Youth Programs
Equipping young people with knowledge and tools to navigate the job market and plan for the future for all youth aged 15-30 throughout the Yukon.
The YESS Program Summer Cohort registrations are open
Yukon residents between the age of 15 to 30 years old are welcomed to apply to our Summer edition of the Youth Employment and Skills for Success Program (YESS Program). The program will run for 4 weeks from 9:30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, from July 6th to July 28th 2026 in Whitehorse.
Click on the button below to apply for the program! We will contact you for a short selection in-person or over-the-phone interview.
About Youth Programs
The Yukon Literacy Coalition teams up with community partners to develop and deliver exciting, youth-specific programs. The Skills for Success are integrated into all youth programs, helping participants boost their career prospects and ignite new interests. Designed to be informative and engaging, our programs ensure that every young person can find something thrilling that supports their growth and sets them on a path to success.
Past YESS Cohort
Our Spring Cohort: Building Skills, Confidence, and Community
Our latest Youth Employment Skills and Strategy (YESS) cohort just wrapped up in Whitehorse, proving once again that launching a career is about discovering your strengths both in and out of the workplace. Over five weeks, this group of kind, community-minded young Yukoners brought a wonderful, focused energy to a diverse mix of hands-on learning, life skills, and professional growth.
This cohort truly immersed themselves in the Yukon’s vibrant local scene and varied landscapes. They discovered their focus while tackling three distinct styles of rock climbing—conquering indoor routes, technical ice climbing, and outdoor cliff scaling at Copper Cliff. They also felt the heat of the forge during a creative session at Lumel Studios, teamed up for tactical strategy during laser tag at Sergeant Gregg, and headed out into nature to master the patient arts of making fish lures, fishing, and campfire cooking.
Between the adventures, the group dove deep into the essential “adulting” skills that make a long-term career possible. Local mentors stepped in to inspire the youth and share their entrepreneurial journeys, including Den Design with hands-on image transfer and woodburning, and Etienne Girard with an inside look at music technology and digital editing. The youth also participated in professional development conferences covering learning strategies, organizational skills, essential driving skills, and how to set healthy boundaries in a workplace, alongside a specialized session on delivering exceptional customer service in the Yukon.
The hard work culminated in practical career preparation as the entire cohort built professional resumes and polished their interview skills. They are now officially equipped with their First Aid and Food Safe certifications, with several participants also earning their WHMIS tickets. To put their skills to the test, the youth wrapped up the cohort with eye-opening, two-day discovery shifts, getting a taste of day-to-day operations at local hotels, cafés, trades-related shops, Raven Recycling, art galleries, and bookstores. Armed with fresh practical skills, certifications, and a supportive community behind them, these participants are ready to step into their subsidized work placements and make a meaningful impact across the territory.
Current Projects
Youth Employment & Skills for Success
The Youth Employment Skills and Strategy (YESS) project is a 4 weeks activities-based program for Yukon youth aged 15 to 30, followed by 2 weeks subsidized work placement. The program takes place in Whitehorse and other Yukon communities year-round. This tri-territorial initiative runs in partnership with Ilitaqsiniq and NWT Literacy Council. It is funded by the Government of Canada (ESDC). The Yukon Literacy Coalition has successfully run for the last four years, increasing employable skills for the Yukon youth.
Youth Financial Literacy
Youth Financial Literacy involves teaching youth essential skills and financial health through preparedness-based activities. Financial health and essential skills are important for youth as it empowers them to make good decisions and helps build a positive relationship with money, increasing the chances of youth having secure finances as adults.
Youth-focused skills training meets the unique circumstances and needs of our Yukon Youth. Youth are provided with relevant information that allows them to learn, understand and develop the skills required to become more prepared, confident, and informed when making important life decisions. This approach allows programs to tailored to learning and skill development unique to the circumstances of specific youth, their communities, and their stage in life.
Youth Financial Literacy is being delivered in most schools throughout the Territory to ages 5-12. Workshop topics range from coin recognition to preparing for post-secondary.
The program also consists of a variety of workshops suitable for ages 5-18. Our Skills for Success programming focuses on one activity to build upon the participants skills and financial literacy. Activities include backcountry cooking, introduction to ceramics, employment readiness, and fishing lure making. These skills allow for participants to engage in experiential learning while building their essential skills and financial health.
Three for Change
The Yukon Literacy Coalition (YLC), NWT Literacy Council, and Ilitaqsiniq are collaborating on a project called ‘Three for Change’. This initiative aims to create and provide Skills for Success training programs and establish Social Enterprises across the North and within each Territory, aiming to provide opportunities for community capacity building and training. Despite their differences, the Territories face similar opportunities and challenges, fostering mutual learning and support.
Although many of the programs within this project have been targeted towards adults, YLC hosted a vibrant summer camp in 2024. The camp was called P.L.A.Y Camp and was for children aged 7 to 10. The acronym “P.L.A.Y” stands for “Physical Literacy and You,” reflecting YLC’s dedication to fostering holistic development through engaging activities aimed at enhancing physical skills, confidence, and overall well-being. Other social entreprises projects included the S.S. Culinary, a food truck operated by youth for 2 summers in Whitehorse, offering sourdough-themed menu during the first year, and a korean cuisine-inspired menu the second year.
YESS Program promo video
See a program you like?
Contact: Mark Steudle, Program Manager
mark.steudle@yukonliteracy.com
Our programs are free, inclusive, and designed for you!
Or… visit us in person!
Lots of our youth programs happen right here on the 2nd floor at Horwood’s Mall at the end of Main Street in Whitehorse.
Stop by, talk with us and see what we are all about!
