“Some people really care…….for a long time in my life I didn’t believe this”

For a few years during my late teens, I faced plenty of struggles in my home life which involved stints in group homes and trying to live on my own in apartments.  Getting connected with St. Francis Foundation and specifically the Youth Are Working program, gave me the motivation to return to school, complete my high school, and get a trade”.  YAW as we sometimes call it, was a 26 week program that targeted youths facing employment and educational barriers. I thought that this was a great idea to get to where I needed to be. The program officially started in February 2004 and I could not have been more excited. The first six weeks were in class lessons dealing with resumes, cover letters, employability skills and even first aid. Everything was group oriented and easy to understand. After the initial six weeks of in class, it was time for the work term. There were many to choose from, but we had to decide amongst ourselves who was best suited for what. I would eventually pick the Memorial University Botanical Gardens. This was the first time that I had done any real work, and it felt good to have a reason to get out of bed every morning. I settled in ever so quickly and formed a routine of tasks that were to be done daily, however I did learn a great deal from this place. When you work around so many intelligent and experienced people it begins to rub off.

The summer had passed before I knew it and everything was coming to a close but it was not over yet. Before I finished the Youth Are Working Program Hugo McCarthy, the Program Manager, and I sat down and hatched out a plan for getting me back in school. There weren’t many options for me to take advantage of; the only logical choice was to apply for the Adult Basic Education program, offered at the College of the North Atlantic. I would later be accepted to the program and complete it with relative ease, although there was no instruction given.

The staff at Youth Are Working never lost contact with me and were always there to keep me on the right track, all the way to the finish. Now that I had accomplished getting my high school diploma I knew what was next, I had previously applied to the college for the Industrial Electrician program and was accepted for the September 2006 intake.

And where am I today?  I completed the Industrial Electrician course at Seal Cove campus of CONA with a 90% average in 2007. I applied for work in Alberta and I am now working a rotation shift as I complete my apprenticeship. Looking back, I could have easily not made it to where I am today, without the guidance, without having people push me to my potential, without having people around me who cared enough to see me make it. This is what happens when you join Youth Are Working, they help you in all areas of your life and most of all, ‘believe in you”.

– Robbie