Aspire, a career-focused mentorship program for young adults living in Peterborough City and County, has launched a new website at www.aspireptbo.com.
Launched last April with funding from the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services, Aspire seeks to match young people aged 17 to 25 with volunteer mentors from the community. The program is operated by the John Howard Society of Peterborough in partnership with Employment Planning & Counselling and Trent Valley Literacy Association.
Peterborough MPP Jeaf Leal attended the launch of the new website yesterday (January 12), on the same day he was appointed as the new Minister Responsible for Small Business (in addition to his current role as Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs).
“This program has supported youth in our community by fostering a positive training environment, assisting with employment opportunities or starting their own business,” Leal says. “Congratulations to everyone involved in this important initiative.”
Mentors are expected to advise participants on employment-related skills, share information about their employment-related experiences, and become a caring, consistent role model in young adults’ lives.
Bethann Brown, Volunteer Coordinator with the program, says that Aspire stands alone among local mentorship programs for its focus on young adults.
“The majority of mentoring programs out there are for children and youth in their early teens,” Brown says. “Aspire is unique because it serves people in their late teens and early twenties who are figuring things out in terms of their career path.”
Brown says there is a high demand for such supports in the community, especially among young adults who have typically faced barriers to success. Besides connections to mentors, participants in the program receive assistance with goal-setting, problem-solving and career networking.
If you’re interested in becoming a mentor, or if you’re a young person who wants a mentor, visit www.aspireptbo.com or contact Bethann Brown, Volunteer Coordinator, at mentor@jhsptbo.com or 705-743-8331.
