The Scotiabank Teach to Transform Project is a one-year school-based initiative funded by the Scotiabank Foundation and implemented at Haile Selassie High School from January to December 2026. The project is delivered through Foundations for Change, a collaboration between The MultiCare Youth Foundation (The MYF) and the Creative Language-Based Learning (CLBL) Foundation.
Using an integrated literacy, life skills and psychosocial support model, the project targets 40 students and six teachers. The initiative aims to address literacy challenges, strengthen students’ personal and professional competencies and provide vulnerable youth with the tools to manage trauma, stress, anxiety and behavioural challenges.
The MYF will provide all 40 students with Passport to Success® Life and Employability Skills Training, covering areas such as communication, decision-making, conflict resolution and professionalism. Participants will also benefit from structured group mentorship, career exposure and guidance from positive role models. Fifteen of the most at-risk students will receive Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to strengthen their coping skills, encourage positive mindset changes and support improved decision-making and self-awareness.
The CLBL Foundation will train six teachers in evidence-based literacy intervention strategies using the Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes® model. Participating teachers will receive instructional resources, ongoing coaching and classroom-based support to improve students’ reading, comprehension and critical-thinking skills.
By supporting teachers and students simultaneously, the project is designed to deliver immediate assistance to those most in need while building the school’s long-term capacity to address literacy gaps. The intervention supports improved educational outcomes, stronger employability skills and reduced exposure to behaviours that can contribute to truancy, crime and violence.
