A new path to education: Teacher from Kenora Catholic board now working at Youth Wellness Hub

The Kenora Youth Wellness Hub (KYWH) , a "one-stop shop" for services for at-risk young people in the northwestern Ontario city is making it a little easier for their clients to continue their education.

"There are a lot of gaps in services and we see young people sometimes falling through the cracks because of this, so ideally by providing a safe space for young people to come, to feel comfortable, to access multiple services, they'll be able to get the wraparound support they need," said Jackie Franck, the manager of the KYWH.

The hub, which is operated by the Kenora Chiefs Advisory, is one of 10similar organizations across the province, but is believed to be the first to have developed a partnership with a local school board.

A teacher from the Kenora Catholic District School Board (KCDSB), Jeff Richards, has been i working at the hub three day per week sinceFebruary, giving young people, between the ages of 12 - 25, "an opportunity for youth to be connected to school in unconventional ways," said Franck, the KYWH manager.

Partnership 'near and dear to my heart'

"If they've found something in the traditional school system hasn't worked for them, there are other options and education is still a path they can take."

Young people start by sharing their education goals, be it getting a high school diploma, applying to college or university or "it could simply be having a conversation about what their options are and what going to school could look like for them," she said.

"This partnership is near and dear to my heart because we know the best outcome for children is when they can stay in school and graduate," said Derek Haime, the director of education for the KCDSB, in a written release.

He stated that at any given time, there are between 100 500 children of school age in Kenora not engaged in a school and the hope is this partnership will "help students navigate back into education services."

Cellphone drive for clients who needed devices

The hub, which offers young people access to more than 20 partner agencies offering everything from mental health and addictions counselling to assistance in finding housing or employment, has continued to operate throughout the physical distancing protocols in place to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Franck noted they are using"creative new ways" to reach out to young people, including increasing their social media presence, and have found that many of their services are being successfully delivered over the phone and online.

The group even launched a cellphone drive in Kenora to ensure their clients could always call them.

"We had an overwhelming response from the community and we're really grateful for that." she said.

Provincial funding for the integrated service hubs was announced in 2017 to address gaps in the youth service system and address the needs of approximately 12,000 youth across Ontario

The Kenora Youth Wellness Hub is located at 120 Main Street.

You can hear the full interview with Jackie Franck on CBC's Up North program here.