Project SEARCH has started with Guelph’s first cohort of students in the program to learn career skills to secure employment next year as students with developmental disabilities.
The Upper Grand District School Board and Wellington Catholic District School Board have partnered with Project SEARCH, March of Dimes Canada, YMCA of Three Rivers and the University of Guelph to get it underway. UGDSB students will be housed at the YMCA of Three Rivers and WCDSB students will be housed at the University of Guelph.
There are two student interns from UGDSB, now registered at a WCDSB high school that will be at the U of G for the program. The two students are part of WCDSB's cohort of eight student interns for Project SEARCH. The internships have yet to be decided.
Keegan Granger is 20-years-old and is excited to embark on this new journey to employment. He hopes to learn cooking skills because he wants to be the next one in his family to learn how to cook.
He’s also hoping for social connection through this experience and to him that means being nice to everyone.
“My whole family is excited and happy,” said Granger. His family, friends, teachers, educational assistants have shown him support for this new endeavour.
On Thursday the cohort of six students signed their internship agreements with YMCA of Three Rivers CEO Mike Ennis.
Tomorrow the students will be in a class at YMCA to learn from Project SEARCH teacher Erin Leslie. The first three weeks of the program students will be in class.
“Our goal is employment next year,” said Leslie. Employment for every student in the program. Throughout the 2024/2025 school year students will be participating in three internships and will be at least 10 weeks each.
“They are fabulous individuals who have so many strengths,” said Leslie. “We couldn’t be more lucky.”
Morgen Ramsay had first heard of Project SEARCH through a teacher at Guelph CVI. His friend Julia Mathers also told him about the program so they both decided to apply.
They were notified in June that they got into the program. When Ramsay signed his internship certificate he thought to himself “I finally did it. Got somewhere.”
He doesn’t know what kind of internships will be offered yet but he’s looking forward to working and gaining experience. He’s looking forward to learning communication skills and being more involved in his community.
Ramsay hopes to look back on the start of the program and see himself new and improved.
Mathers is looking forward to gaining more work experience through Project SEARCH.
“It appealed to me that they were helping students with special needs get jobs because it's really hard for us to get a job and keep it,” said Mathers. She's ready to prove employers wrong because she is fully capable of holding a job. She said at jobs she had in the past when they found out she had special needs they wrote her off.
“From the program they’re helping us to learn a lot more about ourselves as well as about the job experiences and the opportunities that we can have,” said Mathers. “And that even if we are special needs we can do things even if you think we can’t.”
