06:30, 24 July 2024
Words by Cheyanne Bryan, Editorial and Campaign Marketing Executive, London
This Canadian-based charity is stepping up to make a difference for young Black people. With a mission to empower and support young individuals of colour, CEE Centre for Young Black Professionals (CEE) is dedicated to providing the necessary resources and guidance to help them secure meaningful employment opportunities.
Through their innovative programs and unwavering commitment, they are working towards breaking down barriers and creating a more inclusive and equitable society for all.
Stemming from the anti-violence action in Toronto, Canada as a result of the ‘Summer of the Gun’ in 2005, the province of Ontario and other entities came together to create the Youth Challenge Fund. This initiative came together to seek a solution with young people to try and fix some of the challenges their communities were facing. At the time, 34 initiatives were established, however only two are still in operation with CEE being one.
Smiley News spoke to Agapi Gessesse, Executive Director at CEE Centre for Young Black Professionals to hear how the charity delves into the impactful work to reach the transformative acclaim it is having on the lives of Black youths seeking to build a brighter future.
The people CEE works with are usually 23 to 35 year olds that come into their traditional workforce development programmes, while they have found their exploratory programmes are more of interest to high school students (16 to 18). They have a range of programmes across the industries of entertainment, trades, information technologies, finance, and hospitality.
“We look at data and evidence to tell us a couple of things. Number one, in terms of the industries, have they publicly said that they have a labour gap and that they are in need of people? Does the evidence tell us that these jobs are going to exist or be available over the next five years? And then when we decide on where specifically in those industries we're going to be doing work, we look at where the largest gap first.
Agapi continues, “So, for instance, in entertainment we run, we don't run programs that are very obvious to folks. So we run like a production accounting program that is the most sought after skill in the entertainment industry right now. We run a production assistant program, VFX program, and we look at where there are the largest gaps. So where are the most jobs that are being filled, particularly in entertainment. We look at where the jobs are being filled by freelancers from America, and how we can start to create a pipeline of talent within the Canadian context.”
There is also a strive for the young people that go through the programme to have guaranteed upward mobility within the sector or industry 4 times before they actually have to have formal training or a certification.
“We don't just focus on jobs, we focus on careers”
Agapi identities the three approaches CEE uses for the young people in their programmes:
Reflecting on her time with the charity Agapi said: “I've been with this organisation for about five years, and we have grown significantly over the time. And I think for a black-led organisation, one of the things that has surprised me is like we've been able to get an actual space, we've been able to grow from running three programs to 25 and so I think that the growth, for me, has been surprising, but also has been reassuring.
“And the young people who surprise me on a regular basis, because they are just very committed to their own success, and not just their own success, but like when they come in as a cohort, people hold each other accountable.”
To find out more about the programmes CEE has on offer and the programmes that are available, head over to their website here.
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
WorkingRite. This is a Scotland-based charity that helps young people get their foot in the door and gain employment opportunities. Find out more.
The Princes Trust. This charity offers free support to young job seekers in need of training or confidence to find a job that matches their interests. Find out more here.
Forces Employment Charity. This charity provides lifelong, transformative assistance by providing job opportunities and training to service members, veterans, reservists, as well as their spouses, partners, and children. Support them here.
