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BCTC Project Now Underway!

© Keenan Wellar

As promised, I am following up on last month's article when I introduced the topic of employment training for youth with developmental disabilities, and also discussed the design and implementation of a new project designed to meet the particular needs of this population.

I am pleased to announce that the Bronson Community Thrift Centre (BCTC) project launched on June 21, as a work experience program that is being conducted in partnership with Youth Services Canada, a youth employment initiative of Human Resources Development Canada.

The program, which has been in development for over a year, has four main objectives:

1. Establish a community thrift centre that will offer affordable quality second-hand items to members of the Bronson Centre community building and their client populations.
2. Develop employment skills and work experience opportunities in authentic community settings for six young adults with developmental disabilities(the "Staff").
3. Develop employment skills and work experience opportunities in authentic community settings for two young adults withan interest in the field of developmental services (the "Supervisors").
4. Develop a career plan for both 2 and 3 above, and provide opportunities for all project participants to complete the BCTC program and enter into post-secondary education and/or employment.

What is unique about this project is that we have recognized that having a developmental disability or a related cognitive challenge is not necessarily the biggest barrier to employment.

If you do not have the self-confidence and self-reliance that comes from authentic experience, if you do not understand how to interact socially and professionally in the workplace, if you have never had a chance to develop a work ethic, and if you do not have any means to get your foot in the door of potential employers, you are not going to get a job. The actual disability or challenge is in many ways a secondary concern if all of these issues are not effectively addressed.

This project is offering these young adults the opportunity to take a leadership role in building something special from the ground up. They have a great deal of ownership in this process, and what they get out of this project will depend upon what they are willing to put into it.

In contributing to their community, they are going to have a legacy, and an experience that they can build upon as they progress towards competitive employment and greater independence in community living. There is an air of excitement surrounding this project. I think all of the participants can feel that, and they are responding beyond all expectations.

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