Transforming Youths-Facing-Adversity
into Youth Advocates
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Challenge
Impart’s work with youths-facing-adversity over the past 5 years has brought us in touch with a wide span of youth experiences.
Some come from high-risk backgrounds, where gangs and substance abuse are the norm. Others come from high-need backgrounds, where mental health challenges and neglect are the daily struggle. Through our support, many of these youths have found their way back into stability and onward unto personal development.
Whilst our youths may have experienced success in part of their development, they can still be viewed as liabilities, instead of assets, to their communities. These youths need clear pathways to be empowered as assets to their communities.
Response
We train youths-facing-adversity to serve as youth advocates, paving pathways for them to contribute to other youths and the wider community.
More than
youths-facing-adversity
have returned as Youth Advocates in our community of care!
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Snapshots of change
Youth panelists
Youths are invited as panellists to speak at both internal and external events, raising awareness about youth perspectives and advocating for change!
Volunteer trainers
Here, the roles are reversed.
Youths return to train incoming batches of volunteers through role-playing exercises, lending practical experience to incoming Impart Youth Advocates.
Active volunteers
Youths are given opportunities to support other youths through Impart’s ongoing programs, or serve their wider community through volunteering events.
From Youth-Facing-Adversity to Youth Advocates
Challenge
Many youths-facing-adversity only realise their potential as social service professionals late in life.
Our youths' lived experiences can give them an edge as social service professionals, but many of them take more time to develop an aspiration for social service.
However, formal accreditation for professionals in the sector will take at least 3-7 more years.
Many of these youths do not have the time and means to pursue such options. And so they often pursue jobs to pay the bills – sustenance, rather than development and contribution, becomes their pathway forward.
Response
We offer youths intensive internships to build requisite professional foundations.
Upon successful internship completion, we sponsor them through a 2.5 year Work-Study Diploma program, that equips them with the requisite skill sets and accreditation to enter the social service sector as a helping professional!
For successful cases, this empowers a to become a
youth-facing-adversity
social service professional
1
half the normal time!
in
For example, a “normal” route of taking a Higher-Nitec course in social services followed by a diploma in social services will take 6 years. Impart’s internship and Work-Study Diploma pathway takes a youth 3 years!
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A CASE STUDY
narish's pathway
“To be honest, working at Impart (and in this sector) isn’t easy. There were many times when I felt like giving up because it felt like helping my youths to change was almost impossible. I didn’t know if I could do it. But when I saw how all my colleagues didn’t give up - they didn’t give up on the youths and they didn’t give up on the program - I also didn’t want to give up anymore. It’s the power of the community la. We knew that we just had to find the solutions together, and stay faithful to our mission."
Narish first received Impart’s academic support as a private ‘N’ level candidate. Successfully entered ITE course of his choice.
Completed his ITE course and traineeship with Subaru while exploring a career as an amateur boxer.
Expressed interest in serving the community, accepted as an intern with Impart under the Paving Pathways program.
Converted into a full-time trainee with Impart, successfully enrolled in a Work Study Diploma for Community Engagement & Development
