Successful stay-in-school program branches out
Last Updated: Wednesday, October 10, 2007 | 9:31 AM ET
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A program that led to a significant decrease in the high school dropout rate in Toronto's Regent Park is starting up in other inner-city neighbourhoods.
Pathways to Education Canada is a charitable organization that provides after-school tutoring and mentoring for at-risk youth and bursaries for students who want to continue their studies after high school.
Organizers launched the program this week in the Lawrence Heights and Jamestown-Rexdale areas. Programs are also being launched in Ottawa, Kitchener, Ont., and Montreal.
The co-ordinator in Lawrence Heights, Lorraine Ouimet, said more than 60 Grade 9 students have already signed up.
A consultant's report released in July 2007 found the high school dropout rate in Regent Park had dropped to 10 per cent from 56 per cent in 2000.
The Pathways program was developed in 2001 by the Regent Park Community Health Centre.
The dropout rate in Regent Park is now below Toronto's 26 per cent average and the province's 29 per cent average, said the report from the Boston Consulting Group.
Pathways is funded by a mix of government grants, private donations and through partnerships with other organizations. But employees say the demand for their services is growing so fast that they're struggling to attract more volunteers and donors.
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