Collective Impact
The Hastings County Youth Collective Impact project is led by the John Howard Society of Belleville and is aimed at improving graduation rates for youth in Hastings County for:
- Youth at risk of not receiving their high school diploma, and
- Youth who have already left school without a diploma.
Our project is focused specifically on understanding the needs of three subgroups of youth:
- Youth in Care
- Indigenous Youth
- Youth living in rural areas, specifically North Hastings
Why are graduation rates important?
Graduation rates are important because we know that youth who do not have a high school diploma are at risk for a number of other challenges. Check out some statistics on what happens to youth without a high school diploma.
Who is involved?
Our project brings together community partners from a number of agencies and organizations and is led by our Youth Peer Mentors. We are working together to try to do things differently and improve outcomes for youth.
Our Youth Peer Mentors are working with youth in our community that have reached out on their own or who been referred by a partner agency.
Youth are also involved in our project in the North, where a new Youth Community Centre is being developed.
All of this work is being completed with and for youth in our community. Youth themselves have helped design this project and lead our Collective to focus on issues and challenges that are meaningful to them. Our work is Trauma informed.
Want more information?
- Learn more about our Peer Mentorship program and meet our Peer Mentors.
- Lean about our project in the North (coming soon)
- Learn about our Workshops for Educators and Service Providers working with youth who are/have been involved in Children’s Aid.
- See our logic model for youth embedded roles (coming soon)
- When there’s a youth there’s a way – learn more about our youth embedded roles (coming soon)
- Resource links regarding how youth being at risk impacts involvement with criminal justice.
- Trauma/outreach resources.
The project is funded by the Youth Collective Impact initiative of the Laidlaw Foundation, the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation and sponsored by the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth (YCI).
Facebook: When There’s Youth There’s a Way
Instagram: @whentheresyouththersaway