Beyond Graduation: Moving Your Life

Who We Are

PLAN Institute for Caring Citizenship

www.planinstitute.ca

PLAN Institute for Caring Citizenship is a national organization based in Vancouver. Its mission is to reduce the isolation and loneliness of people who are marginalized, and ensure that the gifts and contributions of all members of a community are welcomed.

PLAN Institute believes communities become more hospitable, caring and resilient when everyone has the opportunity to make a contribution. We have learned that planning for the future affects the present. We support families in assuring a good life – safety and security, a network of caring relationships, having a place to call home, and contributing as citizens – for their relatives with disabilities.

For young people, finishing high school is a time of exploration of interests, abilities, options and dreams. It is a time of transition from a structured environment and schedule, and school-based relationships and activities, to a period of decision-making and new choices and experiences. Whether finding a job or planning other activities that help move a young person towards independence and community involvement, this time of life involves many changes.

PLAN Institute initiated Beyond Graduation with its partner organizations to help young people with disabilities and their families navigate these changes more easily as they explore their dreams, contributions, and opportunities, and make decisions that will help to assure a good life.

TakingITGlobal

www.takingitglobal.org

Our flagship program, TakingITGlobal.org, has become the most popular online community for young people interested in connecting across cultures and making a difference. Hundreds of thousands of people visit the site each month to share their unique knowledge, perspectives and experiences.

Throughout all of our online and offline programming, TakingITGlobal aims to:

• Strengthen the capacity of young people as leaders and citizens
• Foster cross-cultural dialogue and understanding
• Increase awareness and involvement in global issues

As a charity, we work with global partners that include United Nations agencies, major companies and youth-focused organizations. Our projects with these partners provide additional opportunities for our members to engage in a range of global issues.

Why this website?

Finishing school usually marks the end of one stage of life and the beginning of another. Whether finding a job, considering education options, or planning other activities that help move a young person towards independence and community involvement, this time of life involves many changes. Information and support can help us navigate through the decisions that must be made to secure a good life after graduation.

The Beyond Graduation website includes information and resources that we think will be particularly helpful to young people with a disability who are facing a time of transition. More than just a website, it is an on-line community based on the belief that relationships are an essential part of a good life, and that connections among peers are important in making people feel that they belong. It is also based on the assumption that an important aspect of a good life is contribution – sharing our gifts, talents, skills, knowledge, and interests, whether among family and friends, in our communities, organizations, or in the workplace.

Besides providing quick and convenient ways to access enormous amounts of information, websites can also give people with disabilities more opportunity and different ways to communicate with others, and to create connections and feel less isolated. Websites can also help people build community, and combined with other new media, create personal and social networks that will help support and guide a young person through the transition time beyond graduation.

Why this partnership?

Contact Us

Plan Institute for Caring Citizenship is located at:
Suite 260 - 3665 Kingsway
Vancouver, BC
V5R 5W2
(P) 604-439-9566

Latest News

MARCH 23, 2009

Beyond Graduation Family Guide - Coming Soon! The Beyond Graduation Guide for Families, designed with and for families of youth with disabilities, includes a wide range of tools, resources, and ideas to assist families and youth to work together to begin an exploration of the choices for life after high school. It includes a mixture of information & ideas, as well as practical learning materials such as worksheets and other activities that you and your relative can use to develop an action plan. Watch for it soon. Visit the site [+]

MARCH 23, 2009

Safe and Secure A newly updated PLAN Institute publication, Safe and Secure, offers clear, practical guidance for planning for the future. It provides information relevant to families within the framework of policy, regulations and practice, as well as specific information on government benefit entitlements, alternatives to adult guardianship, financial planning, will and estate planning, discretionary trusts, home ownership and establishing a network of friends. For more information, visit the PLAN website Visit the site [+]

MARCH 23, 2009

The Registered Disability Savings Plan is a new savings plan designed specifically for people with disabilities in Canada. The first of its kind in the world, this tax-deferred savings vehicle will assist families in planning for the long - term financial security of their relatives with disabilities. Visit the site [+]

MARCH 23, 2009

World Changing Careers - a Symposium and Career Fair A unique conference is taking place this summer called World Changing Careers. It represents a new approach to youth action based on systemic career path design. Youth and industry leaders will be brought together to generate sustainable industrial and social sector growth through youth career development.

One of the key elements of the conference is a one day Career Fair event. This interactive forum will link prospective youth with employers, educational institutions, and organizations on the cutting edge of green business and social sustainability.Visit the site [+]

MARCH 16, 2009

The Self Employment Explorer is a new toolkit for any youth between the ages of 14 and 24 who has a disability or heath condition, or any barrier to regular employment. The Toolkit explains key concepts of self employment; offers self assessment worksheets and online tools to measure entrepreneurial potential; offers fundamental steps in creating a business plan and selling product ; and offers links to resources to help get going with a small business operation. Access the TOOLKIT [+]

BeyondGraduation.ca website is highlighted in an in-depth interview with Jennifer Corriero, Executive Director of TakingITGlobal. Jennifer talks about the potential of online communities for youth living with disabilities. Check out the article prepared by the National Center for Technology Innovation. Read more [+].

CMHC works hard to develop diversity initiatives - Three workers with Down Syndrome on staff. Read more [+].

Canada's Best Diversity Employers 2009. Read more [+].