HWDSB Focus on Youth continues to create a cycle of support in Hamilton
On Friday, August 28, Focus on Youth Student Leaders attended a social for the last day of the program, which allowed them to reflect on their impact in the Hamilton community.
FOY Student Leaders with backpacks full of school supplies provided to them at the final social.
Since 2008, HWDSB has partnered with not-for-profit groups in Hamilton through the Focus on Youth (FOY) program. FOY provides Student Leaders with placements in not-for-profit groups to support them in delivering summer programs that keep young people safe and active.
Passion Phillip, a Student Leader from this year’s program, explained how the placement program helped her professional and personal development, “Through this program, I have improved my communication and leadership skills by working with children and attending important workshops and training. I am no longer as anxious to participate.”
The FOY program has helped many students realize the various opportunities they can access within their schools and in the community by placing Student Leaders into one of three streams based on their strengths. This year, the streams included Community Agencies, HWDSB Summer Learning Programs and the Senior Connectedness Program, in which students created succulent planters for senior homes and spoke with seniors through phone calls.
Senior Connectedness Program Student Leaders created succulent planters for local senior homes.
The program helps students like Passion to push beyond their comfort zones, improve skills and it encourages them to pursue their goals. An example of student success after FOY is Henry Nguyen, who was a Student Leader in 2008. He is now an elementary school teacher with HWDSB and a Program Monitor for FOY, supervising Student Leaders in the HWDSB Summer Learning Program stream.
“FOY definitely had an influence in my teaching career,” said Nguyen. “I went on to teach after school science camps and my supervisor from FOY gave me a reference for my application to teachers college. It was the first opportunity I had to work with children.”
Nguyen explains that while virtual placements made this year a little different, his previous experience as a FOY Student Leader helped him to make decisions on programming, which would be meaningful to the students.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions this year, many FOY Student Leaders took on virtual placements. As a result, the in-person social on August 28, which included physically distanced activities, was the first time many students engaged with one another in person or with other Student Leaders outside of their program stream.
Although the FOY Student Leaders who worked with HWDSB Summer Learning Camps had virtual placements, they still had a lasting impact on the students in the camps.
Student Leaders at the final FOY social.
Kate Pagliaro, a teacher in Camp Power described the FOY students placed with their camp as vital to delivering effective lessons to students. “The FOY student I worked with was able to foster connections with the students in a short period of time, encourage their learning, ask questions, and delve into rich conversations,” said Pagliaro.
FOY Student Leaders had the opportunity to join the Camp Power math and literacy program classrooms as leaders and explore a career in education. They showed that they were able to successfully engage children in the camp through a virtual platform.
“On our third week our FOY student ran a project which encouraged students to use their imagination to create their own planet,” said Jessica Mullin, a teacher in Camp Power. “They were very engaged and excited when she began and they loved building on their plans throughout the week.”
Passion, Nguyen and the hundreds of other students who have participated in Focus on Youth over the years are proof that the program has fostered a cycle of positivity and people who are willing to offer support in their local communities.
“Overall, the experience in Focus on Youth helped me become a more productive, positive person. I am more confident in my abilities and have gained important life-skills,” said Passion. “As a result of this program, I will be applying to jobs to work with children to give back to my neighbourhood.”
To learn more about Focus on Youth you can visit www.hwdsb.on.ca/community/partnerships/focus-on-youth/.
Updated on Wednesday, September 02, 2020.