This webinar was hosted by YouthREX.

HERE’S HOW THE HOSTS DESCRIBE THIS WEBINAR:

How has COVID-19 affected how youth programs are supporting and working with young people? How are youth programs physically distancing while ensuring social connectedness for youth? How are the needs of youth, families, and communities changing as a result of the pandemic? What challenges and opportunities exist for the youth sector?

YouthREX launched an interactive online conversation series on how the Ontario youth sector is adapting to shifting contexts as a result of COVID-19.

When the pandemic hit, youth programs did not just pack up but continued their relentless search for ways to keep supporting better outcomes for Ontario’s youth!

Each instalment features different youth programs and advocates to explore how they are pivoting their approaches to youth engagement, programming, and advocacy; the issues that are emerging as priorities in their work; the lessons they are learning (and unlearning); and ways they are adapting in real time during this unprecedented period.

This conversation, co-hosted by Kathe Rogers (YouthREX’s Knowledge Exchange Manager) and Cyril Cromwell (YouthREX’s Learning and Development Manager), featured Stephen Lockwood, Job Placement Specialist, Abbi Lint, Youth Mentor, and a youth participant from Youth Opportunities Unlimited in London. Learn about how the team at Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) is continuing to provide services and mentorship opportunities, and how their social enterprise businesses, specifically their YOU Made It Café, have been impacted by the pandemic.

YOU provides a caring, active place for youth to build skills, confidence, and independence – helping youth reach their potential through education, skills training, and employment – and works with more than 22 partners to maximize opportunities for youth. YOU has been a national leader in social enterprise since opening their first in 1996; they now operate five social enterprise businesses to offer on-the-job skills training to youth. Follow on Twitter.