By Arlene Gerbasi
Special to The Toronto Sun

Obtaining the skills and experience necessary to land a job can be a daunting venture at the best of times.

Youth involved with Ground Level Youth Ventures have the opportunity to develop essential life skills and job training.

Add an incomplete high school education, a possible substance abuse problem, lack of family support and impermanent housing, and the task may seem insurmountable.

Since opening its doors in 1997, Ground Level Youth Ventures addresses the critical need to provide Toronto's street-involved youth -- age 16 to 24 -- with the support, encouragement and guidance required to gain essential life skills and job training.

Through word-of-mouth and partner agencies within the city, "street youth" are informed of the four-month program that offers self confidence and esteem building; discussions on those obstacles in their current lifestyle that may be preventing them from moving forward (providing support and options where needed); obtaining basic work related skills; creating a resume; punctuality and job commitment; and locating and keeping work.

Ground Level Youth Ventures places four individuals at one time, 12 over the course of a year, at the Ground Level Cafe located at Queen St. and Dovercourt Ave.

Participants are involved in the daily operation of business -- interacting with customers, filling food and beverage requests and dealing in cash transactions.

Here, individuals are paid through proceeds earned at the cafe, gain work experience adding to their resume, and develop self confidence.

It's unfortunate that today's society has the perception of street involved youth as being lazy, says Mike Wood Daly, director of programming, Ground Level Youth Ventures.

These kids show a great deal of initiative and a true desire to work. A number of past participants in the program have chosen to return to school, or are successfully employed either on a part- or full-time basis. Staff at Ground Level Youth Ventures continue to offer their support upon completion of the four-month contract.

"I would really like to see the program extend to six months," says Wood Daly. "Some of the issues these kids are dealing with can't be resolved within a four-month time frame."

Developing a stronger entrepreneurial aspect to the existing program would afford participates the opportunity to expand on their own business ideas.

One of only two agencies within the Toronto area that run programs expressly geared to assisting youth-at-risk clientele, the project receives funding from Human Resources Canada, the Ontario Trillium Foundation and private donations.

These funds are allocated specifically to the programs street involved youth participate in. Essentially, educated staff, sensitive to the needs of "street kids" are required to make these projects both beneficial and successful.

Ground Level Youth Ventures/Ground Level Cafe can be reached at 416-531-8268.

(Arlene Gerbasi is a Toronto-based freelance writer who can be reached at AGerbas1@aol.com.)



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