Ve’ahavta Skills Academy Helps Homeless, Marginalized At College (samaritanmag.com)

Posted on July 3, 2014
By Kim Hughes | www.samaritanmag.com

The transformative power of education has inspired many great quotes from many great minds. Don’t be surprised when Theresa Schrader – and other previously marginalized people from Toronto – one day add their own heartfelt aphorisms to that list.

Schrader is the program coordinator with the Ve’ahavta Skills Academy (VSA) which uses a unique eight-­week program (now in partnership with George Brown College) to elevate those living on the streets, in shelters or in otherwise challenging circumstances through education, serving as a gateway to formal academic study.

More than that, the VSA offers its students hope.

As the VSA site says, “This program is for everyone who thought they would like to go back to school, but didn’t think it was possible. The Skills Academy is designed to motivate and empower individuals to explore education as a way out of poverty or off the street. We believe that post-­secondary education in a city such as Toronto opens the door for the future.

Read it online here.