year of preclinical coursework
in Grenada, while those in the six-year
track will complete two years of preclinical
coursework there. Students in both programs
can then complete their first year of medical
study in Grenada or at Northumbria University
in the U.K. Students will complete their
second year of medical study in Grenada and
their final two years in clinical rotations at
affiliated hospitals in the U.S. and the U.K.
Publisher
Nicole Fletcher
General Manager
Duncan Fletcher
Creative Design
Sam Pun
Editorial Contributors
Jeff Jones
Connor Simonds
George Redak
Andrew Fuyarchuk
Stephen Sweet
Nick Cagna
Rebecca Simkin
178 Main Street, Suite 306, Unionville, ON
nicolefletcher@rogers.com
(416) 884-4343