Meet Blessed M., a Grade 11 student at David and Mary Thompson C.I. who has just completed her first year with the Black Student Summer Leadership Program (BSSLP) - an initiative that provides Black students from Grades 10 to 12 with experiential learning opportunities across a variety of career fields in which Black professionals are often underrepresented. Every effort is made in the program to find students placements that match their area of passion and to introduce students to a range of academic and career pathways.
This year, Blessed was placed with , an organization that works to inspire a new generation of industry professionals by providing access to education, training and employment in construction. Their mission statement is to connect job-ready, under-resourced youth aged 17-29 to careers in construction, by providing access and support for skills training and financial awards for postsecondary programs.
Blessed has known for a long time that she wants to be an electrician, so being matched with the BOLT Charitable Foundation was perfect for her. In the previous school year, Blessed completed the 污污漫画’s program and will be participating in the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program () this upcoming school year.
Blessed describes her time at BOLT as, “A very positive experience that solidified the fact that I want to go into electrical work”. During her experiential learning placement, Blessed was able to visit four high-rise sites at different stages of development. She enjoyed being able to network and meet the different superintendents and ask questions about their work.
Q: What type of tasks did you do?
A: “I helped with organizing the Annual Tridel Golf Tournament, which is in support of the BOLT Charitable Foundation and raises money for under-resourced youth. I helped with organizing things, including the planning of the SpeakOut event. I also helped with union research, learning about tools, protective equipment, things that they need to know. I gained transferable skills in time management, organization, communication, networking and event planning,” said Blessed. a
Q: What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome?
A: “My biggest challenge was the SpeakOut event I hosted. I have anxiety and it was hard to speak in front of everybody and after the first 15 minutes it got easier,” said Blessed.
The SpeakOut event took place at Toronto Metropolitan University before an audience of Black Student Summer Leadership Program Junior Leaders and Peer Mentors. SpeakOuts create awareness and provide valuable information about the wide range of career opportunities that are available in the construction industry. Blessed hosted the event and interviewed Bryan Sherwood, the Director of Development Planning at Tridel.
Norbert Costa, Executive Director and Rhiannon Wicks, Coordinator, were Blessed’s supervisors and mentors at the BOLT Foundation.
“Knowing the focus of the BSSLP and having a student placed here at BOLT was a fantastic opportunity to break stereotypes in the construction industry and give young people a chance to explore construction. Doing the SpeakOut session was also great as we had industry professionals share their experiences and knowledge with young people. This helped remove some of the barriers and helped young people see the industry as a possibility” said Norbert.
Rhiannon recapped her experience working with Blessed, saying she enjoyed working with her and that, “from the outset she was like what do you need me to do and how can I help? It is great to have someone come in who knows what she wants to do and what her goals are.”
When asked what advice she has for future BSSLP students, Blessed said, “Know what you want to do before you come and what your goals are. You have to be dedicated and passionate about it. Ask a lot of questions so that you know what you are getting into. Know that you are coming into a space that involves working in the construction industry.”
The Black Student Summer Leadership Program (BSSLP) runs annually at the 污污漫画 through the Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement. It is supported by 污污漫画’s Continuing Education Department and is funded by Focus on Youth. Student applications for those interested in joining the program are open in December 2024 and close in January 2025.
Caption: Blessed M. with Rhiannon Wicks and Norbert Costa.