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This article was published 17/09/2018 (2605 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A thrift store in downtown Winnipeg is giving new life to gently used goods and creating new opportunities for marginalized youth.
Resource Assistance for Youth opened its Level Up! Gift & Thrift store at 415 Graham Ave. on Sept. 5. The social enterprise is staffed by participants in RaY’s Level Up! program, which provides skills training and paid work placements for young people aged 18 to 29.
“All of the youth in the program have faced some sort of social barrier, homelessness is certainly something that people have experienced — but not necessarily all of them,” said Caryn Birch, RaY’s director of education and training.
When youth are accepted into the program, the first step is a nine-week classroom session that includes workshops on employment-related skills and opportunities to get paid certificates like first aid. After that, participants are assigned a 16-week work placement at one of RaY’s social enterprises — which include the thrift store and a
moving company — or a local organization that fits with their goals for the future.
Thirty-three youth have gone through the program since it started in May and so far, the results have been positive.
“In the first cohort, over half of them are successfully employed and others are
actively in school or are working on other goals in their life to get towards employment,” Birch said.
At the thrift store, youth learn retail skills like handling cash, merchandising, talking to customers and preventing theft.
Level Up! participant Kade Fraser usually works with the moving company, but was helping out at the thrift store last
Wednesday. He found RaY after getting kicked out of school and says the program’s lessons about responsibility have resonated with him.
“It really changed my aspect on work,” Fraser said. “You actually gotta take things seriously and this program showed me a lot of things, like safety comes first and you gotta respect who you’re working with and the people you’re working around.”
Aside from moving heavy furniture,
Fraser’s favourite part of working with the moving company is helping others —
something that’s also behind his dream of becoming a firefighter.
“It seems kind of fun to know you’re helping the whole city,” he said.
The thrift store is currently open
Wednesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with extended hours planned for the future. The shop sells upcycled clothing and furniture, as well as goods made by local artisans.
“We wanted to really target the downtown crowd, so we know we’re going to have a lot of people on their lunch break or when they’re heading home and they may need to pick up a gift for their spouse or their child,” said Birch.
RaY takes donations at the downtown store or its West Broadway office at
125 Sherbrook St.
A thrift store in downtown Winnipeg is giving new life to gently used goods and creating new opportunities for marginalized youth.
Resource Assistance for Youth opened its Level Up! Gift & Thrift store at 415 Graham Ave. on Sept. 5. The social enterprise is staffed by participants in RaY’s Level Up! program, which provides skills training and paid work placements for young people aged 18 to 29.
Eva Wasney
RaY’s communications assistant Kate Armstrong, Level Up! participant Kade Fraser and director of education and training Caryn Birch are shown in the organization's new thrift store at 415 Graham Ave.
“All of the youth in the program have faced some sort of social barrier, homelessness is certainly something that people have experienced — but not necessarily all of them,” said Caryn Birch, RaY’s director of education and training.
When youth are accepted into the program, the first step is a nine-week classroom session that includes workshops on employment-related skills and opportunities to get paid certificates like first aid. After that, participants are assigned a 16-week work placement at one of RaY’s social enterprises — which include the thrift store and a moving company — or a local organization that fits with their goals for the future.
Thirty-three youth have gone through the program since it started in May and so far, the results have been positive.
“In the first cohort, over half of them are successfully employed and others are actively in school or are working on other goals in their life to get towards employment,” Birch said.
At the thrift store, youth learn retail skills like handling cash, merchandising, talking to customers and preventing theft.
Level Up! participant Kade Fraser usually works with the moving company, but was helping out at the thrift store last Wednesday. He found RaY after getting kicked out of school and says the program’s lessons about responsibility have resonated with him.
“It really changed my aspect on work,” Fraser said. “You actually gotta take things seriously and this program showed me a lot of things, like safety comes first and you gotta respect who you’re working with and the people you’re working around.”
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Aside from moving heavy furniture, Fraser’s favourite part of working with the moving company is helping others — something that’s also behind his dream of becoming a firefighter.
Eva Wasney
RaY’s Level Up! Gifts & Thrift store features products from local artisans, as well as upcycled clothing and furniture.
“It seems kind of fun to know you’re helping the whole city,” he said.
The thrift store is currently open Wednesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with extended hours planned for the future. The shop sells upcycled clothing and furniture, as well as goods made by local artisans.
“We wanted to really target the downtown crowd, so we know we’re going to have a lot of people on their lunch break or when they’re heading home and they may need to pick up a gift for their spouse or their child,” said Birch.
RaY takes donations at the downtown store or its West Broadway office at 125 Sherbrook St.
