Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/398704
Connect with us Photos: iStock; courtesy Gratitude Graffitti; courtesy CanAssist; courtesy Out in Schools F a l l 2 0 1 4 I V a n c o u v e r F o u n d a t i o n l p a g e 5 High-tech help For individuals with cognitive disabilities, time management and travelling independently can be significant barriers to maintaining stable employment. CanAssist is a program at the University of Victoria that develops innovative technologies and programs for users with a focus on promoting independence and inclusion. Its Apps for Employment Project is designed to help people with disabilities, especially those with cognitive challenges, to be more successful in employment settings. Vancouver Foundation granted a total of $192,340 to support the development of two software applications that are expected to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. CanWork is primarily a scheduling app, while CanGo will use GPS to support the use of public transportation and can allow its users to be tracked by caregivers or job coaches. Both apps are still in the testing phase, but are expected to be released for downloading on both Apple and Android devices in the spring of 2015. Hats off to Aunt Leah Research shows that more than 50 per cent of young Canadians between the ages of 20 and 24 live with their parents – a luxury, especially in a real estate market like the Lower Mainland. But what if you don't have parents? Where do you crash to save money for school? Who helps you cobble together enough for a damage deposit? And where does that hand-me-down couch come from? Since 2006, Aunt Leah's House has been helping foster youth in B.C. to get on their feet as they age out of care at 19. Specifically, Aunt Leah's Link program aims to prevent or reduce their chance of experiencing homelessness by teaching youth practical skills such as budgeting, meal planning and job hunting, and offering them a safety net should they fall back. A University of Victoria study released in May 2014, Avoiding the Precipice, affirmed the value and cost-effectiveness of the Link program, describing it as "a relatively low-intensity intervention that yielded positive outcomes for youth." Vancouver Foundation has helped to fund the Link program since 2010. Film stars More than 300 contestants entered 90 submissions in the Out in Schools 2013 Rise Against Homophobia youth short video contest – its best year yet. Open to students in grades 8 though 12, the national contest is an initiative of the B.C.-based Out in Schools program, a unique high school outreach initiative that engages youth through film to promote safe and diverse learning environments free from homophobia, transphobia and bullying. With help from a Vancouver Foundation Youth Philanthropy Council grant for $3,000, three finalists were chosen. The winning videos premiered at the 25th Vancouver Queer Film Festival and are now shown in Out in Schools presentations across the province. —Mikelle Sasakamoose Indicates a project funded by a Neighbourhood Small Grant