Girls Can Too program providing access to careers in skilled trades

February 20, 2020 · 0 Comments

Written By ALYSSA PARKHILL

In this day and age, women and girls have proven themselves to be equal in all ways of life, and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) Girls Can Too program is hoping to prove just that.

“Girls aren’t generally encouraged to enter skilled trades. This program provides an opportunity to learn those skills in a fun and safe environment,” said Nadia Zanardi, Program Lead of Girls Can Too

Developed by three female university students who noticed that opportunities were limited for young girls and women keen to learn about and gain experience in a variety of skilled trades.

“The youth worked with TRCA to launch Girls Can Too in 2015 and have since engaged more than 217 young women. Girls from Grades 7 to 12 are mentored by female professionals from the fields of architecture, design, ecology, and engineering; participants gain hands-on building and environmental field experience,” explained Coordinator of Community Learning at TRCA, Jen Ouimette. “In addition, participants will gain insight into sustainable building practices, and work on a team to complete projects that will provide future generations access to a rich and diverse public space. “

The Girls Can Too program brings education and experience with different types of projects that allow young women opportunities to work, and strive in usually what one would say a male-dominated occupation.

Growing up, young men and women spend a majority of their youth trying to find out who they are, what they want to do, and may feel the pressure to conform to certain professions that, stereotypically, society has dictated they fit into.

But programs such as this one, breaks down those barriers to prove that no matter your gender, you are a capable of learning and experiencing in any trade you feel is right for you.

“The Girls Can Too program engages young women in the GTA, focusing on Toronto, already with a diverse and concentrated population, and the Region of Peel, Canada’s second fastest growing region and local to Bolton Camp. United Way reports that Peel Region’s social infrastructure hasn’t kept pace with the population growth and many of the Region’s most vulnerable and growing populations including youth, newcomers, seniors, and persons with disabilities aren’t able to get the help they need when they need it,” said Ouinette. “The Girls Can Too program is unique, providing young women with an opportunity to discover who they are and open career options that they may have never considered, at an age where they are vulnerable to peer pressure and fitting into specific identities.”

The TRCA provides several initiatives and environmental projects for these young women such as, maintaining trails, planting native species, assisting in invasive species removal, as well as ecology-based building projects with the use of power tools, environmental sustainability and learning sessions by female professionals.

“Participants will also be introduced to learning opportunities such as citizen science projects, water quality testing, flora and fauna identification, and environmental issues that impact their community such as climate change and microplastic pollution,” said Ouinette.

The Girls Can Too program main location has been at the Bolton Camp but has moved around to other locations, such as Albion Hills Field Centre and Heart Lake Conservation Area. The participants are targeted mainly within Caledon and Brampton, with usually 20 participants per program week. Their piloted March Break program has filled up with 30 participants and includes opportunities for the whole family to enjoy.

For more information about the Girls Can Too program and other initiatives from the TRCA, please visit trca.ca.