Preparation for employment
There is evidence that young adults with a chronic illness or disability are less likely to be employed at the level of their ability, or even fully employed, than other young people. Gainful employment, while not a medical outcome, is still an important part of transition.
We will encourage all programs to discuss future goals with teens and their families, including those related to education and employment. As many teens go on to post secondary education, questions about these plans will be raised when adolescents are entering high school (to ensure that they are taking a level of courses that will allow them to pursue the education they want) and throughout their high school experience. Materials such as the Society for Adolescent Medicine's "The Healthy Student: A Parents' Guide to Preparing for the College Years will be made available to teens.
In addition, we will be arranging job skills training groups to address issues such as preparing a resume, how to obtain your first job, maintaining a healthy work ethic, and planning a career.
Good 2 Go is also affiliated with a SickKids initiative to get kids inspired by science and hopefully to go into the sciences. This program is for teens who are felt to be at high risk of not considering a science career. The three groups that have been targeted are inner city Toronto teens, those in Northern communities, and teens with a chronic illness or disability.