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Important announcements and resources for everyone.
The Burnaby Board of Trade is a proud partner of the Reboot Plus Program, which connects youth with businesses to explore potential career paths and opportunities.
Betisa Mohammadi is a participating professional of the Reboot Plus program, offering informational interviews to youth. She is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors. “Currently, I work as a Program Manager at Mount Pleasant Family Centre Society. At the Family Centre, we provide child-centred programs that nurture healthy growth and development for all families. We primarily support families with very young children (birth to age 6) through Family Drop-In programs, parent education workshops, and support groups. I enjoy every moment of my job, especially working with families and their children.”
Support the Process
When Tim Blake, the Outreach Coordinator at Douglas College contacted me about this wonderful program, I knew I would be more than happy to get involved to provide support for youth to navigate their future. These students are the future of our country. They are the ones who will raise our future generations and will be role models for other students. It’s crucial that we share our knowledge and provide the support we can to help them make the best decision they can toward their successful future.
Help Youth Discover Their Path
Everyone has a unique and exciting world inside of them. It was great to listen to each student’s experience and see how resilient they are. The challenges that these youth have overcome is admirable. They approached the interview with engagement and passion. When I asked them why they were interested in this career path, their answers showed strong motivation to help and support others. I am excited to see this future generation excited about the social services and their desire to support vulnerable people in their communities.
Share What You’ve Learned
My most memorable question, from a student, was “Tell me about some of the common skills you can use as a counsellor and a manager in your current leadership position.” I explained that almost all my counseling skills help me to be a better leader in my position. Effective communication skills is one of the essential skills you need as a counsellor and a manager. You need to be able to make a good rapport with your clients and your team. People around you should be able to trust you, and the relationship should always be based on respect and non-judgment. People should know a communication path is open, no matter what. Additionally, a great skill is the ability to turn problems into learning opportunities. It helps shift focus away from the problem and toward possible solutions and options. As a counsellor or leader, you should support clients or your team to reach their potential. Strategic thinking, creativity and flexibility are all skills that can help you a lot in both positions.
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Students, in the Reboot Plus program, are trained to connect to professionals for informational interviews to explore what businesses and careers are really like. This opportunity to ask their own questions, rather than read through online information, helps students gain a deeper insight into various career paths.
Offered in partnership through Douglas College Training Group and PEERs Employment & Education Resources with the Burnaby Board of Trade, this innovative program aims to re-engage at-risk youth in education and career development by providing them training and exposure to both post-secondary education and to the world of work.
The program is funded as a labor market research initiative by the Future Skills Centre. The findings will inform government, labor and educational institutes on broader adoption of novel approaches to training and skills development.
If you’re a business professional who is able to give 30-60 minutes of your time to this program, we would love to connect with you. Please connect with the Burnaby Board of Trade for any questions or to volunteer to participate!
Cory Redekop
cory@bbot.ca / 604 412 0100
3 Reasons for Professionals to Participate in Informational Interviews for Youth
Latest Newsletter
Any Questions?
Please contact us at the Mount Pleasant Family Centre if you have any questions. We look forward to hearing from you!
The Mount Pleasant Family Centre Society stands against racism. We stand in solidarity with people who have suffered from racial injustice. Black lives matter. Indigenous lives matter. We are angered and saddened by the ongoing experience of Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Colour within our community, and globally. We have spent the last few weeks reflecting on the persistence of systemic racism in our communities and we condemn the rise of anti-Asian racism that has occurred in light of the recent global pandemic.
We have the honour of working with families with young children from diverse backgrounds, and this is a huge opportunity for us to work forward towards change. We must recognize our role within these systems, our privilege, and our responsibility to educate ourselves and to take actions to make the world a better place for all children.
Some of our next steps include taking a critical look at our programs to identify how to make them more inclusive. We will also be collecting and sharing resources about race-based discrimination and inviting more members of the community to join us. As we begin this work we are open to feedback and accountability. We are always listening and learning.
Sending love and peace,
MPFCS Staff and Board of Directors
Please click HERE for the list of anti-racism books available at our centre for children
MPFCS Anti-Racism Statement