This article draws attention to particular aspects of the Child and Youth Worker program at Centennial College that are beneficial to students, such as access to a specially designed communications lab.

1. Child and Youth Worker Program Provides Access to Facilities
that Enhance Learning
Do you have excellent written and oral communication skills; decision making and
problem solving skills; the desire, ability and maturity required to engage in
intense therapeutic relationships with children, youth and families; the ability to be
reliable and consistent; the flexibility and creativity required to adopt new ways of
doing things; the ability to work in a team environment with children, youth, and
families, and other professionals; enjoy working with young people and families,
keeping in touch with others involved in the helping process; and finding innovative
solutions to problems?
If so, according to Alberta Learning Informative Service, you may have what it
takes to become a Child and Youth Worker – and Centennial College has just the
program for you.
The three-year offering is open to applicants who have completed an Ontario
Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent, or mature student status (19
years or older); and English Grade 12 C or U, or equivalent (minimum grade
required) or are willing to take the Centennial College English Skills Assessment for
Admission.
Students take classes from the college’s Progress Campus, which includes a
specially designed communications lab that is used extensively for interactive
learning activities, counseling simulations and small group observation and
feedback. This is a vital feature as the program prides itself on a hands-on
approach to teaching. Additionally, the campus is centrally located and easily
accessible by public transit.
Not only is the content in the offering reviewed and revised annually to ensure that
courses and assignments are based on current research and best practices, it is
also presented by a highly supportive faculty group. These instructors have
extensive teaching and field experience and work closely with students to develop
their full potential. Among the specific topics that students are taught are:
principles of psychology, child and adolescent mental health, advocacy and law in
children’s mental health, working with traumatized children and youth, child abuse,
crisis theory and intervention, and more.
While students receive an extensive amount of hands-on training on campus, the
Child and Youth Worker program recognizes the importance of applying newly
acquired knowledge to the field. As such, students participate in three field
experiences during which they are supervised by faculty members while relating
skills such as counseling, group work, and treatment planning. Possible placement
opportunities include: residential and day treatment programs, hospitals, young
offender programs, crisis centres, community-based programs and shelters. To
partake in the field placements, students must: obtain a clear police check with
vulnerable sector screening; provide proof of immunization requirements;
successfully complete a standard first aid and heart saver AED(C) certification; and
provide a medical certificate of health to ensure freedom of communicable disease.
It is worth noting that professionals who work with troubled youth and their
families are in high demand by agencies serving these populations.