ALGONQUIN COLLEGE
Algonquin College's Social Innovation Lab receives $400,000 through the Embark Student Foundation Major Grant Program

In an effort to address the challenge of youth not in employment, education, or training (NEET), the Embark Student Foundation has awarded $400,000 to support the Social Innovation Lab at Algonquin College. This grant will fund the Transdisciplinary Approach to Service Transformation in NEET (TASTE), a long-term initiative to design, pilot, and evaluate innovative approaches to reactivate NEET youth to education.

Since 2013, Embark has supported the creation of several scholarships at Algonquin College, but the new TASTE initiative represents the organization's most ambitious collaboration yet. This milestone award brings Embark's total giving to Algonquin College to over $660,000.

The TASTE initiative will use community-based research and community-engaged learning approaches to address the needs of specific subgroups in the young NEET population, who are at a significant risk of poverty and social exclusion. To achieve this, TASTE will design, evaluate, and implement programs for NEET youth based on the collaboration of:

• Researchers from the Social Innovation Lab as well as the Human-Centred Design Lab and the Victimology Research Centre in the College's Applied Research area.
• Faculty members and learners from the College's School of Media and Design and the School of Wellness, Public Safety and Community Studies.
• Members of Incubator13, a social innovation community lab in the Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre.

By leveraging the College's resources and facilities, TASTE aims to deepen the understanding of NEET subgroups and develop novel approaches to help these young people overcome barriers to success.

"At Embark, we're dedicated to making education savings easier and more accessible for families and students all across Canada," said Andrew Lo, President and CEO, Embark. "We're proud to collaborate with Algonquin College on this impactful program and help youth not in employment, education, or training realize their full potential and take hold of their future."

TASTE has two key objectives:

1. Evaluate service transformation approaches to consider how effective they are for different NEET subgroups, e.g., men and women.
2. Leverage resources readily available in colleges to aid NEET youth discover learning pathways that lead to careers relevant to them.

Kevin Holmes, Senior Program Manager at Algonquin College's Applied Research Office, expressed gratitude for Embark's support. "We are honoured to be one of only five recipients nationwide of Embark's Major Grant Program this year," he said. "We know the leading risk factor for a young person to enter NEET status is lack of education, so we'll work with Embark to help many young people get an education and live more fulfilling lives. We also hope our efforts can serve as a model for colleges across the country to establish similar collaborations that address NEET needs in their respective communities."

TASTE anticipates that more than 200 youth including NEETs and Algonquin College learners will benefit from the efforts of the initiative each year. For more information about the Embark Student Foundation's grant to fund the TASTE initiative, please contact advancement@algonquincollege.com.