Vancouver Foundation

For more information about the TeenWork program visit canassist.ca/EN/main/teenwork.html. To support important projects like this, call Kristin in Donor Services at 604.629.5186 or visit vancouverfoundation.ca/give. F a l l 2 0 1 6 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 1 3 Victoria's Red Barn Market, on the corner of Vanalman and Glanford Avenues, is a bustling place. Customers come and go, day in, day out, some grabbing a smoked-meat sandwich for lunch, others picking up a week's worth of meat and fresh produce. Outside, where the fruit and veggies are neatly stacked along the storefront, is where Marcel Duruisseau spends some of his shift, relling boxes and answering questions from shoppers. At other times, he'll be driving the forklift, unloading a truck that's arrived from up-island with freshly dug beets and potatoes. You won't likely notice him, because Duruisseau is just one of the sta—working hard, doing his job, tting in. And should you see him comfortably interacting with customers, or con- dently driving the forklift, you certainly wouldn't guess that just 16 months earlier, he would have been too scared to even apply for a job here. "I would have been afraid to admit to them that I'm on the autism spectrum," says Duruisseau. "Even though I'm really open about that in most situations, I do fear telling people when I apply for a job because I worry that they'll think I'm incapable." When he was in Grade 10, Duruisseau's mother encouraged him to apply to a new program designed to help teenagers with disabilities nd and keep part-time employment. TeenWork is a pilot project founded by a group of partners in Greater Victoria, administered by CanAssist at the University of Victoria, and funded by Vancouver Foundation through a generous grant of $150,000 over three years. TeenWork's manager, Brooke Parlby, became Duruisseau's job coach, helping him gure out where he should look for work. "He was lacking a little direction and not having much success," she recalls. "He was able to secure a few interviews but never really got beyond that stage. So we worked together, to look at his values, look at his strengths, explore that and then really target a business that was in line with that." Red Barn Market seemed like a good t. Parlby accompa- nied Duruisseau to his rst few shifts, making sure he under- stood his duties. It didn't take long for the young man to impress his manager, Darcy Dahlin. "He did very well," says Dahlin. "Followed instructions, and did things exactly the way that we showed him." Not only that, but Duruisseau was eager to take on more shifts and more responsibilities, eventually asking to be trained on the forklift. "He really followed that up," says Dahlin. "He must have asked about three times, and we nally brought an instructor in." What started as a part-time position for Duruisseau has grown into almost full-time summer work. "I have absolutely no complaints and everyone here really thinks highly of him," sums up Dahlin. "It's been a very positive experience." With the funding to grow the project provided by Vancouver Foundation, the TeenWork program will be able to help more teenagers nd jobs and get started on satisfying careers. Since the program started in 2009, more than 60 youth with various physical, cognitive or mental health challenges have found employment including positions as animal care assistants, car lot attendants and commercial sandwich makers. Parlby says the biggest hurdle is nding employers willing to take a chance, but when they do, the experience is so good they often want to repeat it. She recalls one employer who has retained a person hired through TeenWork for two years after previously struggling to keep anyone in the job for more than six months. "And he's looking to us again," she adds. As for Duruisseau, he plans to continue working part-time at Red Barn Market while he completes his Community Support and Education Assistant Program at Camosun College. After that, he wants to work as a teacher's assistant, a job coach or a manager of a program for people with disabilities. But his ultimate career goal? To run for political oce. "I just think it would be really cool for the B.C. government to have a politician on the autism spectrum," he says condently. "If I become the B.C. Disability Minister, I'd help to fund multiple programs like this."

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