YouthLink Transition Program
KidSafe ensures that for the youth we serve, the transition into adolescence is not one they have to make alone. YouthLink is our youth transition program that connects the youth graduating out of our break programs each year with the community programs and services they need to support a healthy transition into high school. The YouthLink program runs from the time the youth are in grade 8 right through until they graduate high school.
Through YouthLink, we provide:
A Youth Worker to work 1:1 with each youth to develop an integrated support plan
Referral to free spaces in external community programs and social services that meet each youth’s unique interests and needs
A monthly transit pass to help youth access programs and services regularly.
Help connect participants with extracurricular activities and help pay for any associated fees and equipment (e.g. basketball shoes, dance classes, musical instruments, art supplies etc.).
YouthLink Youth Workers are all 19 or older and have an up to date criminal record check. Frequent training opportunities are offered to Youth Workers and have regular check-ins with KidSafe managers throughout the YouthLink program.
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My Goals
My Goals is where the participant chooses 3 goals they want to achieve within a year, and breaks it down further into the steps it’ll take to get to their goal to make sure they’re still on track. Each year the goals will be updated and so that by the time the youth graduates, they’ll be able to see what they have accomplished with KidSafe.
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3 in 3
3 in 3 is where the participant chooses 3 things they want to try within the next 3 months. These things can be anything fun, new, wild, crazy, exciting that they want to do. Trying new things helps participants to learn more about themselves, and helps them to safely get out of their comfort zone and grow.
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Volunteer/Employment Opportunities
As part of the YouthLink program, interested participants are given unique employment opportunities with KidSafe. In order to coach and allow youth to grow into their roles to work on-site, they begin as volunteers/”staff-in-training”, with a structured set of goals to strive towards, before being hired on as employees.
Eligibility, Expectations, and Opportunities
Eligibility to be part of the YouthLink program comes from youth having participated in the KidSafe Break Programs and participants are at least 12 years of age. For the YouthLink program to be successful for the youth, youth need to be committed to regular meetups with their Youth Worker and to be cooperating with KidSafe and their guidelines.
Once a youth has been referred to the YouthLink program, a KidSafe Youth Worker will get in contact with both the participant and the parent or guardian of the participant to organize the first meetup.
The YouthLink program runs throughout the school year and breaks during the school holidays. Expectations of the number of meetups with the Youth Workers include: