A local initiative aimed at helping disadvantaged youth get out of poverty and succeed in life has reached a major milestone.
The Prosper-Us partnership has spent the past year gathering data to identify the areas of Windsor-Essex that need the most help.
The areas of West Windsor, Downtown Windsor and Leamington have been selected for the next phase of the project.
It means an intensive focus on those communities to find out what support they need for youth to have better opportunities.
Jim Inglis is Co-Chair of Prosper-Us and says they want to hear from people within those neighbourhoods.
"People with lived experience within the various stakeholders to make sure that whatever interventions that we have in place in those communities that we are mindful of what's going to work and that we have an engaged community that's going to be the benefactor from those inputs."
Hotel Dieu Grace Healthcare CEO Janice Kaffer is the other Co-Chair. She tells AM800 News it's critical they hear from the community members.
Hotel Dieu Grace Healthcare CEO Janice Kaffer, Prosper-Us Co-Chair, speaks at milestone event, Emara Building, July 24, 2019 (by AM800's Peter Langille)
"Kids and parents and community members and stakeholders in organizations that are working and committed in those neighbourhoods coming together and talking about what are the data points, what do we know about the neighbourhood and what are some of the initiatives that within the community they know would make a difference," says Kaffer.