- Funding Source: The Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction is supporting the IMPACT youth employment research project, indicating government interest and involvement in addressing youth employment for those with developmental disabilities.
- Project Partnerships: The project has partnered with researchers from the Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship of the University of British Columbia with UNITI partner Semiahmoo House Society along with nine other agencies supporting people with developmental disabilities including Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, Chilliwack Society for Community Living, Community Living Victoria, Delta Community Living Society Inclusion Langley Society, PosAbilities, Aspire Richmond, Community Living Society, Inclusion Powell River Society. The participating agencies are all members of the BCEN, a consortium of local and regional service providers delivering services to youth and adults with intellectual disabilities.
- BCEN Consortium: All the participating agencies are all members of the BCEN, a consortium of local and regional service providers dedicated to delivering services to youth and adults with intellectual disabilities.
- Project Timeline: The IMPACT project commenced in January 2020, with UBC researchers initially studying and determining the advantages and best practices for early employment interventions. The success of the project led to its extension for another three years (IMPACT 2.0).
- Goals of IMPACT 2.0: The extended phase, IMPACT 2.0, aims to collect further data to support the identified advantages and best practices for early employment interventions for transitioning youth with developmental disabilities.
- Contribution to Agencies: The research conducted in the project provides participating agencies with valuable information to enhance their youth employment activities. The goal is to identify effective employment activities that can be used to build future initiatives.
Contact Information: For inquiries about the IMPACT Youth Employment Research Project, individuals can contact Luisa at l.debaumontphilippsen@uniti4all.com or Anirudh at a.rayas@uniti4all.com.
