SHIFT - YouthCAN

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SHIFT - INTRODUCTION

SHIFT is an innovative employment training program for youth that utilizes the arts to teach the soft skills that are crucial to employment success. SHIFT uses art to engage and facilitate learning among youth and allows them to embody soft skills linked to situational awareness, time management, self-regulation, and effective communication that will assist them in navigating the workplace landscape, improving job retention, and overall career success.

Centre[3] for Artistic and Social Practice is the backbone organization that developed SHIFT.
It is a charitable artist-run centre and its mission is to support artists and collaborate with communities to create social change through art.

To see the entire introduction and history of SHIFT click HERE

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History of SHIFT

SHIFT was piloted in 2016 with funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. It was a response to the realization that the lack of soft skills was the number one barrier to youth obtaining and retaining employment.

Centre[3] developed a theory of change that art is an effective vehicle for skills development as it engages youth and facilitates the embodiment of soft skills. Youth would be trained to communicate assertively, handle conflict, receive criticism, work in teams, and manage their time and emotions. This would build resiliency within the youth and result in increased job retention and employment success.

Centre[3] collaborated with local employment agencies, youth and artists to design, implement and evaluate the programs over one year. The feedback and outcomes from the programs were so positive that the Ontario Trillium Foundation supported the expansion of the program for another three years that would see the SHIFT team co-design, deliver and refine the program in collaboration with employment agencies throughout Ontario including; Hamilton, Brantford, Kitchener, Peterborough, Haliburton, and North Bay.
These proven lesson plans are the product of four years of testing, evaluation, and refinement. We welcome you to use these guidelines as a foundation for creating soft skills training courses in your organization.

To see the entire introduction and history of SHIFT click HERE

We have developed comprehensive lesson plans and video tutorials for you to follow. To get started, click on the buttons below!

Communication STYLES

Choose one of the 3 modules

Soft skills

Choose one of the 3 modules

evaluation tool

These guides are intended to support program administrators in structuring an evaluation for their SHIFT content. There are two evaluation guides provided. One quick, ‘survey-format’ evaluation, and another guide for conducting more comprehensive SHIFT program evaluations. Results are intended to support program learning, development and to satisfy stakeholders’ (e.g., funders) needs for evaluation (if needed).

Acknowledgements

Funders / concept idea

Funders

Backbone

employment programs option 2 text

Employment Programs

Hamilton

Goodwill Amity - Pathways to Employment (Hamilton and Burlington)
Living Rock Ministries - TRI-Rock Program
Mohawk College Community Employment Services
PATH Employment Services
The Career Foundation Hamilton
Threshold School of Building
Wesley Employment Services
YWCA Hamilton - STEP Program

Province Wide

CareerLink Employment Centre (Brantford, ON)
The Working Centre (Kitchener, ON)
Fleming CREW Employment Centre (Peterborough, ON)
Fleming CREW Employment Centre (Haliburton, ON)
YES Employment Services (North Bay, ON)

artist facilitators

Artist Facilitators

Alma Sarai
Annie Webber
Becky Katz
Ella Gonzales
Jesse Horvath
Jody Boston
Michael Schnittker
Steve Kettings
Sahra Soudi
TJ Charlton

Alex Borghesan
Arturo Jimenez
Czarina Mendoza
Mariel Rutherford
Mitchell Keys

team

Project Coordinator
Christina Tarsitano
Assistant Project Coordinators
Ron Siu
Czarina Mendoza

Evaluation
Evan Gravely

Design
Richard Rivera

Editor
Courtney Maxwell-Alves

Lesson Plan Contributors (writing and creation):
Becky Katz
Alma Sarai
Jesse Horvath
Steve Kettings
Annie Webber
Michael Schnittker
Ella Gonzales

Maddie and Hannah - McMaster Feminist and Gender Studies students