The YMCA has received $4 million in funding to continue to fund the YMCA Youth Transitions Program which the YMCA says will be used to support students in Saskatoon and surrounding area.

Dean Dodge, President and CEO of the YMCA Saskatoon said in a news release, “The YMCA Youth Transitions Program shows what’s possible when young people are empowered to succeed.”

The program is described as recognizing the systemic factors that make it harder for some students to succeed.  It began in northern Alberta and with funding from the federal government, YMCA YTP has expanded to 22 sites across Canada.

According to the Y’s website the program, a free service for youth 12 to 19, pairs participants with a youth support worker to help them deal with whatever barriers they are facing whether it is school, employment, peers, family, housing or addictions.

It teaches youth how to understand their own behaviour patterns and discover how to make choices with purpose.  The program also helps them take that step into the realm of post-secondary education with workshops that cover topics such as introduction to post-secondary studies, choosing your post-secondary program, financing post-secondary studies, and transition to post-secondary education.