Adelaide St. resident celebrates success

By Jennifer Basso —

Salwa Aleem and 14 other young women celebrated the finale of the Opportunities Unlimited (OUL) program on Nov. 19 at the Institute of Chartered Accountants Building on Bloor St. The event wrapped up an intense six months of mentoring and paid skills enhancement training and internships.

The new Canadian and Entertainment District resident emigrated from Uganda a little over a year ago. Prior to the program, she admitted during her speech at the finale, she was shy and lacked confidence. Proudly addressing her peers was something she did not believe she was capable of doing before entering OUL. Thanks to her time in the program, Aleem concluded, she has successfully secured full-time employment as a law clerk at a firm in Etobicoke.

OUL, founded by Youth in Motion, is a mentoring and internship program for young women under 30 who struggle with employment barriers. The program runs twice a year, with each session allowing 15 young women to experience four weeks of paid full time skills enhancement training and a 6-month paid work placement. Every participant is paired with a mentor who helps her mentee build self-confidence and prepare to join the workforce. The program boasts a success rate of 84% to 100%.  Success is when participants obtain full-time work within three months of completion. The next program has an anticipated start date of February 2010. Calls for applications will begin in January 2010. Visit youth-in-motion.ca for details.