Early findings from Reboot Plus show the program is reaching many young people navigating significant challenges in education and employment and connecting with equity-deserving groups – including Indigenous youth, youth with disabilities, newcomers, and gender-diverse youth. The data offers an important look at who is enrolling in the program and raises further questions about further areas of exploration in future evaluations.
This article is the first in a two-part series examining findings from our ongoing evaluation of Reboot Plus, a youth education and career development program delivered in partnership by Douglas College and PEERs Employment and Education Resources, with expansion to Fanshawe College, Humber College, Bow Valley College and the College of the North Atlantic.
Our evaluation is conducted in partnership with Blueprint: a nonprofit that helps governments, communities, and industry leaders use data and evidence to improve public systems and outcomes across Canada. Reboot Plus is part of Blueprint’s Scaling Up Skills Development Portfolio, funded by the Future Skills Centre. As an FSC consortium partner, Blueprint captures implementation and outcome data along Reboot Plus’ scaling journey, including the program’s EDIR profile.
Programs designed to support marginalized youth should be able to answer a basic question: who are they reaching, and who might they still be missing?
This first look at equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation (EDIR) data from Reboot Plus begins to answer that question. The findings suggest the program is connecting with many young people who face significant barriers to education and employment, while also pointing to what we still need to learn about youth who may not yet be reached.
The Young People Reboot Plus Is Reaching
Reboot Plus supports young people aged 17 to 24 who have dropped out of high school, are at risk of leaving school, or are uncertain about their next steps into education or employment. To date, the program has reached 336 youth across British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Surveys administered at program start reveal that many participants were already navigating substantial challenges at the time they entered the program.
When youth started Reboot Plus, 80% were enrolled in high school, meaning one in five were not enrolled and had not completed high school. Among those still in school, 81% attended alternative education programs designed for students whose needs are not being met in mainstream settings. In addition, 64% reported at least one indicator associated with a higher likelihood of not completing high school, including frequent school changes or negative school experiences.
Financial pressures were also common. More than one-third (38%) were contributing to household income at the time of enrolment, while 26% received government assistance.
Many participants also identified with equity-deserving groups that often face systemic barriers in education and employment:
- 41% identified as visible minorities.
- 31% identified as Indigenous.
- 31% identified as having a disability.
- 23% identified as immigrants, including 11% who were newcomers to Canada.
- 13% identified as transgender.
- 9% identified as gender-diverse.
How the Findings Compare Nationally
National data help put these findings in context. The share of Reboot Plus participants who were not enrolled in high school and had not graduated is notably higher than the closest national dropout comparison: Statistics Canada’s measure of 20- to 24-year-olds who are not attending school and have not completed high school. Using that measure, 8.5% of young Canadians were considered high-school dropouts in 2009/2010.
The program is also reaching youth whose school experiences may not be well captured in national datasets. There are no direct national comparisons for alternative education enrolment or frequent school changes, but Canadian school-health data show that school experiences are not evenly felt across groups. Transgender and gender-diverse students, in particular, are among those least likely to report a positive school climate, underscoring the importance of safe, affirming learning environments.
Participants’ financial circumstances also point to added vulnerability. While national data do not directly measure how many youth contribute to household income, Statistics Canada tax-slip data show that youth aged 18 to 24 represented 8.2% of social assistance recipients in 2021. This provides useful context for the share of Reboot Plus participants receiving government assistance at enrolment.
The demographic profile of participants further suggests that Reboot Plus is connecting with equity-deserving youth at rates above their share of the general youth population. Among Canadians aged 15 to 
24, roughly 6.7% are Indigenous, compared with 31% of Reboot Plus participants. Approximately 20% of Canadians aged 15 to 24 identify as having a disability, compared with 31% of participants in the program. The contrast is especially notable for gender diversity: fewer than 1% of Canadians aged 15 to 24 identify as transgender or non-binary, compared with 13% of Reboot Plus participants who identified as transgender and 9% who identified as gender diverse.
Taken together, these comparisons suggest that Reboot Plus is reaching young people who face overlapping barriers in education, employment, and the transition to adulthood. They also point to an important next question for the evaluation: who is not yet being reached, and what barriers may be shaping whether young people enroll.
What We Still Want to Know
Several areas of exploration also remain open, and as Reboot Plus continues to build the evidence base for the program, these areas should be examined in future research.
- Who learns about Reboot Plus but does not participate? Our data describe the youth who
enrolled, not those who were referred to or informed about the program but ultimately did not take part. Understanding this group could help identify barriers to enrolment, such as timing, transportation, work schedules, caregiving responsibilities, housing instability, or uncertainty about whether the program is the right fit. - Are some eligible youth less likely to be referred? Reboot Plus relies on local referral pathways, including schools and community partners. As the program expands across communities, it will be important to understand whether referral patterns differ by site, and whether some groups of youth are less visible to existing referral networks.
- Does reach look different across communities? Reboot Plus is now operating across multiple provinces and local contexts. As the program continues to grow, ongoing monitoring whether the program is reaching similar groups of youth across sites, or whether local partnerships, school systems, and community supports shape who participates.
Together, these questions will help move the evaluation from understanding who Reboot Plus is currently reaching toward a clearer picture of who is not yet being reached, and what additional supports or outreach strategies may be needed as the program continues to scale.
A Note on the Data
This EDIR profile was developed using demographic questions included in Reboot Plus participant surveys. The analysis focuses on self-identified disability status, Indigenous identity, visible minority identity, and gender identity.
Collecting survey data from disengaged youth presents a well-documented challenge. Young people often face competing demands related to school, work, housing, caregiving, and personal circumstances, all of which can affect survey participation rates.
To support survey completion, participants receive a $20 honorarium, facilitators emphasize the importance of the research during program sessions, and staff conduct multiple follow-ups with participants.
What’s Next
Our next article will explore program outcomes, and what the evidence suggests about what is working—and where improvements are still needed.
Reboot Plus is a youth education and career development program delivered in partnership by Douglas College and PEERs Employment and Education Resources, with expansion to Fanshawe College, Humber College, Bow Valley College and the College of the North Atlantic.
The project is funded by the Government of Canada’s Future Skills Program. Le projet Reboot Plus est financé par le programme Compétences futures du gouvernement du Canada.