Inspiring Work
Providing access to economic opportunities for equity deserving high school students in grade 11 and 12
2024-25 INSPIRING WORK PROGRAM APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED!!!
Please connect if you have any questions.
Hear from last year’s 2022-23 participants
Ella 2021-22 Inspiring Work Participant
Inspiring Work is focused on addressing the skills, opportunities, and network gaps by providing:
▶ Work-integrated experiential learning,
▶ Soft skills development/certification, and
▶ Opportunities to apply for meaningful summer work experience.
Application Process
Apply below through the website - please note a parent or guardian is required to sign your application. Please make sure when applying that the email address added is checked regularly and can respond to communication from info@theminaproject.ca in a timely manner. A confirmation email will be sent shortly after online applications are submitted. This communication will request an email response.
A recommendation from a community organizer or supervisor, teacher, guidance counsellor, or social worker etc. is required to complete the application. The recommendation is to be emailed to info@theminaproject.ca. Please click here for a sample recommendation email request that can be personalized.
Participating in a virtual Q&A session is the final step for program acceptance consideration. Dates are provided on the application. Further details regarding sessions and a reminder of the advocate recommendation will be communicated in the confirmation email after submitting the online application.
For more information on any of the above please contact info@theminaproject.ca
Eligibility
Be enrolled in secondary school or equivalent program in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and about to enter grade 11 and 12 in the upcoming year
Identify as black, Indigenous or a person of colour
Face challenges to accessing opportunities
Willingness to be part of a community, to learn together, and to share collaboratively as a team
Ability to participate in a hybrid mix of virtual and in-person experiential and soft skills monthly workshops in the GTA
Our commitment to gender equality ensures female identifying participants comprise of a minimum of 50% of each cohort. We are committed to providing an inclusive environment for racialized and Indigenous youth no matter their sexual orientation.
This is a 1-year after school program starting September - August consisting of a virtual or in-person workshop each month with focused industry specific experiential learning and soft skills development. This program will provide a better understanding of your chosen industry of interest, provide opportunities to build your professional network, help you develop the skills necessary to be successful in the workforce, and provide opportunities to apply to meaningful summer work experience. You will receive support and mentorship throughout the program from industry experts and volunteers not far removed from high school. Please keep reading for more information on eligibility, the application process, more about the program, and what current students are saying.
Finance/Business participants will develop their financial literacy along with their soft skills, and gain a better understanding of capital markets, while building their professional networks. Science/Healthcare participants will learn about different pathways, develop required transferable skills, get hands on experience, and network with leaders in their industry of interest. The Engineering/Technology stream will introduce participants to industry leaders, careers and roles in their industry of interest, and help them develop the skills necessary to succeed. The newest General/Exploratory stream offers students opportunities to explore different options open to them, gain necessary skills and connect with mentors to guide their journey. All streams include:
Monthly virtual or in-person experiential and/soft skills workshops starting September 2024 - May 2025 (program schedule available this summer)
Opportunities to apply to summer (June, July and August 2024) meaningful internships and experiences after successful completion of the program
2022-23 Participant Testimonials
Apply, it is very helpful. Even if you may not be interested in the specific field there is a lot to learn.
To all students considering applying for the Inspiring Work program, I want to encourage you to take the leap and apply. This program is designed to help you develop the soft skills and career-related experiential learning to excel in your chosen career. They provide great mentoring, skill development, the construction of social capital, and access to economic opportunities for underprivileged youth.
If you are considering applying to the Inspiring Work program, I want to encourage you to take the leap and go for it! This program offers amazing opportunities, and it is rare to find a place that is as supportive and offers so many opportunities right at your fingertips. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there and connect with your fellow cohort members. Remember, everyone is equally nervous and wants to make connections, so be the first one to say hi! You never know who you might meet and what you might learn from them. So take a deep breath, believe in yourself, and seize this incredible opportunity. Good luck!
The Inspiring Work program is an opportunity to envision yourself in fascinating careers. At the beginning of the program, I had little idea what working in finance could be about, although, after, I saw the many roles of people in finance and developed a strong interest. Believe in yourself and be your best self :)
2021-22 Participant Testimonials
Program Objectives
Social Competencies
Gain self awareness and social awareness. Learn responsible decision making, self management, and relationship management.
Executive Skills
Learn how to better organize and plan, how to better respond rather than react to things, and how to get things done instead of procrastinating.
Mental Health and Wellbeing
Gain a positive identity through social inclusion and empowerment.
Educational Engagement
Our program encourages a positive outlook on school and commitment to life long learning.
Employer Readiness
Gain professional work experience and develop skills required in the workplace.
Social Capital
Gain the confidence to network and access to meeting a diverse range of industry professionals as coaches and mentors.
Learn More
The programming was developed through research, consultations and focus groups with youth we hope to serve, educators, social workers, principals, community organizations and corporate partners.
Length of Program
Inspiring Work is a year long after school program. Participants will be meeting face to face once a month either in-person or virtually through either:
1) A work-integrated experiential learning opportunity or
2) A soft skills workshop leading up to
3) Opportunities to apply to summer internships in July and August
There will also be weekly individual or cohort based mentorship touchpoints to offer support, encouragement and feedback.
Students will benefit from being in a year long cohort based program, receiving peer support, and coaching and mentoring from industry leaders, staff and volunteers. We aim to build a safe and trusting environment where students are able to collaborate, feel empowered and is free of any discrimination.
Expectations
Participants are expected to:
1) Participate fully in experiential and soft skills workshops
2) Respond to communication touch points in a timely manner
3) Set and work towards personal and professional goals
4) Be open to learning new skills, to meeting new people, and to being comfortable about being uncomfortable
Requirements
1) Public library card with online access – free at any public library
2) Access to computer and internet (The MINA Project can help gain access if you require assistance.)
3) Ability to travel within the GTA to attend work-integrated experiential learning opportunities if in-person
Program Support
Access to Opportunities
83% of Canadian educators feel youth are prepared for work, yet only 34% of employers and 44% of youth agree. (McKinsey)
Experiential learning is an effective way to prepare young people for the labour market and address youth unemployment and underemployment. There needs to be strong links between education, training and the working world. Yet, it is estimated that less than half of young Canadians have access to programs that prioritize this approach. (Experiential Learning and Pathways to Employment for Canadian Youth Report)
Skills Development
Top skills employers see as rising in prominence in the next four years include 21st Century Skills such as critical thinking and analysis, problem solving, resilience, stress tolerance, and flexibility. (World Economic Forum)
Today’s companies are facing a growing soft skills gap. Recent studies found that 59% of surveyed hiring managers and 89% of executives reported difficulty recruiting candidates with the requisite soft skills, such as communication, teamwork, and leadership. (Harvard Business Review)
Building Networks
85% of all jobs are filled via networking (The Adler Group) yet many young people feel they lack or are unable to develop professional relationships.
Social capital is associated with a variety of positive health, education, and employment outcomes for youth and young adults. (Search Institute)
Employer engagement is a means of challenging inequality as it presents an opportunity to strategically enhance the social capital of young people who lack relevant family contacts. (Education and Employers)
What is Experiential Learning?
Experiential learning occurs when carefully chosen experiences are supported by reflection and critical analysis
Experiences are structured to require the learner to take initiative, make decisions and be accountable for results
Throughout the experiential learning process, the learner is actively engaged in posing questions, investigating, experimenting, being curious, solving problems, assuming responsibility, being creative, and constructing meaning
Learners are engaged intellectually, emotionally, socially, soulfully and/or physically. This involvement produces a perception that the learning task is authentic
The results of the learning are personal and form the basis for future experience and learning
The design of the learning experience includes the possibility to learn from natural consequences, mistakes and successes