Innovative Program Will Help Youth Achieve Success In Life After School

PETERBOROUGH – The Ontario government is launching a new mentoring program that will give young adults with a developmental disability the guidance, skills and inspiration they need to achieve success in life after school, Minister of Community and Social Services Sandra Pupatello announced today.

"The transition from school to the world of adult life is a critical turning point for any young person," said Pupatello.  "The Passport Mentoring Initiative will help make it a successful turning point for young adults with a developmental disability."

The Passport Mentoring Initiative helps students between the ages of 14 and 21 who have a developmental disability prepare for life after high school by introducing them to a variety of career, education, recreation, training or volunteer opportunities.  Students will be paired with experienced, adult mentors who also have a developmental disability and will work with them to decide what steps they need to follow in order to develop the skills required to achieve their goals.  Mentors will also link students with supports that can help them grow and develop along the way.

"Mentoring can have a dramatic impact on a young person's life," said Peterborough MPP Jeff Leal.  "This is an opportunity for students with a developmental disability to learn first hand about career opportunities and community activities from role models who've dealt with the same kinds of questions and issues they are facing."

The initiative will be phased-in over the current school year, starting this month with 12 students in the communities of Peterborough, Alexandria, Tillsonburg and Huntsville.  Over the course of the next school year, the program will be expanded so that 60 young Ontarians with a developmental disability will get extra support in achieving success after school.

"I see this as a positive opportunity for People First of Ontario to be involved with younger people and to learn from each other," said Peter Park, life-time member of People First of Ontario.     

The Passport Mentoring Initiative is a joint partnership between the Ontario government, the Community Inclusion Project in Ontario It Takes A Village…Where All People Belong funded through the Government of Canada, People First of Ontario and local school boards.  It is a part of the government's plan to transform developmental services in Ontario and strengthen community supports for young adults to prepare them for success after they leave school.

"Having the guidance of someone who has already been through the transition to life after school will help students see the possibilities that exist for them," said Pupatello.  "By investing in these young people today, we are investing in stronger, more inclusive communities for tomorrow."