HOODLINC: 2900 Space Initiative and ROSE Project

HOODLINC’s ROSE Project (Real Opportunities for Success in Education) is a unique youth-led initiative designed to address the low high school graduation rates and post-secondary school enrolment for youth living in the Malvern neighbourhood. A collaboration with the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) and a recipient of first-round YCF funding, ROSE offers an alternative education, nutrition and leadership program for youth who have been expelled or streamed from school and who are at risk of dropping out. ROSE also engages youth through recreational activities that enhance the academic component of the program, reaching youth beyond those supported within the school environment. In response to increased demand for the program, HOODLINC and YCF engaged the TCDSB to work together to find an additional space for the ROSE project in Scarborough. Fifth-round YCF funding will support HOODLINC’s 2900 Space Initiative, which will create much needed youth-designated space at the Monsignor Fraser Alternative School to expand the ROSE project both physically and academically. Youth and adult allies will work together to create more effective and better-coordinated educational prospects for youth in Scarborough.