It’s a big idea that’s worth at least $500,000 to each and every teen living in the Keith Neighbourhood.
Half-a-million dollars is the difference in lifetime earnings between a high school drop-out and a college graduate. And the spread in earnings is only going to grow. In the future, 70 per cent of new jobs will require some post-secondary education. Under six per cent of jobs will need less than a high school diploma.
Today, one in three high school drop-outs requires government assistance to help make ends meet. And the unemployment rate in Canada for 20 to 24-year-olds who’ve never finished high school is more than twice the overall unemployment rate for the same age group.
The Drive for 85 in 5 has a clear and ambitious goal. Within the next five years, help at least 85 per cent of teens living in the Keith Neighbourhood to stay in school, graduate and go on to apprenticeships, college or university. The provincial high school graduate rate is close to 70 per cent. It’s lower in low-income neighbourhoods where teens are grappling with a whole host of adult-size issues.
The Eva Rothwell Centre at Robert Land has launched the Drive for 85 in 5 with a group of committed teens and a team of dedicated volunteer tutors and mentors.
And plans are underway to bring Pathways to Education to Hamilton in September 2008. Pathways was launched in Toronto by the Regent Park Community Health Centre. The award-winning program has helped thousands of teens from Regent Park to graduate and go on to college and university. The program includes tutoring, mentoring, free bus tickets and post-secondary bursaries and advocacy on behalf of students and their families.
The North Hamilton Community Health Centre has agreed to take the lead in bringing Pathways to Hamilton and the Keith Neighbourhood.
To find out more about the Drive for 85 in 5 – how to register and how to volunteer:
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