Youth Outreach

Mentorship

Mentorship

Jaku Konbit is proud to launch their official Mentorship Program. Since the year 2000, Jaku Konbit has touched and impacted the lives of hundreds of youth and families in the Ottawa region. In that time, we have always been mentors and facilitated mentoring relationships between members of our community.

Whether it has been our special guest speakers and presenters at our day camps or presenters at our Kwanzaa Celebrations or tutors in the Black Star Tutoring Program or seniors with summer campers in the community garden; in some fashion or another, Jaku Konbit has been in the forefront in the Ottawa Afro Caribbean community serving as leaders, role models and mentors to children and families.

We believe even the slightest positive influence has the potential to change a child’s life. Formalizing the work that we have been doing, Jaku Konbit will now incorporate mentoring into its existing programs such as the Day Camps, Youth Employment and Black Star Tutoring.

In 2018, Jaku Konbit’s Mentorship Program was supported by the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services; specifically, their Ontario Black Youth Action Plan. As such, much of our programming is supported to focus exclusively on black children and youth.

How to Get Involved

Whether you have two hours or 20 hours in a year to contribute, there is a role for you to play. We have several options to accommodate any schedule:

Group Mentor

  • Guest speaker (topic/talent specific)
  • Support group
  • Workshop/class
  • Webinar
  • Coach

One-to-One Mentor

  • Six weeks of two-hour activities
  • Two hour training & introductions
  • One closing meeting

EYOW

Enhanced Youth Outreach Worker (EYOW) Program

Implementing an Afrocentric, person-centered, strengths-based and anti-oppressive lens… The EYOW program provides culturally relevant services in Ottawa to support positive development and outcomes for Afro- Caribbean youth ages 12-21 by offering assessments, short-term counselling, resource navigation, referral and follow-up services.

Program and services include, but are not limited to:

  • Identifying needs, barriers, strengths, aspirations and goals
  • Providing short-term counselling to youth and their families
  • Building cultural identity through community engagement
  • Fostering self-confidence, and resilience skills
  • Referral to local resources in areas of housing, employment, education, mental health, and recreation.

For more information, please contact:

Samantha Umutoni
Enhanced Youth Outreach Worker
Email: eyow@jakukonbit.com

Employment

Employment

Jobs for Youth

As part of our mandate, Jaku Konbit is committed to assist youths in finding paid employment and to gain first-time work experience. We recognize that students can often have a difficult time finding their first job. It can be very intimidating preparing a resume, approaching prospective employers, and being interviewed. Some are not even sure where to begin.

Youth unemployment rates remain stubbornly high, so in collaboration with the Youth Services Bureau (YSB), the Ottawa Catholic School Board, the Ottawa Carleton District School Board’s Focus on Youth (FOY) Programs and the YMCA-YWCA, we do our part to empower the youth and help give them real work experience and responsibilities. YSB executive director Joanne Lowe said, “Putting that first line on your resume opens so many doors for future employment”. Jaku’s Employment Program is about investing in youth today so it will have a real impact on their futures.

The Jaku Youth Employment Program offers three types of work opportunities for youth between the ages of 15 and 21. These are:

  • Camp Counselor
  • Office Administrator
  • Black Star Tutor

The skills gained will help give an initial foothold in finding future employment and give them the confidence and experience required.

Please contact us 613-567-0600 to obtain more information on all of Jaku’s paid employment opportunities or to get an application form.

Ujima Job Fair

Organized by Jaku Konbit and Ottawa Black Business Alliance Inc. together with other employment resources and Employment Ontario Network, the event will feature more than 40 booths. Exhibitors include employers from a variety of sectors and organizations offering training and career counseling to make job seekers more employable.