Following the closure of the Cowichan Family life Association and the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Cowichan valley, another community service organization is losing funding from the Federal government.
Cowichan Valley Youth Services says their Youth Employment Mentorship Program (YEMP), which is funded through Service Canada, will not run this year.
YEMP is a 12-week pre-employment program for youth between 15 and 30 years-old to get work experience and gain essential life skills.
“This program has been a really safe place for people to land,” said Elaine Webb, former YEMP Program Manager with CVYS. “Many youth we work with, their families are basically already on the street.”
In a press release CVYS says that 42 youth were registered to participate in YEMP this year.
Chris Schultz Board Chair at the CVYS says it’s disappointing and that “many youth have benefited from the program as well as many employers in the valley.”
CVYS says that business owners who participate in the program receive 6 weeks of wages.
One participant, Sandilea Gibson, says the program helped her business hire young employees. ““We have seen the major impact this team has had on youth that would otherwise end up in a system that costs instead of lends itself to the health and wellbeing of our youth,” adds Gibson.
Zoe Lauckner, Executive Director for CVYS says that changes in federal funding, restrictions on grant funds and challenging economic times are putting pressure on the non-profit social services sector.
