Community Leaders

A S U P P L E M E N T T O T H E W I N N I P E G F R E E P R E S S | S A T U R D AY , F E B R U A R Y 2 3 , 2 0 1 9 | V I E W O N L I N E A T w i n n i p e g f r e e p r e s s . c o m / p u b l i c a t i o n s COMMUNITY LEADERS Youth CEO – Creative Employment Opportunities was launched in the summer of 2017 by the Business Council of Manitoba (BCM) in partnership with the Winnipeg Aboriginal Sport Achievement Centre (WASAC) and the Centre for Aboriginal Human Resource Development (CAHRD). The aim of the summer internship program is to expose participants to the different job opportunities available to them in the business world and help them make informed decisions about their future career plans. "The number one question a young person gets – and they get it from teachers, they get it from parents, they get it from each other – is 'What do you want to do when you get older?'," says BCM vice-president Kevin Chief. "We fundamentally want to help them answer that question by exposing them to the largest companies available in Manitoba and the variety of jobs that they can get." Forty indigenous youth and young newcomers took part in the Youth CEO program this past summer. During the first two weeks of the program they participated in training and development – including sessions on first aid training, Lean manufacturing principles and entrepreneurship from the Asper School of Business – and toured all 17 of the participating BCM companies with their respective CEOs. In the third week, participants were PROGRAM HELPING DEVELOP NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS BY JIM TIMLICK "It's about them being ambassadors and role models in the community so that other young people can look at them and say I can be part of that too." - Kevin Chief It's time to recognize and celebrate exceptional Manitobans whose passion, dedication and vision have helped shape and strengthen our province. assigned to an individual company to gain work experience and then shared with their peers what they learned from that work placement the following week. There were also follow-up sessions with all of the participating companies. The final two weeks were spent working at WASAC's summer kids camp in Winnipeg's inner city where they shared their work experiences with youngsters. "It's about them being ambassadors and role models in the community so that other young people can look at them and say I can be part of that too. Maybe one day I can work at True North or Conviron," Chief says. Chief says it is an eye-opening experience for many of the young people who take part in the program. "I remember last year walking into the Richardson Building – Richardson International is a partner of the program – and I watched one of the young guys who was about to get a tour. I wondered how a young man from Lac Brochet could have gotten an opportunity like that without removing the barriers that hinder that," he recalls. "The only way to do that is to create partnerships we haven't seen before with the private sector…to give young people a tap on the shoulder to say if you work hard you can work here one day. That is a key part of the program." In just two summers, the Youth CEO program has already produced several success stories. In one case, a participant ended up landing a full-time job as a security guard with True North following his work placement there and hopes to eventually study law enforcement. In another, a young single mom was offered a full-time job at payroll services company Payworks following her placement there. Frantic Films Bank of Montreal Bison Transport North West Company Wawanesa Insurance NFI Group (New Flyer) True North Sports & Entertainment Payworks Winnipeg Free Press Conviron Duha Group Richardson International Price Industries Exchange Income Corp. National Leasing The Youth CEO - Creating Employment Opportunities program provides young people with an opportunity to learn first-hand about the career opportunities available to them by working with some of the province's top companies. That list of companies includes: Some of the province's most powerful business leaders are spearheading an initiative aimed at providing Indigenous youth and young newcomers with an opportunity to play a greater role in the economy. Le: Kevin Chief says the Youth CEO program is all about providing young people with the tools and information they need to make informed career choices. Continued on Page 2 >> For advertising information, call: 204-697-7389

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