Youth resource centre restoring education program after funding secured

A program that helps educate and train young adults in Manitoba is returning.

An inner-city youth resource centre is bringing back an education and training program after securing its funding.

The ‘Level Up! Program, offered through Resource Assistance for Youth (Ray), will be back for another year after the organization managed to get money through advocacy and some help from MPs Leah Gazan and Ben Carr.

Last year, CTV News Winnipeg reported that the non-profit resource centre was facing service reductions, including a stoppage of the Level Up! Program, as its funding hung in the balance.

Now, with the help of money from the federal government, RaY has announced its partnering with social services organization The Link to relaunch Level Up! at The Links’ location on Mayfair Avenue.

“We’re doing this because The Link and RaY serve very similar purposes in the community,” said Caryn Birch, RaY’s interim executive director

“We wanted to make sure that we are extending our reach and making sure more youth have access to essential programs like this.”

The Level Up! Program is a paid training program that provides in-class education and a work placement to help young people aged 18 to 28 join the labour market.

The new funding will help support 48 youth this year.

“The program is unique in the sense that we are paying youth to be in the program,” Birch said.

“So we are providing youth an opportunity while they’re learning to get out of being below the poverty line and then get into the workforce.”

For the future, RaY hopes to secure funding to continue Level Up! past March 31, 2026.

• With files from CTV’s Katherine Dow.