On February 5, Conestoga College hosted a kick-off event at its Doon campus in Kitchener to encourage youth with Crown Ward status to explore and consider post-secondary educational opportunities. As a follow-up to this launch event, Crown Wards will participate in a series of campus visits to Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Waterloo, the University of Guelph, and Conestoga's Waterloo and Guelph campuses.
The aim of the February 5, full-day workshop was to help youths explore their values, goals and personal interests, meet new people, hear from college and university students who have been in their shoes, and learn about the many pathways available to both college and university.
Overall, this project is one outcome of the Waterloo-Wellington Crown Ward Education Championship Team, a collaborative venture sponsored by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Child and Youth Services. Education Championship Teams offer mentorship, peer support, motivation and guidance in 14 Ontario communities. Teams include volunteers from local school boards, children's aid societies, post-secondary institutions, community agencies, provincial ministries and Employment Ontario.
Participating in this area's project are Family and Children Services of Kitchener-Waterloo and Guelph, the Youth Advisory Board (youth with Crown Ward status), Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Waterloo, the University of Guelph, Conestoga College, Boards of Education from Waterloo Region and Wellington, Lutherwood Employment Services and Second Chance Employment Counselling.
A Crown Ward is a child who has been made a permanent ward of the province, after all parental/guardian rights have been severed, until another court order is made, such as adoption of legal custody, or the child turns age 18 or marries.
There are approximately 9,500 Crown wards in Ontario and 53 Children's Aid Societies. The Region of Waterloo and Guelph-Wellington combined have approximately 280 youth with Crown Ward status between the ages of 13 and 21.
There are currently 14 Crown Ward Championship teams across Ontario. In their first year alone, the initial four Championship Teams helped about 350 students directly, and many more were helped indirectly through the availability of new training and resource materials.
CONTACT: Bonnie Lipton, 519-748-5220, ext. 2269, blipton@conestogac.on.ca