Skip to Main Content
  1. Home
  2. News
  3. UGDSB expands Project SEARCH partnership with YMCA of Three Rivers Guelph

UGDSB expands Project SEARCH partnership with YMCA of Three Rivers Guelph

For Immediate Release
February 29, 2024

GUELPH, ON – The Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) is thrilled to announce it has partnered with the YMCA of Three Rivers Guelph as part of Project SEARCH. 

This follows January’s exciting announcement of the Project SEARCH partnership launched between the UGDSB, WCDSB, the University of Guelph and March of Dimes.

Developed at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in 1996, Project SEARCH is a unique school-to-work training program for students with disabilities. Students get more than 700 hours of hands-on work experience geared to in-demand roles in the local labour market. They then learn employability skills and plan their careers with guidance from March of Dimes Canada, the local vocational rehabilitation counsellors.

Currently, there are 750+ Project SEARCH sites worldwide. The program reports that approximately 70% of students are employed within a year of graduation. This reflects the overall success of the program for graduates and their employers.

“We are really looking forward to partnering with the Upper Grand School Board to deliver the Project Search program within our Guelph YMCA Community. The core values and outcomes of this program are so closely aligned with our own values – in particular around inclusion and belonging and supporting youth in our community,” said Mike Ennis, CEO of YMCA of Three Rivers.

“We are thrilled about this expansion of Project SEARCH with our Upper Grand community. We share the YMCA of Three Rivers’ commitment to finding meaningful, paid work for young people with developmental disabilities” said Peggy Blair, UGDSB Superintendent of Education.

Information sessions will be held for families interested in this opportunity, including a Family Information Night to be held at the YMCA of Three Rivers on March 19 from 6:00-7:30 pm.

Family Information Night

For more details on Project SEARCH, visit the UGDSB website.

An interior photo of a workout space at the YMCA of Three Rivers, Guelph

Categories: Media Releases • News Tags: