Toronto Executives take up Prince of Wales's Youth Employment Challenge by Visiting Rexdale

TORONTO, Sept. 18, 2014 /CNW/ - This morning, a group of senior Canadian business leaders will engage with youth in Rexdale to understand the barriers they face in accessing employment and to assess how businesses can make a positive difference. The leaders are participating in Prince's Seeing is Believing (PSIB), an experiential learning program created 25 years ago by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Canada, PSiB has engaged more than 120 corporate leaders across the country over the past two and one-half years in tackling critical social issues.

"PSiB gives senior business leaders first-hand insight into youth employment issues," said Amanda Sherrington, President & CEO of Prince's Charities Canada. "The program was born from a simple but powerful idea - to close the gap between the boardroom and the community."

Leaders will tour the Rexdale neighbourhood through the eyes of local youth, and then listen to their journeys and challenges at the Rexdale Community Hub.  At the end of the day, senior business leaders will work together to strategize how responsible business practices can make a practical difference and then drive their implementation.

"There are a range of practical challenges facing Rexdale youth," said Mrs. Sherrington. "PCC and its senior business partners are building a collaborative model in Rexdale that links business-to-business, and business-to-community in common cause to tackle these problems. We don't want to reinvent the wheel, but rather to enlist business expertise to 'supercharge' existing initiatives. The goal is to build from the community-up a working model that has real and measurable impact in Rexdale, and which can be adapted, scaled and replicated in other neighbourhoods."

The group includes: KPMG, Scotiabank, RBC, George Weston Limited, Brookfield, First Canadian Title, Retail Council of Canada, Carillion Canada, PwC, LCBO, and Telus.

Previous visit days have generated jobs, internships, improved access to capital, marketing support, and mentorships, as well as enterprise and business development support.

SOURCE George Weston Limited

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