Ambassador Program
The Ambassador Program is a satellite program of Contact Alternative School, the Toronto District School Board, managed in partnership with PARC, Toronto Public Health and Central Toronto Youth Services (CTYS). PARC and CTYS are the agencies that nominate and sponsor youth in the program.
The Ambassador Program has great experience in working with youth at risk and recognizes that a combination of personal, family, and social conditions contributes, to school dropout, and other difficulties in our society. The Ambassador Program recognizes that given sufficient support youth can learn to use the skills they have to benefit themselves and the community. The key is to identify youth who are ready to move forward, value the skills that they come with, show them how they can use this knowledge to make the positive changes that they want in their lives, and support them as they learn be successful in new ways.
In a stable and safe environment, the goal is to develop positive, peer support to formulate interventions, which address personal, family, and social conditions, which may lead to; school dropout, drug abuse, violence and other social dysfunctions. Youth under 21 who have been involved with PARC and wish to re-enter the secondary school system may be offered the Ambassador Program. Youth can earn a combination of co-op and academic credits towards their continued education.
During the morning program, students work on individualized academic credits. In the afternoons, students participate in a cooperative education placement supervised by the Ambassador Program.
Social Purpose Enterprise:
Blue Sky DJ Services
BlueSKY is a mobile dj business servicing the Greater Toronto Area. BlueSKY is the only consumer-run, agency sponsored business in the history of Children's Aid Societies. It employs young men 16 to 24+, current and former dependents of CAS. BlueSKY provides individuals who face significant barriers to participating in the workforce and society in general the opportunity to develop dj skills as well as on-the-job experience as a dj.
BlueSKY's Goals are:
1. To increase the employment opportunities for youth-in-care and youth leaving the care of CAS while providing a fair wage,
2. To provide young men ages 15-24+ with an opportunity to learn job skills as well as life skills and experience successes to move forward on their own through the study and practice of djing.
3. To support unemployed young men who are seriously at-risk from the CAS in obtaining stable housing and re-entering the workforce and/or continuing education.
Youth who are hired are trained at the Scratch DJ Lab Institute, Canada’s first dj school and learn from some of North America's top djs in the industry. Youth are also expected to participate in various co-operative training programs such as life skills and preparation for full-time employment or post-secondary education. BlueSKY DJ Service is a temporary paid employment opportunity intended to support young men in furthering their education or seeking out full-time work.
BlueSKY DJ Service is proudly funded by the Toronto Enterprise Fund and the Children’s Aid Foundation.
The Blue Sky DJ Service is proudly funded by the Toronto Enterprise Fund and the Children’s Aid Foundation.
Youth can can apply for an employment opportunity through their PARC worker.
Contact BlueSKY's Manager George McClure 416-462-1010 ext. 31
