Scotiabank partners with Habitat for Humanity Canada to empower youth by providing valuable trade and life skills

Through ScotiaRISE, the Bank has supported nearly 200 charities and deployed $26 million in community investments globally in its first year

TORONTO, Feb. 22, 2022 /CNW/ - Scotiabank today announced a donation of $900,000 to Habitat for Humanity Canada's Every Youth Initiative, a national program that provides work experience to youth, including at-risk youth, as part of the Bank's commitment to remove barriers to career advancement for underrepresented groups.

Click here to see how Habitat Canada is removing barriers to career advancement for young people across the country while helping fill a gap in skilled trade workers.

Scotiabank's gift will help Habitat for Humanity Canada (Habitat Canada) engage more youth, including at-risk and Indigenous youth, get hands-on education and skill-building experience. Habitat Canada's Every Youth Initiative provides meaningful and non-traditional educational experiences to young people, helping them gain exposure to skilled trades they otherwise wouldn't have access to. Program participants are given the opportunity to learn skills as they help build homes for families in need of decent and affordable housing across the country. Local Habitats across Canada offer effective programs in partnership with youth employment groups, construction associations, local schools, and Red Seal trades certification programs.  

"Scotiabank's generous support of the Every Youth Initiative will help us grow this program across Canada to reach more youth who will benefit from learning real-world skills on a Habitat build site or in a Habitat ReStore," says Julia Deans, Habitat Canada's President and CEO.  "Youth will not only have the opportunity to learn trades but also gain skills in areas such as teamwork, communication and time management – skills that will prepare them to be more successful in life."

Scotiabank's partnership with Habitat Canada is an initiative within ScotiaRISE, the Bank's 10-year $500 million initiative that aims to promote economic resilience among disadvantaged groups.

"We are proud to support Habitat for Humanity Canada in helping deliver life-changing educational experiences to youth," says Meigan Terry, Senior Vice President and Chief Social Impact, Sustainability and Communications Officer at Scotiabank. "Getting young people involved in valuable work experiences helps develop important foundational skills and values and motivates them to establish meaningful careers."

Through ScotiaRISE, Scotiabank partners with programs and organizations across its footprint that provide the tools people need to improve their education and employment prospects, adapt to changing circumstances, and increase the likelihood of financial success.

To date, ScotiaRISE has supported nearly 200 charities globally and exceeded its first-year target with $26 million deployed in community investments.

For more information on ScotiaRISE and Scotiabank's commitment to diversity and inclusion, visit: https://www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/about/our-company/diversity-and-inclusion.html

About Scotiabank
Scotiabank is a leading bank in the Americas. Guided by our purpose: "for every future", we help our customers, their families and their communities achieve success through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of approximately 90,000 employees and assets of approximately $1.2 trillion (as at October 31, 2021), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: BNS) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit http://www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.

About Habitat for Humanity Canada:
Founded in 1985, Habitat for Humanity Canada is a national charitable organization working toward a world where everyone has a decent and affordable place to call home. Habitat for Humanity brings communities together to help families build strength, stability and independence through affordable homeownership. With the help of volunteers, Habitat homeowners and 50 local Habitats working in every province and territory, we provide a solid foundation for better, healthier lives in Canada and around the world. Habitat for Humanity Canada is a member of Habitat for Humanity International, which was established in 1976 and has grown to become a leading global non-profit working in more than 70 countries. For more information, please visit www.habitat.ca.

SOURCE Scotiabank

Stephanie Cangelosi, Global Communications, [email protected]