Lynn, a single mother of two, was tired of seeing her parents worry on disability assistance, while raising her oldest son. Without grade 12, she ended up in a cycle of part time low-paying jobs and welfare. After taking months of upgrading at the Bathurst Adult Learning Center CASP, she had the confidence to study and pass the GED on her first try. She was surprised by doors of employment opened to her.

At 31, I’ve been on social assistance for approximately ten years. I had part-time jobs here and there. I never completed high school. I dropped out because of pregnancy and never went back . . . a typical teenage rebellion thing. Then I got into the welfare situation and it’s addictive. You get used to your cheque coming in and you sitting there raising children... free money. I got a little too used to it, got lazy.

Because of my lack of education, I couldn’t get anywhere. I didn’t have the training, the skills. I didn’t have anything. To go and apply for a position I wanted was just embarrassing and a waste of time, so I was taking cashier and waitress jobs. I was glad for the work, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do.

When my children started going to school, I started thinking, “Okay, what will I do when they have to bring a parent?” When they get asked, “What does your mommy do for a living?” I did not want them to say, “My mommy sits home all day.” That was a big thing for me.

I was 30 when I made the decision to enroll. My friends with careers going got me thinking, “Okay, that’s enough! I need to start doing something with my life. There’s nothing for a life to sit in front of the TV all day.” I got hold of my worker and asked her to give me recommendations on the kinds of programs there were.

So, that is how I got Hollie . . . she was one of the first ones I contacted. It was CASP (for me) because of the funding and stuff . . . they didn’t have to pay anything and I didn’t have to pay anything. That was a big bonus ’cause where I was on assistance, the money was really not there. They helped with transportation. After school they helped with the daycare.

This helped me because of the hours. Your time was whatever you could put into it. That was good. I tried to schedule it the best I could, while my daughter was in school, so I would be home when she got home. I did a lot at home too.