- For young adults lacking support & facing challenges, securing all-important first job can seem an insurmountable challenge
- STAND Foundation partners with Surrey, Vancouver & New West school districts to offer certificate programs opening doors to entry level jobs
- That first job creates financial stability, builds confidence, that can lead to training, trades & professions
Without that funding, we would not be able to provide students with the necessary opportunities to help them transition to the real world or even just for a summer job.
— Susan Martin, Teacher
The transition from high school to adulthood has always been tough. In today’s challenging job market, that’s especially true for young adults lacking support at home and who, as a result, may have struggled with substance use, criminality, or poverty.
Getting that all-important first job can seem an insurmountable obstacle when you don’t have a ‘coach’ at home helping with the resume, clothing, and basic workplace skills.
In 2008, Jeff Sundar and Sophie Mas established the STAND Foundation to support youth with tough home lives in their transition to adulthood by helping them gain the skills needed to get a good first job. Today, STAND – Step Towards A New Direction – partners with the Vancouver, Surrey, and New Westminster school districts to financially support job-ready skills certificate programs the districts offer young adults. Through those programs, young people can take training in first aid, Foodsafe, barista skills, forklift operation, traffic control, and being a cashier.
Mas says the certificates are a starting point that open the door to good, entry level jobs and impart understanding of how to craft a resume and apply for a job, what clothing to wear, how to handle cash, and how to present yourself at work.
“These are important skills for everyone,” she says. “If youth don’t have someone at home they can turn to for this advice, this certificate will help them get that advice and these skills. And, they are a doorway into the trades.”
Once they have that first job they can use that as a foundation, from there considering what further education or skills programs they might take to advance further – maybe as a chef, tradesperson, or whatever else interests them.
“Maybe that first job uncovers a new career path they hadn’t thought about. That’s why these certificate programs exist, to give them the skills they need to get a job, start making some money so they can think about the next steps on their journey,” Mas says. “It gives them the financial means to make a living, stand on their own.”
Just as important, it builds confidence in youth who have faced financial, mental health, criminal, and substance challenges, often coming from difficult home lives or aging out of the foster system.
“It’s hard when you don’t have a positive role model in your life,” Mas says. “This can help fill that void.”
As a teacher for 35 years in British Columbia’s education system, Susan Martin has seen countless students struggle with the transition from high school to the workforce, and understands how important STAND’s support is in helping young people find that first job, that first success.
“There are a multitude of factors at play, especially for the students who struggle in a mainstream high school environment,” said Martin, currently a career facilitator/teacher at the South Surrey White Rock Learning Centre.
The Learning Centre— provides an alternative educational environment for students who are at risk of leaving school.
“Our students are struggling with learning because they are dealing with issues like poverty, trauma, anxiety, depression, and ADHD — I mean, the list goes on and on and on.”
“All of these issues and other factors chip away at a student’s self-confidence and motivation, Our goal at the learning centers is to help students see beyond their difficulties by giving them hope and tools to transition.”
For educators like Martin, who spend a large part of their careers dedicated to helping vulnerable students’ triumph over their adversities, the impact of the funding for programs from STAND is immeasurable.
“Without that funding, we would not be able to provide students with the necessary opportunities to help them transition to the real world or even just for a summer job,” said Martin.
“Each student who successfully transitions into the workforce or further education represents a victory for all of us. With STAND, we’re not just educating students — we’re opening doors to futures they might never have imagined possible,” added Martin.
To do this work, of course, STAND relies on funding from the community, most of it coming from direct donations and several annual fundraisers such as the upcoming Leede Financial Charity Golf Tournament on June 16, 2025 in Vancouver. The tournament raised $75,000 last year.
Over the past 17 years, the STAND’s board of directors have distributed over $500,000 in certificates and scholarships, and have raised over $1 million, half of which has been placed in a permanent scholarship fund with the Vancouver Foundation. The total assets in the permanent scholarship fund have now grown to over $900,000 ensuring the longevity of STAND’s vision and mission.
“It’s just amazing to see how far a small amount of money we raise for vulnerable students stretches to impact lives. Our goal is to continue expanding our reach and impact,” Mas says. “We’re not just helping students — we’re strengthening our communities by empowering young people to become productive, confident members of society.”
Among the student beneficiaries of the STAND-funded programs is Abi, who got pre-employment certificates in traffic control, first aid, and forklift operations.“Without the support from STAND, I wouldn’t be able to afford the programs,” she says in a video clip posted on the Foundation’s website.
Khush, another student beneficiary said STAND’s financial assistance helped him get pre-employment certificates in forklift operations and first aid.
“I think the assistance from STAND was probably one of the best things that’s ever happened to me,” he said.
Rachel, who obtained pre-employment certificates in forklift operations, food handling, and first aid, said STAND’s assistance has helped her land a job.
“The forklift training and first aid training assisted in me getting hired for the job that I have today,” she said.
Click here to read more about how STAND is creating opportunities and fostering hope to help hundreds of students in Greater Vancouver every year.
