Lack of Guidance Counsellors at Port Credit Schools? Fresh Careers Provides Parents and Students with Solutions

By Paul Fitzgerald 

It’s a staggering fact that only 14 per cent of Ontario elementary schools have access to guidance counsellors, and only 10 per cent have a counsellor on staff full-time.

Meanwhile, middle schools, those with grades 7 and 8, and high schools, have a higher percentage of guidance counsellors on staff but the average ratio of students to guidance counsellors is 391 to 1, which means students get little face time. This limits the amount of hands-on support that they should receive.

The lack of guidance counsellors in the education system in Port Credit is also being felt by parents and kids alike.

However, while the education system is grappling with cutbacks and changes in staffing priorities, a local entrepreneur is stepping up in order to make a positive and long-term difference for the youth of tomorrow.

You see, Susan McKechnie of Fresh Careers is expanding her business to include a one-of-a-kind career planning and coaching service for youth. Her passion for helping others will certainly help a strained educational system and will benefit youth and their families on many levels.

On Wednesday, April 22, 2015, McKechnie will host a special workshop, Post-Secondary Planning: Providing the Tools for Crafting a Post-Secondary Roadmap, at Port Credit Secondary School. The event will be held from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM.

“It’s never too early to think about and plan for your teen’s post-secondary pathway to college or university,” says McKechnie. “It will be here sooner than you think.”

During her presentation McKechnie, a youth career development professional and career coach, will provide parents with a step-by-step approach to helping their teen’s craft a suitable post-secondary roadmap.

“The intention of the evening workshop is to leave parents with the information necessary to navigate what comes next for their teens,” says McKechnie.

The topics she will cover include: the New Canadian Economy and the Future Jobs; Career Discovery Exploration; College and/or University, and/or Apprenticeship or other; Choosing the Right Fit of a Program; Financial Realities of a Post-Secondary Education; Preparing for the Transition to the World of Work and Planning a Successful Future.

The services that Fresh Careers offers are unique on every level and will benefit our youth, parents and will serve as a new and innovative branch for schools at all levels to utilize.

Some of the services Fresh Careers offer includes: Academic Roadmap Planning, Career Exploration, Events and Workshops, and Academic, Life and Career Coaching.

McKechnie and her team of professionals will soon be working with a number of other schools across the GTA.

 “Our youth need direction and leadership from the right sources,” says McKechnie. “At present, the current system of career and life development is lacking in a big way in our educational system, and we know we will be here to make a positive difference for youth who need guidance and direction.”

She adds, “The right guidance and support means our youth will be better prepared for tomorrow.”

Take Me Out to the Movies... In Our Backyard

By Paul Fitzgerald 

So here is the scenario. Darkness suddenly hits a huge silver screen. The audience sits silent with much excitement and plenty of anticipation. Then all of the sudden a bright full-colour-image appears on the big screen – of course it is accompanied by heart-pumping-theatrical-like-music. The audience, captivated in every sense, becomes immersed with the superb images and the incredible sound effects. The moment becomes live; real in more ways than one.

This experience is all part of inventiveness in storytelling through entertainment. That’s right, it’s show time.
You might assume that this scenario is one you would expect at your local mega-plex cinema. However, it’s not really: this is an experience you can now have in your own backyard.

According to Clinton Howell, the founder and owner of H2 Systems Inc. in Burlington, ON, backyard home theatre systems are now a new and emerging trend these days. From Burlington to Hamilton, and from Oakville to Mississauga, homeowners are turning to the outdoor home theatre experience as a means of entertaining family, friends and the neighbours.

And, believe it or not, having an outdoor home theatre system is easy to set up and take down, and more importantly you don’t have to break the bank in order to have one. Still, some investment is involved with time and money, but it’s worth it in the end. Even better, having a backyard home theatre is great for family bonding time during the spring and summer months.

“Homeowners these days seem to be staying local during the spring and summer months now as travel is becoming more and more expensive,” says Howell. “Still, while at home, they want to entertain and they want to be entertained, and backyard home theatres are popular because it’s a fun experience, less costly than traveling with a family and it’s a new way of enjoying cinema at its best.”

When most people think of the home theatre experience, they think of a home theatre room or a multi-purpose room inside. Taking it outdoors takes the movie experience to a whole new level, almost like the days when drive-ins became popular.


H2 Systems Inc., popular for its excellence in offering the best in home theatre systems, home automation, home integration, built-in-multi-zones and video solutions, flat-screen TVs, home networking, home theatre design and construction and décor for its clients, is now part of the backyard home theatre trend. While spring has just arrived, Howell and his team are out helping homeowners discover how they have they ultimate outdoor home theatre experience.

Howell reiterates to customers of the importance of watching movies in the dark.

“Watching movies outdoors in the dark provides the best entertainment experience in terms of picture quality,” he says. “Projected images have much better black levels and contrast when the projector of the main source of light. Going to war with the sun is a never-winning battle. The only way you could watch movies outside in light is by purchasing highly expensive outdoor screens or high-end flat-screen TVs. The good news is that there are options, but in all watching movies under the stars is a terrific experience.”
In planning the location of your screen, a large wall on the back of the house or attached to your fence is a perfect option. And if you are short on space, then take advantage of well-placed trees for hanging an inflatable or portable screen between them.

“While the location of the screen is important, keep in mind that you have your power supply in close proximity,” says Howell. “Aside from the projector, you will need to power your Blu-ray player or set-top box and speakers.”

Your choice of what type of screen to have is also important, explains Howell.

“The cost of quality weather-proof screens is more than affordable nowadays,” he says. “Inflatable screens are also popular but are more expensive.”

As well there are all a variety of all-weather-outdoor TVs and the bigger ones can be expensive if one prefers this approach.

Selecting the right projector is also important. “Having a separate projector for your outdoor home theatre is important,” he says. “You can buy relatively inexpensive projectors so you don’t need to worry about them getting damaged.”

“There are a variety of projectors with lumen ratings over 2,000 available and now 3D projectors are in and are coming down in price. If 3D is your fancy then grab some affordable glasses and enjoy your backyard movie experience in style.”

Howell suggests that before purchasing a projector it is important to know its actual distance to the screen. The right distance from the projector to the screen will mean a better viewing experience for you and your audience.

And keep in mind that the right sound is also important in having the right outdoor home theatre experience.


“There are all-weather speakers that are available and they are ‘sound’ for your evening entertainment,” says Howell. “In all, there are a variety of choices with outdoor sound systems – which you can have on stands, or hang from the side of your house or even on the trees. The options for speakers are endless – go with what works and have fun.”

Once your outdoor home theatre is all set up, then it’s time to fire up the grills to serve some good eats, along with some popcorn too of course.

For those who are not sure where to start or need direction with setting up an outdoor home theatre system, Howell suggests hiring a home theatre expert to guide and do the work for you.

“A home theatre expert will provide a variety of options and will work within your budget,” says Howell. “Home theatre experts know all about the right screens, projectors, flat screen TVs, audio, power sourcing and ensuring you have a memorable outdoor home theatre experience.”

He adds, “The warmer temps will soon be here and now is the time to plan for your new outdoor home theatre in your very own backyard.”

Lack of Guidance Counsellors in Ontario Prompts Entrepreneur to Expand Services

By Paul Fitzgerald

Fresh Careers Provides Unique Career and Life Coaching Solutions for Kids and Teens

It’s a staggering fact that only 14 per cent of Ontario elementary schools have access to guidance counsellors, and only 10 per cent have a counsellor on staff full-time.

Meanwhile, middle schools, those with grades 7 and 8, and high schools, have a higher percentage of guidance counsellors on staff but the average ratio of students to guidance counsellors is 391 to 1, which means students get little face time. This limits the amount of hands-on support that they should receive.

The lack of guidance counsellors and their availability demonstrates a challenged educational system on many levels. The result is purely damning for the future of kids and adolescents who are seeking the right guidance and inspirational leadership to help them on their life and career paths.

However, while the education system is grappling with cutbacks and changes in staffing priorities, a Grater Toronto Area (GTA) entrepreneur is stepping up in order to make a positive and long-term difference for the youth of tomorrow.

You see, Susan McKechnie of Fresh Careers is expanding her business to include a one-of-a-kind career planning and coaching service for youth. Her passion for helping others will certainly help a strained educational system and will benefit youth and their families on many levels.

McKechnie who has spent 20 years in the recruitment and staffing industry, has observed that new post-secondary grads are not prepared for the changing workforce.

As a certified Career Counsellor, she began to quickly realize that 1 in 4 post-secondary grads were working in unskilled labour. And in the GTA there is presently a 20 per cent unemployment rate for 24-34 year-olds.

 When she questioned guidance counsellors in high schools on the matter, the answer was they needed more support. They did not have enough time to spend with students with all of the other challenging issues that they are dealing with. The answer from college and university counsellors was that they are witnessing 75 per cent of first year students either dropping out or changing majors, costing themselves and parents money.

With this, McKechnie knew that expanding her specialized career and life planning service for kids and teens was more than needed due to the challenges being placed on an ever-so-changing educational system: elementary, middle school and high school.

This is why she has assembled a team – all of whom are committed to helping our youth in discovering the right career and life path while allowing them to make the right decisions today so that they have a brighter future.

The services that Fresh Careers offers are unique on every level and will benefit our youth, parents and will serve as a new and innovative branch for schools at all levels to utilize.

Some of the services Fresh Careers offer includes: Academic Road-map Planning, Career Exploration, Events and Workshops, and Academic, Life and Career Coaching.

McKechnie and her team of professionals will soon be working with schools in Halton and across the GTA.

“The expansion of Fresh Careers is an exciting venture,” says McKechnie. “Our youth need direction and leadership from the right sources. At present, the current system of career and life development is lacking in a big way in our educational system, and we know we will be here to make a positive difference for youth who need guidance and direction.”

She adds, “The right guidance and support means our youth will be better prepared for tomorrow.”