Impact Youth Employment Research Project
The Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction will distribute funding to support the IMPACT youth employment research project, which will see eight members of the British Columbia Employment Network (BCEN) study the impact of youth employment interventions for youth with developmental disabilities. The project will partner researchers from the Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship of the University of British Columbia with UNITI partner Semiahmoo House Society along with seven 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, Richmond Society for Community Living. 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. Total funding for the three-year research project is projected at just over $1.6 million.
The IMPACT project will kick-off in January, 2020. UBC researchers will study and determine the advantages of and best practices for early employment interventions for transitioning youth with developmental disabilities. With the funding for the IMPACT project, BCEN partner agencies will provide a consistent conduit to youth with developmental disabilities to explore different kinds of employment and to engage in activities such as community involvement that are demonstrated predictors of future labour market participation. And the research at the end of the three-year project will help each of the agencies determine if there are certain employment activities that work better than others to help each agency build its youth employment activities in the future.
UNITI is a partnership of three not-for-profit organizations that support inclusive and healthy communities: Semiahmoo House Society, Peninsula Estates Housing Society, and The Semiahmoo Foundation. If you have any questions about the IMPACT youth employment research project, please contact Seema Tripathi at s.tripathi@uniti4all.com.
