LEIM039: Eventful Cities - Homeless Youth Employment in Vancouver

This presentation proposes a brand strategy for an employment and career planning event aimed at homeless youth in Vancouver. The event's primary goal is to provide training and career development opportunities, thereby assisting participants in overcoming homelessness. The rationale for the event stems from the high rates of youth homelessness in Vancouver and the potential for employment to serve as a pathway out of poverty. The presentation details the event's concept, including its objectives, target market, and implementation plan. It outlines a city brand strategy, emphasizing Vancouver's identity and brand value in relation to the event. The presentation includes an action plan, expected outcomes (such as placing over 500 homeless youths in different sectors), and a conclusion that highlights the event's potential to positively impact the lives of homeless youth. The presentation also provides a detailed analysis of government policies and their impact on youth homelessness, along with the advantages and disadvantages of the policies. The event's design, marketing strategies, and stakeholder involvement are thoroughly discussed.

HOMELESS YOUTH EMPLOYMENT IN VANCOUVER

 There are more than 235,000 Canadians experiencing
homelessness in a year (Baker 2018).
 18.7% of the Canadian youths are suffering with
homelessness (Bula 2018).
 57% of the youths are belonged to the age of 15-24.
 Employment can be a driving force to reduce youth
homelessness.
 Effective policy making with employment training and
career planning event.
Introduction

Government policies
There are several government initiatives
that facilitate measures regarding
prevention and reduction of
homelessness through regional and
national strategy building process
(canada.ca 2017).
National Homelessness Information
System
Surplus Federal Real Property Initiative
No such specific official initiative that
can eradicate the problem of

Advantages of the government
policies
 The national policy making puts focus on the youth
homelessness in Canada. As a result of that $7.9
million was invested in 2017 for the development of
homeless youths (Bula 2018).
 The government took initiatives like National Housing
Strategy in 2016 and incorporated the homeless people
in it in 2017 (canada.ca 2017).
 Moreover, the Government of Canada has already
spent $7,991,944 for skill development projects and job
search assistance (Harding and Hayes 2018).

Disadvantages of the government policies
• Lack of proper and specific policy making created
obstacle to eradicate the employment problem in
Canada.
• The government does not initiate any employment
related strategy for the Canadian youths that can
resolve the growing rate of homelessness.
• Poor hygiene and sleep deprivation can create
mental illness and it will impact on the
employment process in Vancouver. However, the
local administration does not look into this matter
properly (Buccieri et al. 2016).

RESEARCH RATIONALE
The new event is focused on the employment and career
planning campaign for the homeless youths in Vancouver. This
event will help to meet the purpose of both Vancouver and the
homeless youths. As far as the city of Vancouver is concerned,
it will set an example for the rest of the country and the
government as well to provide a framework to fight with
homelessness and eradicate it. On the other hand, for the
homeless youth, the event will revive their mental condition
and facilitate an opportunity to overcome homelessness issue
and live a good life.

City brand strategy
 Vancouver is referred as the chosen city where the
target market is restricted to the homeless youths
of an age from 16 to 26.
 The purpose behind choosing Vancouver as the
best place for event is that there are nearly 7,655
homeless individuals (Harding and Hayes 2018).
 15% of the homeless population are identified as
youths (Buccieri et al. 2016).

New event concept
Title of the event- Employment and career planning event
for the homeless youths
Aims and objectives-
i. Train the homeless youths for employment.
ii. Guide the youths to develop their careers.
iii. Make the event a success.

NEW EVENT CONCEPT
 Date- From 23/04/2019 to 25/04/2019
 Location- Sunset Community Centre, 6810 Main St,
Vancouver, BC V5X 0A1
 Target markets- Homeless youths, Homeless
parents, government officials, other NGOs.

MAIN BODIES OF THE EVENT
President
of the
organizati
on
Branch
manager
Parmanen
t staffs
Operation
manager
Event
manager
Event
Coordinat
or
Volunteers
Resource
manager
Venue
coordinato
r
Local
suppliers
Marketing
manager
Advertisin
g team
Analyzers

Outline of the Brand strategy
Identity of the city- Vancouver is the largest city of
British Columbia with one of the densest and ethnically
diverse cities.
Brand value- The event is highly relevant in the context
of homelessness issue in Canada and aims to curb down
the rate of homeless youths.
Stakeholders involvement- The stakeholders like the
government official, local administration, NGOs and
volunteers should be incorporated in the decision and
event management procedure.

OUTLINE OF THE BRAND STRATEGY
 Story of the brand- Due to lack of government measures
for the homeless youths it becomes impossible for the youths
of new generation to recover from the trauma of
homelessness. Therefore, this event is going to provide them
the opportunity to get rid of homelessness issues and make a
better life.
 Slogan- “Build a better world for homeless youths”
 Representing city band strategy- It will help to get
Vancouver into the limelight offering a permanent solution for
the homeless youths to get redemption from homelessness.

Implementation plan
Action Responsible person Resources Expected outcome
Analysis of the existing
situation of the homeless
youths
Daily news report,
Government annual
report
Internet, laptop Evaluate the scenario
effectively.
Decision making Management of the
organisation
Conference room,
presentation tools
Make proper decisions
Engagement of the
stakeholders
Different stakeholders Conference room,
presentation tools
Get positive response
from the stakeholders
Financial evaluation Finance team and event
organisers
Laptop, conference
room, presentation tools
Prepare a cost effective
event
Choosing the venue and
date
Organisational
management
Laptop, internet,
telephone
Choosing a strategically
advantageous venue
Advertisement and
promotion
Marketing team Promotional tools,
market analysis
Procure an effective
promotion
Hiring volunteers Event management team Personal interview Recruiting adequate
volunteers
Start registration Volunteers Pen, laptop, notebook Getting more than 1000
registration

Time frame

EXPECTED OUTCOME
 Make a gathering of more than 1000 homeless youths
 Placing more than 500 homeless youths in different sectors.
 Get the government appreciation for further financial and
infrastructural benefits.
 Maximizing sponsorship for further employment offering to
the homeless youths.

Expected attendees in percentage
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Expected attendees
Students Guardians Others

From the above point of view, it can be concluded that this
event will have a deep impact on the dire situation of the
homeless youths and guide them to get an opportunity to
overcome their poverty through employment.
Conclusion

Reference
Baker, R., 2018. 681 youth living homeless in Metro Vancouver: report | CBC News. [online] CBC.
Available at: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/homeless-youth-count-finds-hundreds-
in-metro-vancouver-1.4851356 [Accessed 21 Feb. 2019].
Buccieri, K., Warner, L., Norman, R., Jeng, M., Wright, A. and Forchuk, C., 2016. Apples to apples: A
comparative demographic analysis of homeless and housed youth in Canada. Canadian Journal of
Family and Youth/Le Journal Canadien de Famille et de la Jeunesse, 8(1), pp.19-45.
Bula, F., 2018. Metro Vancouver finds nearly 700 homeless youths in the Lower Mainland. [online]
The Globe and Mail. Available at: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-
metro-vancouver-finds-nearly-700-homeless-youths-in-the-lower-mainland/ [Accessed 21 Feb. 2019].
canada.ca 2017. Youth homelessness prevention project receives major investment from Government
of Canada - Canada.ca. [online] Canada.ca. Available at: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-
social-development/news/2017/04/
youth_homelessnesspreventionprojectreceivesmajorinvestmentfromgo.html [Accessed 21 Feb. 2019].
Harding, T. and Hayes, J., 2018. 2018 Youth Homeless Count. [online] Metrovancouver.org. Available
at: http://www.metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/homelessness/
HomelessnessPublications/2018MetroVancouverYouthHomelessCount.pdf [Accessed 21 Feb. 2019].