The Accelerator Program is a grassroots initiative which aims to help homeless and at-risk youth escape the cycle of poverty by helping them to use tech skills to advance their employment, entrepreneurship, and personal goals.
The Accelerator Project is designing a pilot program which includes:
- Skills training to equip participants with specific in-demand tech skills
- Access to the right wrap-around supports such as shelter, financial support for education, life skills training that a participant might need so that they can focus on their learning
- Access to the tech job market and other opportunites through internships, mentorship, and community networks
The Accelerator Team’s role is to develop the pilot program using evidence-based, human centred design that can be implemented with interested delivery partners.
Events
October-November 2019: Our team tries out a more structured curriculum with the residents of YMCA Sprott House.
July-September 2019: Our team provides drop-in coding lessons each Saturday from 2-5 p.m at St. Felix (69 Fraser Avenue).
Past Events
November 27, 2018: Conducted consultation & co-design session with 20+ stakeholders from across the private, public, and non-profit sectors to identify potential barriers to youth employment and laid the groundwork for future consultations, research, and co-creation.
You can read about the results of our consultation by downloading this pdf.
Who we Are
We are a volunteer-based team of public servants, programmers, designers, researchers and other professionals who are passionate about empowering homeless youth through education.