More Jobs Coming for Young People in Mississauga

At the start of Youth Week, United Way Greater Toronto is announcing a $3.5-million investment over the next year towards programs that help youth secure meaningful employment in Peel (Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon), Toronto and York regions. 

The investment is intended to support 30 programs that support youth facing multiple barriers, including racialized, LGBTQ, Indigenous, newcomer, low-income, and disabled youth.

“An investment in young people is an investment in our region,” said Nation Cheong, vice president, Community Opportunities & Mobilization, United Way Greater Toronto. “We invest in strategies and initiatives that enable the full potential in all youth and embrace the diverse contexts in which they live.”

Young adults have been deeply affected by the changing nature of work and are now more likely to work in part-time, contract and temporary positions than they were in the past. 

Youth unemployment has been on the rise for more than a decade and research shows that not everyone has equal access to opportunities – increasingly, background and circumstance determine who gets ahead. 

With the right investments at the beginning of a young person’s working life, it can help curb youth and family poverty for years to come.

A priority for United Way is to help young people thrive and reach their greatest potential by ensuring they can access life-changing supports like mentorship, networking opportunities, skills training, and job placements. 

This investment by United Way will support streams of work such as career navigation, networks, program grants and development grants. 

Last month United Way of Peel Region and United Way of Toronto and York Region, merged together to form United Way of Greater Toronto. With this merger, the organization has been providing crucial services to more than five million people in 13 municipalities.

For more information, click the link to United Way of Greater Toronto.