First Avenue Campus  (FAC)

          First Avenue Campus is a partnership between the separate and public school systems, the Ministry of Correction, Public Safety and Policing, and the Ministry of Education. Program funding has come from an Education in Custody grant.

First Avenue Campus is a classroom that runs from 9:00 a.m. until noon. It is staffed with a Special Education teacher and an outreach support worker. The classroom provides a continuum of services to meet the complex needs of youth involved in the justice system to provide seamless transition from custody to a quality educational program. This is accomplished by teaching a variety of skills including social, literacy, and mathematics in a comfortable educational setting. Each student is given an individualized curriculum that best fits the individual student to prepare them for future education experiences. FAC partners with youths past school or future school to acquire work that can be carried forward to next placement. FAC is a short term transitional placement to be utilized as a stepping stone to next placement.

            These youth face a multitude of factors which are barriers to school and community engagement. Issues such as truancy, substance abuse, gang involvement, homelessness, criminalized behaviors as well as mental/emotional/and physical health concerns.