Our current Project Rise cohort participants have all finished the in-class training portion of the program and are well into their work placements. It has been an amazing experience for our participants so far and three of them were happy to share some of their thoughts about the program with us.
What has changed for you since you began the program?
Jessica mentions that she is getting out of the house 5 days a week and that her day is filled out with more activity, that she is asking more questions, helps other and is more social.
Another participant also comments that they are getting out of the house more often even when they don’t have program on the weekends and holidays. Another one says that they feel more motivated, meet new people and that being in the program has helped regulate their chronic PTSD.
What were some of the challenges that you were facing before you enrolled in the Project Rise program that you have found have decreased since being in the program?
One participant mentions that their mental health has stabilized a bit since starting the program. Other participants say that it helped them with their anxiety and depression and that they have become more social.
Asked to share a bit about their life story and what their goals for the future are, Jessica says that she has had a rough life after leaving her parents. She got her first job at the Nanaimo Bakery and Café. She says that the Project Rise program feels like the puzzle piece she needed at this time in her life. Jessica learned time management and computer skills and would like to get more work experience to start her own café in Nanaimo.
Another participant says that his goal is to obtain long term sustainable employment.
Project Rise is a new program of Island Crisis Care Society (ICCS) aimed to deliver pre-employment and employment skills training and work placement opportunities to people who have experienced homelessness but are now ready to re-integrate more fully into independence and community life.
Please go to our Project Rise program page on the website for more information and to apply for fall: