The Work Readiness Program at North Delta Secondary provides students with the skills to transition into post secondary education, independent living, community connections and employment. They do this through community volunteer projects, visits to post secondary institutions and with work experience placements within the community. Through these experiences, students gain insight into their talents and interests, which in turn, helps them to develop their essential employment skills.
Recently, to help students develop their skills the Work Readiness Program created a unique learning experience where they operated their own business in order to fundraise for charity.
It encompassed the planning, budgeting, shopping, production, marketing and delivery of our their line of spa, food and home decor product including: almond rocca, biscotti, caramel popcorn, peanut brittle, hot chocolate tubes, soap, bath salts, body scrubs, bath bombs (90 of them!), nail polish stocking stuffers and decorative “snowfolk”.
The products were marketed and sold primarily to North Delta Secondary staff and parents of the students.
Students decided to use their revenue to give back to community organizations in Delta. After much in-class discussion the issues of most importance to students were homelessness, at-risk youth, families, violence in the home, illness and animal care. They then narrowed down these issues and voted on a cause to support.
The vote resulted in a tie, and students decided to support both Deltassist Community Agency and the Tollie Fund at Delta Animal Shelter. Through the student’s research, they discovered that 90% of all donations made to Deltassist go directly to the cause and just under 10% fund the agency’s expenses. The Delta Animal Shelter, although a municipal program, have a separate Fund that forwards 100% of donations to the care of animals in need of critical, lifesaving and very expensive veterinary care.
Students in the Work Readiness Program recently visited Deltassist and the Delta Animal Shelter to present their donations.
