Highlights from our 72nd Annual General Meeting

I Am More Than…

At the 72^nd Annual General Meeting of JVS Toronto on September 25, we shared how complexity of needs is a growing trend among the individuals we are seeing throughout our employment centres and across our programs.  

In this year’s annual report, our theme is: “I am more than”.

• I am more than the neighbourhood I come from.
• I am more than someone who didn’t finish high school.
• I am more than my disability.
• I am more than a newcomer to Canada.
• I am more than an older worker. 

This theme reflects the fact that when individuals come to us looking for help on their journey to employment, there is often more to their story than what we see on the surface. Individuals are juggling an array of personal circumstances, many of which are complex.  We need to recognize that when they come through our doors they are more than just a person looking for work.

JVS Toronto is a multi service organization offering services to many client populations. While their stories and circumstances may be different, for all of these populations, there is usually more complexity to their situations than we see right away.    

At JVS Toronto, our vision is that every individual has opportunities for employment. We can’t achieve this vision alone. We rely on the support of donors, government, funders, employers and community partners to create and deliver specialized programs and services that address the unique and complex needs of the clients we serve.

Stand Up For Kids: A keynote address by Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada

We were delighted to present Valerie McMurtry, President & CEO of Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada as our 2019 AGM keynote speaker. Valerie spoke about the challenges youth in their transition from child welfare face when learning life skills, accessing to mental health supports to help them to overcome past traumas, and gaining employment skills in order to transition into independence.

JVS Toronto provides psychovocational assessments to student in an alternative high school completion program for youth who haven’t been successful in traditional schools to work through credits individually with intensive support from a teacher.

Valerie said “These robust assessments have become part of the core curriculum and are helping young people, many of whom have special needs yet haven’t had recent assessments to help them succeed in school, to attain accommodations for their education.”

Assessments provided by JVS Toronto teach young people strategies for how they learn best and offer career exploration and recommendations which can help to set them up for post-secondary and career successes.

2019 AGM Award Winners