While Canadian Print Scholarships works to support students in college and university programs, we recognize that there are other paths to getting an education for our industry. For a number of years, Eva’s Print Shop has worked with at-risk youth in Toronto by providing graphic communications training and work placement opportunities. It’s really good!
At Eva’s, we recognize that youth cannot be self-sufficient if they have housing without a decent job to pay for it, or a job with no place to live. Employment is critical to long-term self-sufficiency and we are committed to providing youth with the skills and support required for them to be able to earn a stable income and successfully transition into independent living.
Eva’s Print Shop is a commercial print shop and social enterprise which trains and employs young people experiencing and at risk of homelessness through it’s Graphic Communications and Print Training Program. It is operated by Eva’s Initiatives For Homeless Youth and all profit is redirected into its shelter, housing, and training programs for youth.
Eva’s ultimate goal is to help young people build lifelong skills and tools to exit homelessness for good and journey into brighter futures. Eva’s Print Shop is located in downtown Toronto at Eva’s Phoenix, an award-winning transitional housing and employment training facility for youth, ages 16 to 24, experiencing homelessness.
The program provides 17 weeks of paid employment training. It teaches both employment and soft skills, such as punctuality and teamwork, and technical skills, such as using Adobe Creative Suite software and hands on work experience in digital printing, bindery and finishing, customer service and marketing.
Work placement stream: Graduates can be placed with a local Toronto print partner (either full-time or part-time) Internship stream: The Print Shop offers a 3-month paid internship to two graduates per year.
Education stream: Graduates are referred to services at Eva’s Phoenix which assist in helping those who want to go back to school to finish high school or go on to higher education. They help find education opportunities and secure loans and grants, particularly through the Ontario Student Assistance Program.
The program is offered to 3 cohorts of eight youth per year for a total of 24 youth participating annually. Many of the youth return to school or continue to work in the high demand graphic communications sector.
For more information about Eva’s Graphic Communication & Print Training Program please contact Gavin Bevan at gbevan@evas.ca, or visit https://www.evas.ca/what-we-do/
The mission of the Canadian Printing Industries Scholarship Trust Fund is to attract the brightest and best students available to the graphic communications industry by providing financial assistance to enroll and continue in a post-secondary management or technical program at an approved institution.
