Facing the future — students gain skills through RBC Future Launch program

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Calgary Counselling Centre (CCC) is not just a place where lives are changed through counselling. We provide practical hands-on experience to students and young adults in the counselling field, as well as the areas of information technology, communications, and research. We’re able to give these students valuable work experience thanks to generous donors like RBC. This past year, we received $50,000 from the RBC Future Launch Program to help young Canadians gain experience and develop skills to better prepare themselves for their future careers.

“It gives me experience doing research in the field I would like to work within in the future. It also gives me an opportunity to meet and build connections with other individuals working in the field.”

— RBC Future Launch program participant

Calgary Counselling Centre has been a part of the RBC Future Launch program for two years. This past year, the program ran from September 2019 to May 2020 and in that time we had 30 youth participants and 34 youth volunteers ages 18-29.

Some of the highlights and testimonials from the program this year were:

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  • Two Bachelor of Social Work students worked in our Research Department from Sept 2019 – March 2020, entering in data and learning about how CCC uses research to provide clients with the best possible results.

  • A youth working in IT worked to increase efficiencies in how counselling sessions are booked.

  • Counselling students have been a part of our transition from face-to-face counselling sessions to remote counselling by video, phone or by text. This has offered them a unique experience of offering support during a pandemic and allows them to help clients with unique mental health challenges during a global disaster that they may not experience again in their career.

“This job provides a lot of hands-on experience. I learned what it was like to work on a team and with members of my organization who have different levels of connection and knowledge of the project, and how to use those individuals effectively.”

Students and youth that work or volunteer at CCC are given unique opportunities to gain experience, develop skills, receive mentorship, and build their professional networks.

The RBC Future Launch Program ensures that we can continue to provide these opportunities to young people and help them prepare for the workforce in their chosen career fields.

Thank you RBC for your generous commitment to young Canadians and their future!

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