Sport Nova Scotia Youth Leadership Program

The Youth Leadership Program was created by Sport Nova Scotia and launched in April 2004 and has continued to find success year after year.   Since the program started, youth in communities around the province have gained valuable work experience, which helps them find full-time employment or return to school at the end of the program.  Today, the Sport Nova Scotia Youth Leadership Progam is delivered in partnership with the Nova Scotia Department of Community Services and the Skills and Learning Branch, Adult Education Division.  

The objective of the program is help youth (age 18-30) who are facing barriers to employment increase their employability skills and gain on-the-job work experience all of which helps them make a successful transition into the labour market or further their education.  

By working with area schools, Youth Leaders deliver physical activity curriculum that engage children in sport and physical activity.  Youth Leaders are mentored by teachers and other professionals who help them gain invaluable skills and experience.  The program emphasizes meaningful employment enhancement experiences while developing positive life skills and active lifestyle choices through the participants’ involvement in sport and recreation activities.  

Youth Leadership Program (YLP) Participants are recruited through various avenues including:  external service providers who work with unemployed clients in need of employment interventions and school partners to identify individuals in the communities who fit the criteria for this program. Other recruiting techniques include:

• Postings at the local HRDC office and affiliate services
• Notices to youth recreational centers, high schools, community colleges, and universities,
• Discussions with high school principals
• Circulation through local service providers (e.g., RCMP, Children’s Aid Society, Recreation directors, sport coaches)
• Notices to First Nations communities
• Career Centers (CANSA, Careerworks Nova, FutureWorks, Community Enhancement Assoc.)

Throughout the program, YLP Participants are monitored to ensure they are developing the necessary skills for employment or going back to school. The skills participants gain are reviewed at the beginning, mid-point, and end-point gatherings. The Youth Leadership Program Coordinator and a designated school mentor also support participants on a regular basis by reviewing and discussing their progress.  Participants are required to submit weekly activity reports throughout the project. The report includes the participants’ activities and learning objectives designed to help them draw on and generalize the learning’s from their work experiences and identify issues or challenges that need to be addressed.

While Sport Nova Scotia cannot guarantee employment for participants at the end of the Youth Leadership Program, the components of the project are designed to enhance marketable employment skills, increase self-confidence and facilitate positive relationships with service providers in the participant’s designated communities. In cases where participants have not been able to secure employment by the end of the project the final interviews conducted include a discussion of how YLP Participants can use existing community supports and relationships to pursue employment after the Youth Leadership Program is completed.

Project Activities
The Youth Leadership Program activities can be organized into three main components:

Life and Employability Skills Enhancement
This component of the Youth Leadership Program is designed to assist participants develop skills that can be used in various contexts. It includes life skills as well as general employability skills. The areas addressed in this section of the program are:

• Decision making
• Program planning
• Leadership
• Team building
• Communication
• Resource management

Some very specific skill enhancements are required for participants to engage in the Youth Leadership Program.  Skill development is focused on the following areas:

• First Aid/CPR;
• Leadership & Communication;
• Program Planning & Implementation;
• Conflict Resolution;
• Facilitation Skills;
• HIGH FIVE Training;
• Leadership in Community Sport Training; and  
• Creating Safe & Secure Environments

Basic Job Preparation
Skill building and practical experience in the area of job preparation is developed throughout the Youth Leadership Program. Specific areas of focus include:

• Job search skills;
• Developing resumes;
• Assessing skills and interests;
• Identifying the need for additional skill building and/or further education; and
• Developing personal employment plans.

Work Experience
This is the largest component of project activities and represents approximately 1,000 hours of on-the job training. With supervision from school principals, mentors and the Program Coordinator participants are supported to reduce barriers to long-term employment and or post secondary education opportunities.   Youth Leaders are involved in a variety of activities in their host schools such as assisting the physical education teacher and other teachers teacher in delivering regularly scheduled class activities; assisting with recess or lunch time physical activities; coordinating and delivering after-school physical activity programs; assisting in supervising playground areas; and, coaching school sport teams (with teacher supervision).

2008 YLP Training

Who is involved
There are several different individuals involved in the program. 

Program Coordinator:  The Program Coordinator is responsible for the design and development of the training curriculum, monitoring the Youth Leadership Participants and offering ongoing support to the partner groups and liaising with the delivery partner.

School Principal:  The school principal and designated school staff work with the Program Coordinator to manage the Youth Leadership Program, implementation and scheduling of YLP participants. 

Participant Mentor:  Each school and/or community organization assigns a mentor to work directly with each participant over the course of the program. The mentor provides support through a variety of methods to the Youth Leader during the Youth Leadership Program.  Playing the role of advisor, role model, and teacher to the Youth Leader is a critical step in the Program.  The mentor helps provide an opportunity for the Youth Leader to develop meaningful employment and personal experiences while providing the opportunity for children to engage in organized sport, recreation and leisure.  The mentor ensures that the Youth Leader makes an effort to form linkages, forming employment relationships in their home communities or elsewhere.  Under the mentor’s supervision, the Youth Leader is able to make positive steps towards their personal and professional development in the work force.

Youth Leadership Program Participants:  The YLP participant acts as a leader and assists their mentor with overseeing the delivery of program activities and act as a resource to children and youth participants.