Like thousands of other small town kids before her, Amber left home to seek adventure in the big city. And like so many others, Amber was unprepared and her path toward opportunity quickly veered onto one of drug and alcohol abuse.

Enterprise Services participants Sujee, Amber and Lis share a smile with YOU career counsellor, Ana Maria Escovar, second from left.

But Amber’s story has a happy ending thanks to her determination and the support of Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU). Formed the same year as the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) – 1982 – YOU helps approximately 3,000 London-area youth annually. Services include counselling, employability workshops, youth enterprises and emergency services. Since 2000, the organization has received several grants from OTF, the most recent to help expand YOU’s services to Strathroy, a community just outside London.

“We were using borrowed space in the town’s hockey arena,” says Stephen Cordes, YOU’s executive director. “We found a permanent home in Strathroy and Ontario Trillium Foundation funding allowed us to renovate the space and create a safe environment for kids to work, interact and come to for help.” 

Kids like Amber.

Two years ago, the then 22 year old walked into YOU’s main London office looking for help in getting her life back on track. 

“We have three divisions,” says Cordes. “Transitional support, Career Development and Enterprise Services. Under each of those umbrellas can be found many programs and service, but all are designed to help kids reach their potential and become self-sufficient.”

Transitional support is directed to meeting the immediate and basic needs of transient and street youth. This includes such things as food, shelter, medical care and safety. Other support involves counselling, outreach, life skills groups, advocacy, health and safety information and parenting education. Staff members also assist youth in finding permanent housing, educational opportunities, legal aid and other services.

Career Development deals with literacy issues, academic upgrading, employment preparation skills and obtaining work experience. All Career Development programs are available free of charge.

Finally, Enterprise Services engages young people in revenue-generating, youth-led businesses called Reuse It, Market Quality Preserves and YOU Made It. These involve commercial recycling, product development, manufacturing and retail operations.  

Amber was involved in all three areas of service.

“I began by seeing a counsellor once a week to deal with immediate issues,” she says. “When the counsellor decided I was ready, I took workshops in resume preparation and interview skills. YOU staff also helped me obtain suitable clothing for my job search.”

That search proved fruitless because, as Amber quickly discovered, she had few job skills. Not to be deterred, Amber went back to YOU and sought help from the Enterprise Services division.

Dustin, Justin and Pat take a breather at the Market Quality Preserves kiosk in downtown London.

“Many of the young people who come through our doors are disadvantaged, have limited education, no direction and little self-esteem,” says Cordes. “Enterprise Services is dedicated to getting them into paying jobs so they can gain work experience as they unlock their potential.”

Throughout their placement, participants attend employability workshops to improve their job readiness. Amber improved her computer skills while working first in YOU’s recycling business, then in their woodworking shop before finding something she enjoyed and at which she excelled: working with the Market Quality Preserves (MQP). At MQP, participants split their time between a kitchen and a retail kiosk at the Covent Garden Market in London, producing and selling more than a dozen products, including jams, jellies, BBQ sauces, salsa and relish. Amber loved working at the kiosk and was eventually promoted to team leader, managing inventory, staff and special projects.

“YOU is a fabulous organization,” says OTF program manager Sheila Simpson. “They really respond to what young people in the community, especially vulnerable youth, need. They have a very high success rate in job training and placement services and their Enterprise Services has received international recognition.”

In fact, YOU’s Enterprise Services earns more than 20 per cent of their funding needs. To further support their future funding goals, the organization has established a foundation.

“We expect to have the foundation in a position to make substantial grants to YOU within five years,” says Cordes. “Grants from OTF have helped get us to this point but now the goal is for YOU to be completely self-sustaining.”

Amber is well on her way to reaching her goals. She and her partner recently became parents but motherhood hasn’t slowed her down. She’s volunteering several hours a week at YOU and making plans to enroll in community college.

“I now have a direction,” she says. “My dream is to be employed full-time by YOU as a youth worker. I’m ready to pass on some of the skills YOU has given me.”