Newmarket, Ontario — The Shop at Youth Unlimited is using donated used vehicles from the community to help youth at risk of homelessness, addiction and mental illness to receive hands-on automotive repair training.
According to original reports from Barrie Today, the charity organization has been working with young people in the Newmarket and Cambridge, Ont area since 2003.
Program Director Mark Dean told Barrie Today that “for many young people, life can be unpredictable and filled with challenges that seem insurmountable. Whether it’s unstable housing, mental health struggles or the lack of a strong support system, their path to adulthood can feel like a deadend. But at The Shop, youth are given the tools to steer their lives in a new direction.”
Dean continued “we do skills mentoring by training youth between the ages of 15 and 25 in the automotive trade. People donate cars which can be refurbished and then those cars are re-sold to fund The Shop. Youth work alongside us in refurbishing the cars while receiving valuable skills training. The vehicle donations help transform young lives.”
The organization is also a registered and licensed tow company and so it can pick up the donated vehicles.
For more information about the organization, click here.