Meet Jennifer

The Youth Opportunities Program (YOP) has clients from various backgrounds, with various experiences and journeys worth mentioning. This story is about a client that states she had a “transformation in her life” after enrolling in YOP. Although this client had completed post-secondary education, various certification courses, and had previous work experience, she had low self-confidence and was not able to see her self-worth. In the initial 3 weeks of workshops, she was quiet, passive, and had difficulty identifying her skills. As part of the YOP requirements, clients are to complete a minimum of 3 counselling sessions with a clinician at Family Services of Peel. This client was reluctant to participate in the counselling, but did so anyway as it was part of the program requirements.

To everyone’s surprise, after completing the 3 counselling sessions, this client asked if she could receive additional counselling. Of course, that request was granted. Over time, this client shared with the YOP team that the counselling was able to help her identify and cope with several traumatic experiences from her past. In turn, she had gained more confidence and was able to perform well at her 16-week work placement.

This client told the Manager of the Youth Opportunities Program that her experience in the program changed her life. She was able to successfully complete her 16 week placement, was offered Full-Time employment at a reputable non-profit organization, and most importantly was able to gain confidence in herself.