Vital Signs Data
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
SDG 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
SDG 4.2: Ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and preprimary education so that they are ready for primary education.
Projects & Research
- Greater Than – Theory of Change
- Greater Than – Career Employment
- Greater Than – Education Support
- Greater Than – Family Caregivers Peers
- Greater Than – Wellbeing
- Youth Inclusion Project
- Making Systems Work for Me
- Youth Support Navigation Service (YSNS)
- Community Action Research Project
- Communities Building Youth Futures
PEC Youth Calls to Action
1. A safe space in the community for LGBTQ+ Youth. A LGBTQ+ Community Support Network.
2. A commitment from local government, community organizations, service clubs, agencies etc. to meaningfully engage youth in their decision making. We want to help the community develop Youth Engagement Strategies.
3. Access to relevant sexual health education.
4. Parenting programs for young men, supportive programming for boys, access to positive male role models.
5. Timely and consistent access to mental health supports for youth. Youth to have knowledge of existing supports. People working with youth are clear on how to refer youth to appropriate supports.
6. Alternative learning environments for students who need extra supports.
7. Connect youth to community programming that exposes them to different careers and provides opportunity to connect with people in diverse fields.
8. Support for families for navigating systems and accessing entitlements and supports ie. social assistance, child benefit, daycare subsidies, hydro subsidies, housing benefits, food bank, Learning and Engagement Fund, Learning Enrichment Foundation, Jumpstart etc.
Evolution of the Greater Than Youth Collective
Evolution of the Greater Than Youth Collective
Greater Than County Youth Collective consists of 28 organizations that partnered to form a collective impact group. Their goal is to raise the High School graduation rate in Prince Edward County to parity with the provincial average by 2026. greaterthancyc.ca
Education was prioritized
The 2013 Vital Signs Advisory Committee prioritized three issue areas from the report: Education, Food Security, and Transportation. Working groups were formed to define priorities and projects in these three areas.
Theory of Change
A theory of change was developed with youth and agency participation through a series of workshops, youth surveys and research. It outlines the strategies to increase the high school graduation rate to parity. Theory of Change Five “pillars of change” were identified.
Measurement of youth well-being
Research was conducted into youth wellbeing as part of the Student Commission’s “Sharing the Stories’ project of national data collection. This means we have a baseline of measurement for youth wellbeing over these years.
Youth support programs
Innovative programs were seeded, all of which are still operating today in some form. (see details below)
Youth Inclusion Program
Discover YOUth a safe drop-in group for LGBTQ2S+ youth
Making Systems Work for Me (Financial Empowerment)
Youth Support Navigation Service
Neighbourhood Outreach Program
ROC staff delivered the Care Kits and frozen meals to youth member families. This also served as an opportunity for wellness check-ins during this time of isolation.
Youth Community Action Project (YCAP) Facilitator
A YCAP Facilitator was hired to support the development of youth-led projects to address the issues identified in the Shared Learning report. Funding was through the municipal Community Grants Program and Huff Family Fund – via The County Foundation.
Collective impact work was initated
Prince Edward County engaged in a collective impact project to support education, funded by the Laidlaw Foundation (Innoweave) and the Ontario Trillium Foundation with the County Foundation as the lead.
Greater Than County Youth Collective was formed
Through the work of Greater Than, eight Calls to Action were determined through Participatory Action Research led by the Students Commission and the seven members of the embedded youth team.
Mapping and alignment of programs
Mapping of youth community programs and services, according to the 5 pillars, was conducted.
County Care Kits project
The County Care Kits project was created, designed and executed by ROC’s Youth Advisory Committee in collaboration with The County Foundation, and with funding through RBC Future Launch program. A team of youth build “Care Kits” made up of basic/personal needs and educational items for youth.
Community Action Research Project (CARP)
Youth well-being survey & recommendations during COVID 19, funded through federal Emergency Community Support funding (via The County Foundation)
Communities Building Youth Futures (CBYF)
This collective impact project is funded by the government of Canada and implemented by Tamarack Institute in up to 20 communities across Canada. CBYF aims to better support youth facing barriers to complete high school and successfully transition to post-secondary, trades, or employment.
