A student’s background and upbringing can greatly affect their likelihood or willingness to pursue post-secondary education.  And we know that the majority of young people make the decision to attend college or university before even entering secondary school.  The various influences in a young person’s life can greatly affect the decisions that they make about their future.  Providing choices and opportunities early on, can have a positive impact down the road.

There is a direct correlation between level of education and level of poverty.  Organizations such as Pathways to Education (Pathways) seek to unlock the potential of youth and allow them to flourish in a familiar and comfortable environment.  Pathways is a charitable organization that helps low income youth graduate from high school, and transition into post-secondary education.  They provide leadership, expertise and community based programs to lower dropout rates.  Currently, Pathways operates in over 11 communities, across 4 provinces.  In Regent Park (a community in Toronto) 850 youth have graduated through the program and the dropout rate for youth is now 12% (half of the City of Toronto and provincial average).  Funding for programs such as this has proven to be a successful investment for government and early outreach initiatives should be supported in schools and communities.

Garnering support and guidance through community-based initiatives will ensure that all aspects of young peoples lives are positively reinforcing their future.  It is important that they be community based to further develop ties between the program and members and ensure successful continuity for future generations.  Each community is unique and has specific needs.  Understanding this, and integrating it into the outreach initiatives will further ensure success into the future.

A student’s high school years can be a very formative time where they are faced with important life choices.  Selecting the right courses, and achieving positive results can impact their post-secondary opportunities.  Generally, students achieve better results in school when they are engaged in their subject matter and are working towards meaningful goals.  Investing in training and professional development for guidance counselors ensures that students have positive role- models, providing good advice, regardless of their upbringing or background.  Less than 10% of students feel that they have adequate information about the cost of education and options available to them.  Providing them with options and opportunities will ensure that they starting out on the right foot.

No party has addressed early outreach in their platform. We strongly urge the elected government to give attention to this important topic.  Investing in early outreach initiatives provides positive long-term results and increases participation of underrepresented groups and is evident at any stage of a student’s life.