The OLIP Interns recently had the pleasure of visiting one of our valued programme partners, Achēv, at their Toronto office. Achēv is a non-profit organization dedicated to human capital development by delivering employment, newcomer, language, and youth services. With its vision to change people’s lives as they discover their potential and achieve their purpose, Achēv has been serving about 100,000 clients each year through personalized services to support career development, language education and settlement success.
We received a warm welcome from Kristen Neagle, the Government Relations & Strategic Partnerships Manager at Achēv and a former OLIP Intern. Ms. Neagle gave us a tour of Achēv’s Toronto office, located near Jarvis St. and Queen St. E and one of nine offices across the GTA. The office has dedicated spaces for engaging in professional development workshops, for connecting people to jobs, and for people to build relationships with one another. The office is bright, spacious, and welcoming – an ideal space for fostering growth and development.
Through our visit to Achēv, the OLIP Interns learned about the many obstacles facing newcomers, youth and employment seekers – they are often challenges that intersect with other issues including housing, education, childcare, accreditation, and residency status. As one of the largest providers of employment and newcomer services in the GTA, Achēv works to help clients navigate these complex challenges so that they can foster employment readiness. Ms. Neagle shared how she approaches her work in connecting with decision-makers across all levels of governance to advocate for policies that support the professional development and success of Achēv’s clients.
A big thank you to Kristen Neagle and Achēv for your warm welcome and for your generous support of the programme!