CANADA
Expanding boys' career horizons
Opening the eyes of young boys to the opportunities and rewards offered by careers in the human services field was the aim of a day full of activities sponsored by the Workplace Planning Board of Grand Erie on Wednesday.
About 160 Grade 7 and 8 boys from eight Brantford schools took part in the event held at Mohawk College and enjoyed group activities ranging from wheelchair basketball to mentoring sessions with local male human services professionals. Students heard from a dozen local men who talked about careers including those of clinical social worker, paramedic, children's services worker, life skills worker, wheelchair technician and residential service supervisor.
"We need to get boys thinking about these careers," said Megan Murphy, an intern in Laurier Brantford's leadership program, who was the lead organizer of the event. It is important to make boys aware of human services jobs early on and highlight on the need for more males to follow these largely female-dominated career paths, Murphy said.
Anthony Coles, 12, and Taylor Richardson, 13, of Banbury Heights School, said they found the sessions both fun and interesting. "Being a paramedic sounds pretty cool," said Anthony, adding he is surprised to learn that local paramedics average at least one emergency call a day.
Taylor said he has wanted to be a doctor "ever since I was little" and views medicine as a rewarding career that is all about helping people. He said he became interested in medicine because a family friend is a doctor.
Anthony said that being a paramedic would be exciting and rewarding because "you get to help people and possibly save a life."
Jill Halyk, executive director of the Workplace Planning Board, said this first-time event was designed to give boys a different perspective, introduce them to a variety of career options and offer some male role modelling. "There are few males in the helping services but there is an increasing need," Halyk said.
Steve Csordas, a case manager with Community Living Brant, gave the keynote address, along with his client Jason Richardson, a gold-medal winning Special Olympics powerlifter. "We need more males in human services," said Csordas, adding that his own agency's staff of 253 includes only 15 men.
Men are needed in all varieties of human services careers because male clients often need the kind of support, camaraderie, advice and guidance that only another man can offer, he said. "Guys talking with guys . . . (clients) need that opportunity," Csordas said.
From a client's point of view, it can be difficult for some men who need to talk and can't find a male support worker, said Richardson. He noted that he has been lucky in that he always had a male support worker during his 20 years as a client of Community Living Brant. "It's very important because it's hard to talk to a female support worker about certain things," Richardson said. "We really, really need male staff," he said.
Marco Felvus, an instructor in the child and youth worker program at Mohawk College in Hamilton, said that young men graduating from human services-related programs find jobs almost immediately due to the wide-ranging demand for male staff.
Heather Ibbotson
4 March 2010
http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2475818
