ThE YEs TimEsa n n u a l r e p o r t 2 0 0 9 , p r e s e n t e d b y

Youth Employment Services YES

Economic recovery is leav-ing youth workers worse off due to employment gains in older demographics, accord-ing to recent sampling data published by Statistics Canada.

Job losses among youth aged 15 to 24 rose by anoth-er 33,000 in June, a fall which was offset by a 33,000 labour force gain among workers aged 55 and older.

The trend suggests youth are bearing the brunt of re-covery costs in deadweight job losses.

StatsCan’s recent Labour Force Survey (LFS, July 2009) reports that “employ-ment among youths has fallen the fastest of all age groups” since last October’s economic downturn. While national employment was anticipated to fall—as it has

in fact done each month, with net losses totaling 370,000—youth have suf-fered a disproportionate share of the burden.

Youth represent only 15.57% of the labour force but have endured nearly half (49.51%) of jobs losses since peak employment in October 2008. In raw num-bers, that’s 205,000 of the 414,000 net layoffs.

StatsCan’s latest projec-tions reveal that the unem-ployment rate among youth has risen to an 11-year high of 16.2%, nearly double that of the national average (8.6%). The report confirms youth are being edged out of the workplace as employers look to an increased pool of older, more qualified candidates.» see ‘youth losing’ A3

Canadian youth hit hardest First by recession, now by recovery

Youth to nation:Where’s our bailout?It was a humid morning, but the heat didn’t deter any of the hundred-plus job seek-ers who had already formed a relaxed lineup outside a YES Job Fair sign by 8:00 am Monday.

“You gotta get here early,” says Nathanial Jennings, 23. “It shows you’re serious, professional.”

Nathanial saw the sign go up two-days prior, and de-cided to return first-thing to beat what he thought might be a rush.

He was right. There was a crowd, and not everyone would be seen before end-of-day.

The majority of the line-up looked to be about Na-thanial’s age, 25 or younger.

While some flipped through job ads in the day’s papers, others passed the time swapping layoff stories and griping about their chances of finding a job in today’s economy.

“The Canadian govern-ment spent, what, $4 billion bailing out the car compa-nies?” asked Vinita Gump-ta, 19, rallying those within earshot to pay attention. “I get that the government needs these companies to stay afloat, but they need us to survive, don’t they?”

“Where’s our bailout?” Vinita’s friend Ronny asks rhetorically. Their conversa-tion feels rehearsed—it’s one they’ve likely had before.

“I’m not saying I need a free ride,” adds Vinita. “I want to work. I don’t want ei, I just want to work, and I wish it could be a little easi-er, you know?”

42 of the prospective job candidates were seen before the day’s end. Vinita, Ron-ny, and Nathanial were glad to be among them. Many of the others said they’d return tomorrow.

fair-is-fair Youth emploYment crisis »

surveYed optimism »Jobless, but not hopeless

Despite doomsayers and portents of a national youth employment crisis, many young job seekers remain optimistic about their pros-pects for finding work in this economy, a recent YES survey suggests.

Though a slight majority of YES clients have noted a decrease in the number of jobs they qualify for, 42% feel there’s been no change or to have seen more oppor-tunities in their job search.

“The results suggest a number of different things are happening,” says Gabri-elle Zilkha, YES Special Projects Coordinator who spearheaded the survey and accompanying analytics report.

Respondents who ob-served no change or an in-crease in available jobs “could indeed be responding to an abundance of newly created entry-level part-time positions in the mar-ket,” she suggests. But the abundance turns out to be bittersweet for these youth.» see ‘optimistiC’ A4

Job seekers lineup to drop-off résumés at a YES Job Fair, many scanning job listings while they wait. Quinn dombrowski/faunt

Managing crisisEven before Canadian econ-omists admitted the coun-try’s “economic slowdown” had become a fullblown re-cessionary economic cli-mate, Youth Employment Services YES had been long at work on their recovery game plan.

Strategy for managing crisis required visionary leadership.

Topping the agency’s list of anticipated challenges was a major influx in de-mand for core programs and services. The numbers have been staggering, with a 40% increase in intake from the year before—up to 11,232 from 8,000 in 2007-08.» see ‘mAnAging Crisis’ A4

Yes leadership »

What’s inside »a5

Calling on the private sector to step up »a5

Will the YESinDeed Fund save youth employment?

st. James toWn »a4 attitudes »a3 passion for fashion »a7

AnnuAl foreCAst: mix of sun and cloud, scattered highs amidst recoverably-low lows.

investment »a9

e-Yes»certified bonds

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Youth

Labour Force

Joblessness by % of demographic

Canada’s youth labour

force (aged 15–24) has

been cut by 9% since

October 2008, while total

labour force decreased

by only 2%.

ab helpinG hands » a4

How have client & employer attitudes changed in this recession?

making the cut: the business of design

ThE YEs TimEs annual report 2009A2

nAnCy sChAefer, president

This has been a year of unfore-seen challenges and responsive change. Change in our global economy, as is well known, but as this Annual Report hopes to make clear, this economic climate has provoked massive change to youth employment and our organization in particular.

We’ve seen that youth employ-ment has been, and will continue to be, a lead-out victim of this re-cession. Youth are the first to be let go and the last to be hired. Sud-denly competing with older, more experienced workers for entry-lev-el jobs, many youth have started to lose hope in their prospects of finding satisfying work.

Increased competition has led many youth to settle for jobs they feel are beneath them. They’re putting careers on hold. They’re staying at home, relying on par-ents to support them. Those with-out homes are prone to crime and life on the streets.

These changes are measurable in recent StatsCan reports, but even more immediately by the numbers of youth walking through our doors. We saw a 40% increase in our intake of new cli-ents in the first half of this year. Our website received more hits in the first two-months of this year than it did in all 2008. It’s clear that more youth than ever are looking for our help.

With fewer financial resources, and no additional funds from gov-ernment to cope with this sudden influx in demand, we’ve had to respond with shrewd fiscal plan-ning to ensure uninterrupted de-livery of our core services.

We’ve been battening down the hatches, becoming even more tightfisted about discretionary spending. The report in your hands, for instance, was printed at 1/4 the cost of last year’s Annual Report. We think it shows our commitment to saving money without compromising on the needs of our organization.

Overall, we’re being fiscally responsible by cutting costs yet at the same time strengthening our core services and increasing our fundraising from the private sec-tor. Our hands are outstretched, determined to remain a hopeful, optimistic and safe place where youth can come to learn new skills

and find the careers that are still out there waiting for them.

In attesting to our strength, we were recognized with several no-table achievements and awards this year. The Power of Rotary Award, from The Rotary Club of Toronto, for Outstanding Achieve-ment and the Mayor’s Award for Community Safety were honours we are particularly proud of (see A7 for more).

It’s been a year of new challeng-es in the face of uncertainty, and our years will get harder before they get easier.

But we’re taking a lesson from our clients, many of whom have faced uncertain futures for their whole lives, yet persevere. Their commitment to achieving bigger and brighter things despite adver-sity impresses and inspires us ev-eryday, and we’re adopting that attitude as we continue to stare down another few hard years of economic recovery.

We appreciate you’re taking the time to read up on what we think has been newsworthy this past year. We hope by the time you’re done you’ll agree.

In summary, I’d like to thank all of our funders from the three lev-els of government, the private sector, individual donors, our Board of Directors, Advisory Council and staff.

Say YES to YES.

photo Credits:

Many photos in this issue are re-printed with permission from Flickr Creative Commons.

Faunt shares credit where origi-nals have been significantly modi-fied for illustrative or satirical purposes.

Full attribution for Flickr images is as follows:

Quinn Dombrowski (quinn.anya)http://www.flickr.com/photos/quinnanya/2657928223/

Y (yasser)http://www.flickr.com/photos/4yas/3411519332/

Danumurthi Mahendra (dmahendra)http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmahendra/3069109155/

“HH Tailors” ad uses photo from Brennuskruxhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/brennuskrux/3356833255/

Sean Hobson (seantoyer)http://www.flickr.com/photos/seanhobson/3656135868/

“National Support” ad uses photo from Abdallah Hussein (abdallahh) http://www.flickr.com/photos/husseinabdallah/2310315395/

All other photography and illus-tration used with permission and attribution.

produCtion Credits

copywriting, illustration, design & concept:David Owen Morgan, faunt

This document could not have been produced without the inter-nal and external research materi-als provided by dedicated YES staff.

Printed in Toronto by Webnewsprinting.

responsible measures » annual report costs less

letter from the editor

saying yes in tough timesPresident Nancy Schaefer on why Youth Employment Services YES is committed to looking up, though things may be looking down

photo: helen tansey

credits » acknoWledGments & thanks

ThE YEs TimEs is brought to you by

In this year of conflicting head-lines, reporting economic uncer-tainty and no-easy-solution to problems many of us never expect-ed to worry about — a mortgage crisis, financial and automotive industry bailouts, high youth un-employment, and so on — we thought it appropriate to respond with our own take on the news in this special edition format for our Annual Report.

Though at times sensational and a bit tongue-in-cheek, our

newspaper spoof is always in the service of the issues that have been most relevant to our organi-zation this year.

The format is conceptually apt for the times, but we also want you to know it’s more fiscally re-sponsible. In response to tighter budgets, we’ve brought Annual Report printing costs down to 40¢ a paper, which brings our total production cost down 54% (per unit) from last year’s.

there’s savings in the news

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ThE YEs TimEs annual report 2009 A3

noW & then » chanGes & proJections noted bY Yes counsellors and Job developers

then noW futureprospects Saw lots of job opportunities• Many still finding work, but •

takes longer, and often not the job they want

Increase in part-time positions •at first

avG time 1 – 4 weeks• 3 – 6 weeks• Plan to cut down wait•

Job search Applying online•Could be picky about what •jobs to take

Canvas employers in person •(looking for an edge)Some continue to be choosy•

May have to settle for survival •jobsExpect high turn-over, low-re-•tention in “survival jobs”

Who comes to Yes Youth looking for work & ca-•reer-track jobs (i.e. better than survival jobs)High turnout at resource cen-•tre workshops (Job Search Club in particular)

More clients with post-second-•ary and graduate degrees come to YES for help

Continued increase in older •candidates turning to YESHigher educated candidates •less inclined to tax YES services

commitment to Yes Stay with programs to •completionAttend all scheduled meetings, •and keep in touch through search

Blame joblessness on reces-•sion, despite lack of effortGoing through motions•

Return of optimism and com-•mitment to YES programs

attitudes General sense of confidence •about finding a job through YES

Not understanding impact of •recessionExpect immediacy•

Higher value on job search as a •challenge that takes time

interest Actively looking for “Good” •candidatesMore positions than clients to •choose fromTaking chances on less quali-•fied clients

Hiring freeze•Want most highly skilled •clientsPrefer to hire part-time or •casual

Will start taking more risks to •land “best fit” employees

WorkinG With Yes Not rushed for training •subsidiesMet clients for info interviews, •job fairs, and other “extras”

Aggressively negotiating for •higher training subsidiesUnwilling to participate in job •fairs (can’t send staff to recruit)No time for “extras”•

More interest engaging with •clients through YES programsRely on YES as screening •agency

»YES career counsel-lors have been among the first to

recognize youth are the vic-tims of an expanding skills gap in the labour pool. “Many of my clients are blaming their joblessness on the recession,” says Lauren McConnell, a Counsellor/Job Developer at YES’s Rich-mond Street location.

According to an internal research report published by YES, 56% of recent cli-ents have noticed a decrease in the number of jobs they qualify for. Having watched overqualified applicants flood the entry-level job market, these clients tend to “display a lack of effort in their job search because they feel there’s no point and that employers are not hiring anyway,” adds McConnell.

“The barriers to youth employment have been in-tensified,” says Whitney Pyper, Marketing and Out-reach Coordinator, “which is incredibly stressful for our clients.” She recounts the experience of several youth who have seen their own parents lose jobs this year, which makes each youth’s “job search seem daunting, and finding a job that much more critical as each family member is called on to contribute financially.”

Pyper adds that “youth who face the most barriers to employment are having the most difficult time of all, as they are now compet-ing, with limited market-able skills, in an employer’s market.”

While some youth feel defeated, many haven’t yet fully understood the impli-cations of this skills gap on their own prospects. Only one in three YES clients are less optimistic about their job search than in pre-downturn times, the inter-nal report concedes.

Maria Jordan, another YES Career Counsellor, agrees that “most clients don’t realize the economic situation is affecting the labour market opportuni-ties in general, and set unre-alistic job goals.”

When asked of the new challenges youth face in this recession, one YES client admitted “I didn’t [expect any] in the beginning, but I’m starting to see it’s just more difficult finding a job.”

At least half of YES clients feel similarly, saying they’re more frustrated than nor-mal in their job search, a likely byproduct of too-high expectations going in and gradual exposure to a changing labour market they’ve been forced to com-pete in.

from paGe 1 » Youth losinG

Victims of recovery

editorial

chair’s messagebeth oAkes, ChAir

YES has been providing em-ployment services to Toron-to’s youth for over 40 years, but in the last year with youth unemployment in the gta reaching over 16%, YES has been at the forefront, recognized as the Centre for Excellence, empowering young people by providing them with the skills and the opportunities to gain em-ployment or start businesses.

In these difficult econom-ic times, unemployed youth are much more disadvan-taged due to the pressures on our social safety nets. For this reason our mission is all the more important.

It is such an honor and a privilege to be Chair of this wonderful organization of caring people; Staff, Man-agement, Advisors, Board Directors and Volunteers! What a great feeling to know that the help we give these young people now will contribute to their success in life!

Thank you to our long-standing Board Directors, Hugh Rennie, John Heeney and Ed Caffyn, for each giv-ing 8 years of outstanding service to YES. Also retiring are tremendous volunteers, Ross Amos and Robert Kanee. Ross will continue to serve on the Investment Committee.

Thank you to all our staff and volunteers under the capable leadership of Nancy Schaefer, our Advisory Board, and Board of Direc-tors. And thank you to our funders; the Federal and Provincial Governments, the City of Toronto, the Foundations, Corporations and individual Donors.

Young people who are finding jobs are finding they have to settle for entry-level positions. yasser

notable change:YES Counsellors & Job Developers have seen major changes in client and employer attitudes through this recession.

cdab

Clients

Employers

ThE YEs TimEs annual report 2009A4

»While ‘more clients’ means ‘business is booming’ in the pri-

vate sector, such a sudden increase of this magnitude puts unprecedented strain on a non-profit. The chal-lenge is in the timing.

Inundated with an imme-diate inflow of new clients, YES has had very little time to react.

As YES is funded as a charitable organization with revenue from the gov-ernment and private sector, operational budgets depend on government’s ability to assess need and funding levels on an annual basis. “Government response to an economic crisis that im-pacts youth so dramatically could take up to two years,” says John-Frederick Camer-on, YES Vice President of Development and Communications.

“The nature of responsi-ble government,” Cameron explains, “is to take quite a while researching, assess-ing, and weighing possible strategies for responding to this sort of an employment crisis. Even if

our government supporters fully agree with our assess-ment, and decide to adjust their funding levels to help our sector cope with this sudden demand for our ser-vices, our organization wouldn’t see that dollar ben-efit for two years.”

Without immediate fund-raising to help mitigate this delay, YES’s daily operations could be at risk through nec-essary cutbacks and compromises.

Core services are first to feel the crunch. “We’ve al-ways tried to promise same-day or near-same-day ser-vice,” says Cameron. “Youth want—and I think, de-serve—to start seeing in-stant results once they come to us, and we want that to continue, but it’s just not possible for us to continue to make that same-day prom-ise when so many are walk-ing through the door.”

Other core services most taxed by increased numbers include YES’s ttc token pledge (which promises fi-nancially strapped youth the transit fare needed to get to and from interviews),

assistance with job appro-priate clothing (YES has always helped disadvan-taged youth purchase clothes appropriate to their prospective line of work), and the Meals for Youth pro-gram (which feeds Job Camp participants, ensuring all youth have the energy to focus on their life skills training).

Clients rely on these ser-vices daily. “YES might work with a young person who gets a job on a construc-tion site,” Cameron sug-gests. “But he or she may not have workboots, wouldn’t have a hard hat, and might not have the money to go out and buy these things that are re-quired for the job.”

“That client has always been able to come back to YES and say ‘here are my needs,’ and we would com-mit to helping them get started.”

“It’s a critical commit-ment that we make,” he adds, “because what’s the point if we take them through all this, find them employment,but then leave

them stranded without these last few resources they need to get the job.”

Costs for offering these core services have sky-rock-eted proportionately to the number of youth relying on them.

To avoid compromised service delivery and big def-icits, YES reacted by form-ing the YESinDEED Fund.

Established to address the direct costs of increased clients on core services, YESinDEED acts as a stop-gap fundraising solution to help YES cope while govern-ment develops its response. (For more on YESinDEED, see “Who will lead?”, opposite).

“YESinDEED is just one example of the kind of ag-gressive strategy YES has taken to ensure uncompro-mised service delivery and growth through this reces-sion,” concludes Cameron. “If we’re going to get through this, we’re going to need a lot of help [from funders]. But we’re manag-ing this crisis with all we’ve got, and we’re determined to make it work. To keep

from paGe 1 » manaGinG crisis

Funding our way through the dark

Though only 17, Raj Ayagan has seen it all before.* The youngest child of three, Raj feels he’s mostly raised him-self after the death of his father, and watching both brothers lost to gangs, crime, and eventually pris-on. He lives with his mother in a small apartment in To-ronto’s St. James Town neighbourhood.

“I was having a lot of per-sonal struggles in my life,” he says, “with other issues, not related to work. But I hadn’t been working since the end of May, and I couldn’t find a new job after leaving my old one.”

“I needed help,” admits Raj, “and when I was ap-proached by a YES counsel-lor, I felt they were the only option I had at the time.”

The St. James Town Sum-mer Jobs for Youth (SJT) pro-gram targets disadvantaged and vulnerable youth like Raj. Linking these youth with local non-profit organi-zations in need of workers, the program is helping to strengthen the St. James Town community at both the individual and organi-zational levels.

Thanks to program spon-sor Manulife Financial, SJT placed 42 youth in fifteen different non-profit organi-zations in it’s first summer, exceeding their placement goal by 40%.

Compared to other sum-mer employment programs, SJT is unique for offering specialized support to high needs youth. Program par-ticipants are identified as

high needs for facing a num-ber of barriers to employ-ment. Of first year partici-pants, 74% were under 20 years old, 48% had limited or no work experience, and 81% did not have positive work references. 9% were new Canadians, and 17% identified language as a barrier.

Transportation and work-appropriate clothing were a barrier for 100% of

participants.Raj and his peers indicat-

ed that the job search and skills portfolio building workshops were informa-tive, helpful, and organized.

“It was exactly what I needed to get a good start on a job that means some-thing,” said Raj of the pro-grams focus on non-profits.

Coaching clients in prob-lem solving, managing their

personal lives, and educat-ing them on labour market needs are integral soft-skills the program helps them develop.

“The biggest problem I was having was getting re-sponses from my résumé from potential employers,” Raj said of his challenge. “Through the program, I learnt I’d been doing it all wrong. So, not only did I get a job for the summer, but I

feel like I’ll be able to help myself down the road.”

This kind of lasting im-pact is exactly what the pro-gram was set up to address. It helps clients meet current employment goals by devel-oping long term employabil-ity strengths.

*Note: Raj Ayagan is a fictionalized char-acter based on true stories and real facts from a combination of several YES client testimonials. Raj is fictionalized in order to protect the privacy of our clients.

proGram spotliGht » st. James toWn summer Jobs for Youth

At-risk teens given a chanceThe St. James Town Summer Jobs for Youth program gets kids off the streets and into jobs with local businesses, giving back to the community

Raj Ayagan takes a crowded bus to his first day in the St. James Town program. danumurthi mahendra

from paGe 1 » optimistic

Why so many youth remain confident

»“Employers look to shave off the fat dur-ing a recession,”

Zilkha explains, “and in a lot of cases that means lay-offs to full-time staff, espe-cially if you can get quali-fied part-time workers to replace them, willing to work for less and without the benefits packages.”

Zilkha points out that despite a split in confidence levels, a decisive majority of YES clients are willing to settle for jobs they wouldn’t have in the past. 77% of re-spondents say they’d be willing to accept a job offer they wouldn’t have consid-ered pre-recession, confirm-ing it’s an employer’s mar-ket, and that job candidates are likely to settle for jobs without benefits.

These entry-level posi-tions also tend to be higher turnover, “which can look like more jobs to our clients, but doesn’t bode well for their chances at job reten-tion, or to making headway

on their ultimate goals of starting gratifying careers,” she adds.

Zilkha also acknowledges that “the equal split in confi-dence levels could just as well be a reflection of diver-sity in clients’ attitudes and personalities, irrespective of the current economic climate.”

Moreover, YES empower-ment programs aim to build up client confidence levels. Optimism and perseverance in the face of adversity are common qualities among YES clients. “I’m used to struggling,” says one client, “so I’m ready for it if it gets hard.”

“I think my biggest chal-lenges will not be those of the outside world,” one re-spondent said, “but will be the challenges within myself.”

“I see this as an opportu-nity to step outside my com-fort zone and be the best ‘me’ I can be,” the respon-dent concludes.

St. JameS town Partnering organizationS

Art City• City Hope Education • CentreSt. James Town Family • Literacy Services (Community Matters)Toronto Community • Housing CorporationSt. James Town Safety • CommitteeToronto • Intergenerational PartnershipsWillow Breast Cancer • Support CanadaThe Canadian Stage • CompanyHabitat for Humanity• YES• Low Income Families • Together (LIFT)Wellesley Institute• Banyan Tree• Green Thumb• Regent Park Youth • FocusYonge Street Mission•

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ThE YEs TimEs annual report 2009 A5

executive opinion » the Yesindeed fund

Calling on the private sector to step up

John-frederiCk CAmeron & nAnCy sChAefer

Can you tell me a bit about the YESinDEED fund? About what it is, and how it differs from other fund raising?

The YESinDEED Fund is an emergency fund that YES created to provide a pool of financial resources for di-rect client services during this recessionary period.

Prior to this past year (or, in other words, in non-re-cessionary times) founda-tions and corporations would normally give fund-ing to particular programs within a charity. Funders develop very specific crite-ria for making charitable contributions, which deter-mine what charitable sec-tors they’ll support. Chari-ties look for corporate sponsors whose giving crite-ria lines up well with partic-ular programs, and can usu-ally access funding that way.

But faced with the kind of increase in demand YES has seen this year, we can’t re-ally afford to start new pro-grams, or find fundraising that targets particular pro-grams. We need fundrais-ing for the basics. Core ser-vices. That’s what YESinDEED has set out to address.

How were core services paid for previously? Government? Why the sudden need?

YES is a beneficiary of gov-ernment funding and we’re thankful for that continued support. But government can’t react to this crisis im-mediately, and immediacy has been our concern.

So we created this emer-gency fund and we’re invit-ing the private sector to temporarily forego their giving criteria, to look at this in a different way, through a different prism. We aren’t launching new programs in these times, we just need to meet the in-creased numbers of young people coming to us for core services.

What have been your major challenges when trying to get these businesses on-board?

When we launched this, we were reminded that a lot of work and effort and thought and due diligence goes into developing the giving crite-ria that corporations and foundations use to deter-mine who or what to fund, and that they don’t take that lightly.

But the fund was founded on a premise that was kind of a gamble, hoping the

private sector would be able to step out of their pre-defined limitations around funding and see the bigger picture and be willing to help an organization like ours provide direct services to more and more clients, as that number grew. We re-ally had no way of knowing we’d be able to get through to them.

We knew that without their appreciation of the state of this current crisis—had these been normal eco-nomic times, for instance—what we’re asking for would have fallen on deaf ears. But we’re finding businesses can understand the need, the crisis, and that we have no-where else to turn to for im-mediate support. We can’t, we refuse, to turn youth away.

Where does the fund go from here? How close are you to where you need to be?

Even as we’re well into ’09, we have a number of propos-als out for the YESinDEED Fund, and we want to en-courage the private sector, at least for a few years, to suspend the criteria that they’ve determined in good faith for the sake of these youth.

As we’ve climbed out of any recession throughout our history unemployment continues to rise in the early stages, and experts now all agree that for a period of time Canada and the US will see very high numbers of unemployment. If that proves true, we’ll continue to see youth bearing the brunt of job losses. So, to-day’s 16% youth unemploy-ment rate, under this sce-nario, will increase.

At YES, we’re going to continue to meet the needs of this huge increase in the numbers of young people who don’t know where to go next. The challenge for us is in selling the need to the private sector, helping them see the bigger picture. We need to do this in a big way, because we really need to grow the fund by $200,000–$300,000.

Since its creation at the beginning of this recession, the YESinDEED Fund has gained a number of support-ers in the private sector. We’ve raised approximately $110,000, nearly one third of our overall goal. We thank The Toronto Police Services Board, The RBC Foundation, TD Bank, The Tippet Foundation, and a great number of individual donors for their under-standing and support of this important initiative. These organizations were able to

look beyond their giving criteria and recognize the wisdom in this Fund’s abil-ity to help those who need our help immediately.

And government can’t help you get there, at least not in the short term?

We wouldn’t be doing enough to solely ask govern-ment for more money. Sure, we would love government to say, “We’ve created an emergency reserve fund to help employment agencies, because we recognize that during this economic down-turn employment is taking a big hit,” but knowing that it won’t happen we have to turn to the corporate sector. There may be legitimate reasons why government can’t react immediately, and we now know that they won’t.

So, we’re on the hook to lead, and the private sector is on the hook with us.

One thing we’ve learned coming out of this recession is that there’s a lot we don’t know and can’t predict.

What we can do is plan for the logical assumptions, plan for double the number of clients we would other-wise handle in a year, and strategize on how to address this. The only reasonable way is to turn largely to the corporate sector, because the way foundations get their funds is based on re-turn on their investments. And we all know too well that investment funds have taken a huge hit.

We’re not saying all chari-ties are in this box.

Employment is the most significant victim of the recession. So we are in the sector that is having to deal with the immediate fall-out—we’re within the event horizon, if you like—in a way that no other charitable sector finds itself. You can’t say the same of health care charities, for example, in that their services haven’t been directly taxed by the recession in this way. I’m sure, like us, they’re having a harder time raising mon-ey, as charitable donations decrease during this period, but we’re in that boat too.

Our cause is directly hit by the recession, and will con-tinue to be while youth un-employment continues to grow. Hence the need for an emergency fund, a bridge to get us across to the other side.

As unprecedented numbers of youth are turning to YES, The Times sat down with Nancy Schaefer and John-Frederick Cameron to find out how the agency’s fundraising has been affected.

illustration by faunt

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ThE YEs TimEs annual report 2009A6

There is an inverse relationship between unemployment and crime, recent studies have shown.

When rates of unemployment decrease, crime rates go down as well. In simplest terms, the trend says when people are busy work-ing they have less time and incli-nation for crime.

The complexity of such a causal relationship is more nuanced than

a mere matter of time, however. Studies point to a number of ways in which jobs empower individu-als and motivate lifestyle changes away from criminal habits. Where jobs provide financial stability and security, employed persons are less inclined toward theft. Steady income wards off financial desper-ation that can otherwise lead to crime.

The range of soft skills workers develop on the job help to curb criminal inclination as well. Re-spect for the self and others, a re-newed sense of civic duty, stress management and coping skills are all major contributors to falling crime rates among employed populations.

One recent study examined the relationship between crime and

unemployment rates in American cities in the last fifteen years. The results suggest a strong correla-tion between unemployment or low wages and crime.

The trend is strongest in men without post-secondary educa-tion. In another study, J. Grab-meier suggests that “policies [and programs] designed to increase jobs in inner city areas can have a

direct, positive effect on crime rates.”

YES programs target this group, with tailored programs and ser-vices marketed to them in particu-lar. By addressing the needs of disadvantaged and vulnerable youth more generally, YES has become a recognized leader in community safety.

It costs almost $100,000 a year to incarcerate a youth, but costs YES only $1,600 to get a youth a job.

reAdings

To find out more from these studies at the source, check out:

S. Raphael and R. Winter-Ebmer, “Identifying the Effect of Unemployment on Crime” in Centre for Economic Policy Research (London: CEPR). Online. http://www.cepr.org/press/dp2129.htm

J. Grabmeier, “Higher Crime Rate Linked to Low Wages and Unemployment, Study Finds” in Ohio State Research News (Columbus: Ohio State University Research Communications, 2002). Online. http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/crimwage.htm

Commission for Social Development. 45th session. 7-16 February 2007. Item 3 (c) of the provisional agenda. Follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development and the 24th special session of the General Assembly. Emerging Issues. Youth Employment: Impact, Challenges and Opportunities for Social Development. Conference room paper.

into Jobs means out of crime

unemployment and crime linked, study showsWhen youth can’t work, they are more likely to stumble down the wrong path. Jobs make safe communities.

economic costs

Jobs break the cycleLongterm costs of crime

Higher unemployment rates lead to higher crime rates (research has shown). Prolonged youth unem-ployment has a negative impact on social integration—further mar-ginalizing and alienating youth from society.

One UN Study states that the frustration, stress and low self-es-teem that comes as a result of youth unemployment increases young people’s vulnerability to drugs, disease and crime.

Experts suggest “there is evi-dence that unemployment can expose youth to greater risks of lower future wages, repeated peri-ods of unemployment, longer un-employment spells as adults, and income poverty.”

Less income means more depen-dency on the government for edu-cational costs. One specialist notes that “the Educational Policy Institute predicted rising youth unemployment will add more than 105,000 new borrowers to the Canada Student Loan Program in the next three years.”

In conclusion, one expert agreed that “youth unemployment can impose large economic costs on society. The necessity to ad-dress the needs of long-term un-employed youth can become a sig-nificant burden on public budgets.”

proGram spotliGht » streets to Jobs

Working to avoid crimeStreets to Jobs offers career coun-selling, pre-employment and job development services to youth who are homeless or at-risk of be-ing homeless. Streets to Jobs con-nects with homeless youth through community outreach and partnering with community agencies.

Thanks in part to funding pro-vided by the City of Toronto, in 2008, Streets to Jobs staff conduct-ed 67 outreach presentations at shelters, group homes, and other community agencies serving homeless and at-risk youth.

When asked of the barriers she faced before entering the pro-gram, one youth recalls challeng-es including “homelessness, no sense of belonging and I was an-gry there was no place to go.” Af-ter being drawn in by the program through a shelter presentation, she says “YES helped with guiding and supporting me in that tough time,” praising staff dedication: “they felt like family to me.”

Throughout the year, 86 youth received individual employment support through the Streets to Jobs program.

81% of Streets to Jobs clients had found success by program end, either through employment or the pursuit of training and education.

The program was a success for clients, and for the community at large. Streets to Jobs created 29 partnerships with community agencies serving homeless and at-risk youth.

“The staff itself,” one program particpant said, “is amazing, car-ing and understanding. I know I can always count on them if I need any help. On a scale from one-to-ten, YES is definitely a ten!”

The program’s greatest success is in empowering clients to con-front life’s challenges, from unem-ployment to homeslessness and poverty. “The best thing about YES helping me get a job was the renewed confidence I had in my-self” concludes one client.

It costs our government roughly $100,000 per year to incarcerate a single youth. It costs YES only $1,600 to get that youth a job. sean toyer

HELPWANTED

illustration by faunt

ThE YEs TimEs annual report 2009 A7

It usually takes more than passion to make it in fashion. Commit-ment and a willingness to sacrifice all else are important qualities for the creative professional, sure. But young hopefuls looking for a chance to break in can’t trumpet these virtues loud enough to be heard.

Those who’ve jumped through hoops to find careers in the fash-ion industry know it takes plenty of experience, connection, mon-ey, luck, and a lot of time before you’ll start to feel you’ve got a foot in the door. Lacking these re-sources, most young people give up before getting a chance to showcase their talent and passion.

But thanks to a new partnership between YES and the Toronto Fashion Incubator (TFI), a few young people are going to get the chance of a lifetime.

YES is partnering with TFI, an internationally renowed fashion incubator, to bring the best of fashion entrepreneurship training to youth.

Fittingly titled A Passion for Fashion!, the program reaches out to youth who show great promise but face the highest barriers to fahion industry training and jobs.

Through a series of workshops, participants will learn the process of starting their own business—receiving instruction in fashion design and marketing as well as business skills training. In addi-tion to the workshops and gaining exposure to the industry, A Pas-sion for Fashion! participants will have access to mentorship from industry professionals.

But the program’s been de-signed to help those who need it most. YES and TFI have made it a top priority to attract youth from the gta between the ages of 16 to 29, who are not traditionally ex-posed to or engaged in the net-works and support systems that foster entrepreneurship and meaningful employment.

Program marketing has been concentrated on youth in Toronto’s 13 priority neighbourhoods, aim-ing to help those least likely to ever get such a break into fashion and business training.

The program concludes with a competition element organizers hope will be relevant to youth.

Inspired by the hit cbc televi-sion show, The Dragon’s Den, the Fashionista’s Den will give twenty participants the opportunity to

pitch their fashion business idea to a panel of expert judges.

Eligible participants will have completed all six program work-shops and submitted a business plan and “fashion presentation board” to the judges.

Participants will be judged on the viability of their business plan as well as the quality of their pitch and “fashion presentation board”. yes and tfi will also consider

participants’ backgrounds and their need for the program when selecting the winner.

The winner will be announced at a high-profile reception and will receive $1000, a one-year free tfi membership and 50 hours of busi-ness advisory and fashion mentor-ship — a prize package valued at over $10,000.

Funding for the program is gen-erously provided by MSBCS.

proGram spotliGht » a passion for fashion

All in the design

The Passion for Fashion! program targets youth who may not otherwise have access to fashion entrepreneurship training. Pictured: Arthur Mendonça, successful international Canadian designer and TFI alumnus. rAinA kirn & Wilson bArry

Youth learn to work toward their dreams in a new program combining training in business with fashion design.

recoGnition » press

in the heAdlinesYES’s hard work gets recognized through a host of media stories published this year

Leadership and youth advocacy played out on the national stage

In case you missed them, YES has been popping up in several nation-al press and media stories this year.

Some articles have broadly fo-cussed on what we’re doing to help youth through this recession. Oth-ers have honed in on key pro-grams. Regardless of focus, they all point to YES as a stand-out or-ganization in the sector.

The Toronto Star has run a num-ber of pieces focussing on the youth employment crisis, and has asked for comment from the ex-pert executive team at YES. “Gen-eration why me?” was the week-end edition’s cover story May 2, 2009, proving youth joblessness is picking up attention, a story we have been calling national for years.

CBC News at 6, CBC Newsworld, CBC Radio and Global TV have all featured interviews with national expert and YES President, Nancy Schaefer.

A Passion for Fashion! was fea-tured in more than one Toronto Star story, in Eye Weekly, and on the popular blogs torontoist.org, flare.com, and thespec.com.

Look for links to online text for some of these articles and video clips in the “YES in the media” section of our website, yes.on.ca.

recoGnition » aWards

award WinningYES was proud to receive honours for community leadership from two organizations this year.

The Mayor’s Community Safety Award recognizes the contribu-tions of people and groups who work to make their community a safer place to live. The award was specifically for the e-YES program (Empowering Youth Empowering Seniors), which promotes youth empowerment and community engagement through intergenera-tional computer training.

The “Power of Rotary” Award honoured YES for outstanding achievements and significant con-tributions to the ideals of The Ro-tary Club of Toronto—service above self. The $10,000 honorarium came forty years after The Rotary Club of Toronto founded Youth Employment Services YES in 1968.

“We’re proud to receive these awards, which remind us to hold fast to our mandate: that employ-ment is empowerment, and the cornerstone of safe and healthy communities,” says Nancy Schaefer, President of YES.

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ThE YEs TimEs annual report 2009A8

illustrAtion by bizstArt Client emmA sAnCArtier.

business nAme

The Good Revolutionby

Laura Rubino

About

The Good Revolution is a promo-tions and networking company for local ethical businesses, commu-nity groups and independent artists.

We connect people with re-sources which empower them to engage in their community and live a socially conscious life.

hoW bizstArt helped

I was able to create a comprehen-sive and feasible business plan to guide my actions and decisions, and make my dreams a reality.

The program’s also helped me gain the confidence and skills to interact with contacts and associ-ates to fulfill my mission. I have also achieved a daily working rou-tine and self-discipline that con-tinually moves me towards my business goals.

highlight

My launch party in May, where I was able to showcase my mission and the spirit of the company. I promoted my clients and created a positive, entertaining and stimu-lating experience for guests.

ContACt

www.thegoodrevolution.orglaura@thegoodrevolution.org

proGram spotliGht » bizstart, a headstart for self-starters

A headstart for self-starters

business nAme

Benjamin Gitterman Photographyby

Benjamin Gitterman

About

I specialize in fashion photogra-phy to create images that excite and engage people in the world of fashion and photography. My work reflects future fashion and photography trends while maintaining my commitment to a distinctive style. I provide our clients with new, fresh, and unique perspective on fashion.

hoW bizstArt helped

I’ve gotten a lot of invaluable expe-rience. I have created a business plan I would be proud to present and met some amazing people during our work-shops. BizStart gave me the finan-cial support I needed to focus on my business full time.

highlight

Shooting red carpet for the Toron-to International Film Festival, and working L’Oreal’s Toronto Fashion Week

ContACt

www.benjamingittermanphoto.com

business nAme

Emma SanCartier Illustrationby

Emma SanCartier

About

I am a freelance illustrator who specializes in children’s book illustration. My goal as an artist is to create images that excite, and inspire the imagination.

hoW bizstArt hAs helped

It’s helped me gain the knowledge needed to run a successful busi-ness. I leaned how to organize my financials and manage my client contacts.I also learned how to properly pro-mote my business.

I’ve been able to build confi-dence in myself and in my skills as an artist, especially thanks to the programs financial support, which gave me the means to focus entirely on my work.

highlight

Landing my second book contract with the publishing company Sim-ply Read Books. Also, organizing a group gallery show held at In-dexG Galleries, and participating in the Speakeasy Illustration show.

ContACt

www.emmasancartier.comemmasancartier@rogers.com

business nAme

Schoolyardby

Katy Chan

About

In my business partnership, Schoolyard, we apply our origi-nal patterns to paper and textile products. We sell this collec-tion of giftware to stores across North America and through our e-commerce website.

Our mission is to design and produce classic gifts with a small environmental footprint.

hoW bizstArt helped

Through the program, I was able to achieve a number of business goals. Creating an accurate finan-cial plan, a concise marketing plan, and generally learning to set realistic goals for the business were really important steps.

BizStart has helped my partner and I operate our business with confidence, and launch our website.

highlight

Sending out our first catalogue and getting covered in House & Home magazine, plus participat-ing in Toronto’s One of a Kind Show. Those were really great moments.

ContACt

www.schoolyardstudio.cominfo@schoolyardstudio.com

Nature-themed tea towels, made of hemp and natural linen, by School-yard. As featured in Canadian House & Home magazine. h&h mAy

‘09

Find out who you can becomeIn 2008, YES recorded an 83% success rate, placing the vast majority of clients in jobs or job training.

Stop by our office to see for yourself.

A full-time, 11 month entrepreneurship training program, BizStart assists highly motivated youth through the first year of their business startup, development and launch.

Thanks to funding from Service Canada, YES assists 20 committed, creative youth, between the ages of 15 and 30 each year. Here’s what four of them got up to:

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annual report 2009 A9

auditor’s report

to the board of directorspkf hill, llp

We have audited the state-ment of financial position of Youth Employment Services YES as at March 31, 2009 and the statements of opera-tions and changes in fund balance of the Operating Fund and the Special Proj-ects Fund for the year then ended. These financial statements are the responsi-bility of the Organization’s management. Our respon-sibility is to express an opin-ion on these financial state-ments based on our audit.

We conducted our audit in accordance with Canadi-an generally accepted audit-ing standards. Those stan-dards require that we plan and perform an audit to ob-tain reasonable assurance whether the financial state-ments are free of material misstatement. An audit in-cludes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclo-sures in the financial state-ments. An audit also in-cludes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the over-all financial statement presentation.

In our opinion, these financial statements present fairly, in all material re-spects, the financial posi-tion of the organization as of March 31, 2009 and the results of its operations for the year then ended in ac-cordance with Canadian generally accepted account-ing principles.

Chartered Accountants, Licensed Public Accoun-tants, May 20, 2009

Yes fiscal » 2009

statement of operations & changes in fund balance — operating fundRevenue 2009 2008

provincial government

Job Connect $2,256,000 $2,301,000

Summer Jobs Service sjs 440,476 440,476

Employment Resource Centre erc 3 499,466 490,963

Reconnect xceed/xcell 3 423,959 390,303

Job Camp 3 343,199 364,172

Entry Point 59,422 80,217

Summer Company 16,715 18,905

federal government

Job Central 424,189 436,846

Youth Collaboration 266,935 263,266

BizStart 325,443 449,036

BizBoot 79,069 —

Career Focus — Great Grads 41,824 —

City of toronto

Toronto Social Services ontario works

80,034 94,851

Streets to Jobs 55,178 27,424

other

Career Focus 13,034 —

Investing in Neighbourhoods 8,193 —

Community Job Creation Project 100,000 —

interest income 3,495 7,280

Amortization of deferred contributions 5

81,475 107,487

5,518,106 5,472,226

Expenses

Participants’ stipends, training allowance and benefits

1,475,882 1,459,636

Staff salaries and benefits 3,190,429 2,835,651

Program operating costs 841,918 901,349

Amortization of leasehold improvements and equipment

81,475 107,487

Other expenses 206,794 169,546

5,796,498 5,473,669

Shortfall of revenue over expenses before

the undernoted items (278,392) (1,443)

Less deferred revenue from

provincial government 10 (45,915) (30,675)

Less deferred revenue from City of Toronto

10

— (17,354)

Less deferred funding for leasehold im-

provements and equipment 6 (24,384) (73,367)

Excess of expenses over revenue (348,691) (122,839)

Operating Fund deficiency,

beginning of year (7,014) (8,031)

Transfer from Special Projects Fund 6,8 346,675 123,856

operating fund deficiency, end of year

$ (9,030) $ (7,014)

The full set of YES financial statments for the year endingMarch 31, 2009 is available for review upon request

proGram spotliGht » e-Yes

e-Yes forming certified, aaa bondsEmpowering Youth Empowering Seniors

Bonds formed between peo-ple are more valuable and lasting than anything else you might want to throw your money into these days.

It’s been only a few short quarters since e-YES came into the bond-forming mar-ket, in partnership with St. Clair West Seniors, but the youth and seniors who in-vested early have been im-pressed by the program’s strength.

50% of seniors who bought in took the program again because they enjoyed it so much and wanted to improve their computer skills even more.

(It’s misleading to say ‘bought in’, because there’s actually no cost to show up for the program, so it’s re-ally just a time investment to get in on these bonds.)

Youth participants were also impressed with the se-curity in their investment.

As one youth confirms, “I was impressed, like even this guy that came in and you looked at him in a wheel chair, not able to function as readily as everybody else, after a while he was doing the tasks that you wouldn’t

expect him to be able to do. Like he was moving to the bottom of the screen by himself and clicking the buttons by himself and you tell him to turn off the com-puter, he knows to go di-rectly to the button and stuff like that. And I was under the impression that he couldn’t do anything. Like, my immediate reac-tion when he came in, I was like ‘oh no.’ So it was very, kind of, it was a good learn-ing experience because you underestimatepeople sometimes. They surprise you,” the youth

remarked in closing.Another youth noted a

change in confidence levels thanks to investment in e-YES bonds. “Before this it was just ‘Well, okay fine, I guess I’ll pack boxes if it pays over twelve bucks an hour’” he remembers. “But now I can see that you can evolve past that.”

Thanks to funding from Dr. Scholl’s, The Christina Mary Hendrie Trust, and the mutual investments by both youth and seniors, e-YES and the bonds it creates have been a fast success on the empowerment market.

Youth find intrinsic rewards in teaching: computer skills semi-nar in e-YES program. gabrielle zilkha

“It costs YES an average of $1,600 per client to get a positive outcome,” says Nancy Schaefer, President of YES. Positive outcomes include full- or part-time working positions, or en-rollment in job training/education. “We use positive outcomes to measure our success,” Nancy continues.

“Compared to the higher costs of social assistance ($12,000), incarceration ($100,000/year), youth

shelters ($50,000) it makes good economic sense to in-vest in YES” she concludes.

For every young person, a job offering decent work is an important step in com-pleting the transition to adulthood, a milestone to-wards independence and self-reliance.

For society, investments in youth employment pro-mote social integration, intergenerational dialogue, citizenship and solidarity.

Creating and fulfilling in-come-generating job oppor-tunities for young people can have direct positive con-sequences for poverty alleviation.

However, growing and persisitent youth unemploy-ment has a negative impact on social development.With text from “Youth Employment”, a proposal to the United Nations General Assembly World Summit for Social Devel-opment, February 7–16 2007.

YEsInvestment

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dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd

dddddddd

dddd

find jobsthroughYES

in youth shelters

incarcerated

in social assistance

62 8 21

Wise investments

invest in Youth: low risk, high yieldingWith $100,000, we can incarcerate one youth or help 62 youth find jobs

annual report 2009A10

pAtrons $1000+

An RichardsonAnn-Marie ToccacelliAnonymousBlake & Edna CarrothersDavid L. YuDeb Barrett & Jim LeechEdward CaffynBeth OakesHugh & Janice RennieJoan PriorRobert KaneeRobert WrightShane RumanWilliam G. Macrae

AssoCiAtes $500 - $999

Jennifer & James WerryJohn HeeneyLincoln Caylor & Melissa

NixonNancy SchaeferNick VaneyPauline HillWilliam Szego

donors $100 - $499

Alan BellAmutha VipulanandaAmy HanenAndrew FossAnne Marie CluneAshley WhicherBarb & Murray HannanBeth MalcolmBev & Christopher TurneyBooki YakobiBruce BarkerCarol DevlinCarol LomeCarolyn & Don LangillCatherine & James

MacDonaldChand ChandariaChris SnyderChristine PetrieCindy & Bill QuinnThe Honourable Colin L.

CampbellDarcy RectorDavid BeattieDavid DimmerDonald A. CarmanDonald W. Middleton

Donna KeystoneDonna RichardsonDorothy DearieDr. Allan Kanee & Dr. Thea

WiesdorfElizabeth ForsterEric S. SprottGary R. ReidGeorge StrathyHarry & Sylvia WinderHeather & Hans StelzerHillary CummingIan Van C. McLachlinJ. Allan BoyleJ. Paul MillsJane SomervilleJean DaveyJeff & Lili LitwinJoel CohenJohn AhsmannJohn CapeJohn P. CurranJohn RobertsonJohn TaylorJohn-Frederick CameronJonquil EyreKaren A. MouckKatie A. PorterKelly-Jo WellingsKim GouldKristian IsbergL. Faye StephensonLeslie & Guy NelsonLeslie PringleLinda ArmstrongLisa GibsonLucie PalLynn DampMacmillan C. GregMargaret WilkieMartha OslerMary DaniherMary McPhersonMatt & Natasha Shoom-

KirschMichael H. MorganMurray ShopiroNancy MorrisonNoelle SargeantNorma PennerPatricia Boake-AmourPatricia McFarlanePatti ThompsonPaul Nesbitt

Paul ScargallPeggy HornellPenny GriffinRalph S. BarnesRichard ShallhornRob McAdam & Elspeth

GaukrodgerRon LatvanenRonald MelvinRosalind WaxmanRoss & Janet AmosRoy McMurtrySinead McCarthyStephanie ButlerStephanie NerlichThe United Way of Greater

TorontoTom BlackmoreWanda HoWendy GibbsYES Staff Fundraising Team

friends $0 to $99

AnonymousAdele DryczonAlakozai AreesAndrew GallowayAnna M. KennedyAnnalee & Brian SchnurrBarbara LoweBrian OakeCarol & Ralph IngletonCarol WebbCarole BarnesCarolyn F. SwadronCatherine BirtCatherine OlsenCathy & Derrick NelsonChristine AndersonClive & Eunice Van WertDaniel StoffmanDaryl WattsDavid MillsDebbie & David BoltonDiana GrandDiana TweedyDiane McQuaigDonnalyn MantiniDouglas E. TurnbullEileen S. MartinElaine RehorFlora CourteauFrances WoodrooffeG. Dell & Phillip W. Walton

Gene YakovitchGordon BarrettHeather DicksonHeather SantIra DayJan & Howard PetrookJane NovotnyJanet LougheedJill RowanJoanne BankesJoe & Theresa StephenJohn GrantJudy InnesJulia PeacockKathy OramKim CobitzKimberly FieldingLiane RegendanzLisa EatonLiz HemmerickLois & Richard ChartersLyndsay NutterLynn DouglasLynn JetteMarie & Sandy MuirMarilyn OrrMarj OlssonMartin McConnellMelanie LewisMichael & Lynn CookeMichael KimberMichael LeonardMichael P. EngelbergMichael ValihoraNancy PeressottiPat DavidsonPatrick E. KieransPaul RichardsonRichard & Mary BeadonRobert BouerRobert CobhamRoman & Sandy NiemyRonald RudanRuth GreeySally MedlandSandra G. ManningSarah & Geoff Ward-MackStephen ClowSue & Ken McRobertsSusan ShirriffT. Robert & Jane ClappTimothy BrownVirginia RolphYvonne Boland

charitable GivinG

ContributorsIn the midst of this year’s employment crisis, our private sector contributors have become more critical for YES’s existence than ever before. We are in-debted to the following contributors for providing the support we’ve needed.

charitable GivinG

donorsWe thank all of our individual donors who dug deep into their pockets this year in order to continue supporting YES.

» artWork Gala

artWork helping youth work event pArtners

donAting Artists

Alice Burton Kevin Fitzpatrick Kye MarshallLupe RodriguezMargaret Florence LudwigMarjolyn van der HartMetivier GalleryRobert GameThe Hon. Roy McMurtrySusan FarquharTanya KirouacWendy Weaver

Contributing Artists

Alison BoyackAndrew PeychaBrian OkeBryan WallCharles PachterChristopher RobertsDavid MarshakElzbieta KraweckaJ.J. MartynJane Orr NovotnyJeremy DownJohn HartmanJonathan BrettJoseph HartmanLaura CarterMalcolm RainsMarta GeeNicole KatsurasNihan BasakPaul MantropRachel MacFarlaneRita-Anne PiquetRobert SaleyRobin PolfussRobin PreboyRoscoe MulhearonScott KishSerge ChriquiSteve MacDonaldUlrich KretschmarWilliam Lazos

plAtinum $25,000+

Toronto Police Services Board

silver $5,000 to $9,999

Ozery Pita Break Inc.

bronze $1,000 to $4,999

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

supporter $0 to $999

All Gold Imports Inc.

Carousel Bakery Ltd.

Cole & Partners Ltd.

Cricket

Derek Riley Consulting Inc.

Double Tree by Hilton

Elite Designed Concrete

Harbord Collegiate Institute

Hollywood Gelato

Jolin Electric

Kevin O’Shea Barrister & Solicitor

LC Bakery Equipment Services Ltd.

McMillan Binch Mendelsohn LLP

Minden Gross LLP

Mydan Services Inc.

Pei-Shing B. Wang Barrister & Solicitor

Polyson Polyethylene Products (1986) LTD.

TAP Mechanical Services Inc.

World Presidents’ Organization – Ontario

foundAtions

Dr. Scholl Foundation

Hamilton Community Foundation

The Christina Mary Hendrie Trust

The Marjorie and Joseph Wright Memorial Foundation

The Rotary Club of Toronto Charitable Foundation

ArtWork gAlA 2008 Committee volunteers

An Richardson co-chair

Jennifer Werry co-chair

Kimberly Cudney curatorial chair

Heather BeecroftHeather BoakeJean DaveyCharlotte MetivierLeslie Nelson

Melissa NixonAlon OzeryJoan PriorKim ReidBev TurneyMichael WerryDaphne WhicherPeg Wilkie

National Supportt h a n k yo u c a n a da ,

t i t l e s p o n s o r s o f :

Job Central

Youth Collaboration

BizStart

BizBoot

Career Focus

Thanks to the province of Ontario for supporting:

Job ConneCt

Summer JobS ServiCe

employment reSourCe Centre

reConneCt

Job Camp

entry point

Summer Company

a paSSion For FaShion

YEsThanks

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annual report 2009 A11

visionarY leadership

board of directors

ChAir

Beth Oakes cmcExecutive Vice PresidentDHR International

viCe-ChAir

David L.H. Yu cfaSenior Consultant, AON Consulting

treAsurer

Ross AmosChair Audit & Investment Committee

pAst-ChAir

Hugh RennieChair Executive CommitteeCommunications Consultant

An RichardsonCo-Chair Event Planning Committee

Ed CaffynVice President, Account Planner, BBDO Toronto

Joan Prior ba, llbSenior Vice President & Deputy General Counsel,Scotiabank

Alon OzeryOwner, Ozery Pita Break

Deb BarrettVice President Finance, The Woodbridge Company Limited

Robert Kanee bsc, mba, ca, icddPresident, Norcount Corporation

Melissa NixonLawyer

Nick VaneyCFO, Empathica North America

John W. HeeneyChair Governance CommitteeManagement Consultant

Jen WerryCo-Chair Event Planning Committee

Wendy GibbsChair Development Committee

Adey WorkuAisha IsaacAlan OttAlex BruneauAlix LoewenguthAmanda DegaustAmie FisherAmutha VipulanandaArran TyreBailey DullerChristina SantiagoChristine KaoCourtney WalkerCraig MilsonCrystal LeBlancDaniel KennedyDanielle ChangDarinka VlajkovicDenisse Alejo-MartinezDiAnne BrooksDonovan DillElaine YangGabrielle ZilkhaHaider AshrafJaimie BondyJane YangJayne SimpsonJennifer FaulknerJennifer FergusJeremy CarrothersJessica NeeJohn-Frederick CameronJorge HenriquesKarim Javeri

Kate BoyleKate OostromKerry WarneKim CobitzKimberly MoffitLa-Toya AtkinsonLauren McConnellLera Jn PaptisteLeticia LemusLourdes RuizMahnaz ChinoyMargaret DouglasMaria Jordan-BarzagaMarisha ManningMary-Ann JohnsonMeheret NegashMelanie GorlickyMelisa NganMichael CressMichael LoucaMiriam BarnaMona KhanMonica HernandezNancy SchaeferNatasha WiseNicki LajoieNicole GauthierOrit AdosePaul ZeppPeace MurphyRachael SpeirsRachel CantelonRachell NgRamla Shire

Raymond Ju Romanita CiobanuRosa HenriquezRozy SinghRubaiyat KarimSarah RudgeShaila Shafique Shelly-Ann BrownShirley ChenShoshana FainsilberSinead McCarthy Sonia Buchanan Sonia DaSilvaSouhair Musa Stacey Ferguson Stephanie ZacharkiwValerie McIntosh Wanda ParsonsWhitney Pyper

Eric Barton cm Order of CanadaFounder & CEO Miller Dallas

Mark Breslin CEO/Founder Yuk Yuks

Dr. William Macrae Ophthalmologist

Honourable Justice Colin Campbell, Superior Court of Justice Ontario

Gerlinde Herrmann President, The Herrmann Group

David Latimer Director, Camp Kilco Greenwood College

Donald Lindsay CEO, Teck Cominco

Patti Lovett-Reid Senior Vice President. TD Waterhouse, TV Host Money Matters

Charles Pachter, cm Order of Canada, Cultural icon, Painter, Lecturer

Alex Tilley Owner and CEO Tilley Endurables

Bev Topping President & CEO Institute of Corporate Directors

Anne Sado President George Brown College

John Stackhouse Editor, Report of Business The Globe and Mail

Bob Wright Past Deputy Chairman Teck Cominco

recoGnition

Advisory Committee

back left to right: David Yu, Ross Amos, Nick Vaney, John Heeney, An Richardson, Ed Caffyn, Alon Ozery, Deb Barrett, Melissa Nixon, John Szold, Margaret Douglas, Jason Philips, Hugh Rennie, John-Frederick Cameron. seated front: Nancy Schaefer (President), Joan Prior, Beth Oakes (Chair). photo by yes

senior manaGement

Nancy Schaefer President

John-Frederick H. Cameron Vice President Development & Communications

Margaret Douglas-Campbell Vice President Youth Programs

Sinead McCarthy Vice President Administration

our team

staffWe appreciate the dedication and professionalism of our staff in helping our clients to find work

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ThE YEs TimEs annual report 2009A12

the employment champion for youth