Resume Workshop Series with YOES and Youth in Action!

Thanks to CultureLink's amazing Youth Online Employment Strategy (YOES) Program, we were able to put on a two-part workshop series about youth employment. On two separate event days, the youth learned to build resumes, write cover letters and they even got to learn about some interviewing skills. This was a big hit at the centre as many of our youth are interviewing for their co-op classes and for summer employment.

Thanks everyone for coming out and we wish you the best of luck on your employment efforts!

If you are interested in programs like this, contact Rachel at 

rbennett@culturelink.ca or 416-766-6288 x 238

Resume Workshop, THIS THURSDAY!

JOIN US AT THE CULTURELINK CHILDREN AND YOUTH CENTRE THIS THURSDAY FOR DAY ONE OF THE RESUME WORKSHOP SERIES!!!

Hospitality Focus Group for Newcomer Youth

Connect & Explore: Youth Networking Night with Mercer Canada

On November 30th, CultureLink's Youth Online Employment Strategy (YOES) joined forces with Mercer Canada to host a youth networking event at Mercer's Innovation Hub. 

Youth had an opportunity to connect with Mercer Canada professionals working in various sectors, from IT to Investments to Sales and Marketing and more. In small speed-networking groups, they had the chance to speak one-on-one with Mercer staff, ask them questions about their career paths, learn about jobs and explore new career opportunities. 

It was a great night filled with lively career conversations! 

Misbah and Tonnette sharing their career experiences with our Youth in Arts group and what lead them to a career in investments.

Haider and Dave sharing stories about their first jobs, lessons they have learned throughout the years and what they enjoy most about their current roles. 

Learning about a career as an Actuary with Seth and Guillaume and discussing the best advice they received throughout their careers so far.

George discussing his role as an IT professional working at back-end to help Mercer's global business moving smooth and robust just like oil to an engine.

We even had a chance to play few friendly rounds of ping-pong with Mercer staff to end the night!

There were a lot of great advice and information being shared.  Here are a few takeaways our youth shared with us:  

"I learned that if you fail, it doesn't mean it's the end of your chances, every no is a new chance for you." (14-year-old youth participant)

"[What I found to be the most useful] was being able to ask any question and get everyone's input on their career choices." (Youth Participant)

"[This event] helped me learn more about what to do in the future." (16-year-old youth participant)

Thank you, Mercer Canada for sharing personal stories and career advice with us! 

For more information about our Youth Online Employment Strategy (YOES) and future networking events, contact Asal at aafshar@culturelink.ca. 

Connect & Explore Youth Networking Event

We have heard it a million times before - when it comes to finding a job or deciding on a career path, networking is key!  But, whether you are young or old, networking can feel like quite the endeavor. Where do you start? How do you go about meeting and connecting with professionals willing to share their experience with you? What do you say?  What don't you say? 

With that in mind, CultureLink’s  Youth Online Employment Strategy (YOES) partnered with the Toronto Youth Equity Strategy (TYES) to host the first ever Connect & Explore Youth Networking event at City Hall this past April 13^th.

To help youth build their social capital and explore career opportunities in various sectors, we invited professionals from the healthcare, financial service, marketing & communications and non-profit sectors to share their experiences with youth.  Through interactive games and speed mentoring, youth had the chance to connect with a variety of  mentors in an open and fun environment, learn about their career paths, discover new career possibilities and receive advice from professionals working in the field.

Lively conversations could be heard throughout the night! The room was packed with youth and mentors sharing stories, personal challenges, job searching tips and much more!  Here are some photos of what went down: 

Our Graphic Designer/Illustrator mentor, Barb,  sharing her experience getting into her field.

Discussing a career in respiratory therapy with our mentors Monica (left) and Hibaq (right). 

Learning about the different careers in capital markets with our RBC Capital Markets mentors Catherine, Kirill and Hiren. 

Career advice and industry insights with our marketing and communication mentors Madelaine and Gelek. 

           Ending the speed mentoring sessions with some friendly competition and team-building. Pictured here are our enthusiastic mentors Malvika, Zarina, Jonah, Hiren and Catherine (left to right).

A big congratulations to our Networking Tower Challenge winners! 

This night would not have been possible without the dedication of our amazing placement team (Abdi, Alex, Andre, Gyu, Jaqui and Lorna) and our passionate mentors! Thank you for making this a night to remember! 

For more information about YOES and our upcoming youth networking events, contact Asal at aafshar@culturelink.ca or 416-588-6288x211. 

Connect & Explore - Youth Networking Evening

Join us on April 13th for an activity filled youth networking event! 

Meet mentors and explore careers in healthcare, financial services, marketing & communications and non-profit/community services! 

Check out our event page to find out more!  http://bit.ly/2olphpH

What does your digital footprint say about you?

Learn how to build a compelling professional digital profile, create fun new-media based resumes with help from our youth peer-mentors and connect with learners from around the world with our FREE online course!

Click here to enroll today! 

Got questions or need help enrolling? Contact Asal at aafshar@culturelink.ca!