2024 YOUTH ACTION FUND GRANTEES
Project Descriptions

 

The Youth Action Fund selected organizations who are actively engaged with the education, justice, and/or child welfare systems. 10 organizations were successful with a total amount of $1,000,000 allocated to new grants in 2024.

 

Sour Springs Longhouse

Yonkwaweyente’ta’onhatye Tsi Niyonkwarihotens; We are becoming skilled in our ways of life

Year 1 Request (2024): $100,000

Total Request: $300,000, 3-year project

Location: Ohsweken (Six Nations)

This initiative supports young language speakers to bring those learning language in colonial education settings into community spaces. Fully participating in ceremonial cycles are unsupported. The project targets the most vulnerable language learners to meet gaps between education, employment, and cultural access. Through an on-going three year Master-Apprentice program. Master-Apprentice recognizes the need to build speakers after a two-year immersion study. The apprentice will adopt from the master, passing language intergenerationally. The focus is to build and support speakers to have confidence and use it across community and in ceremonial spaces. The Haudenosaunee and their distinct communities need to share resources and language speakers across the confederacy as there are very few first language / master speakers. Language and land are inherently related to speaking, conversing, consent, and reciprocal relationships. Ongoing acts to watch, listen, move, do, interact, read, write, apply, transfer, and speak all six of the Haudenosaunee languages is foundational in all our program deliverables. Revitalizing Indigenous language fluency and speakers needs to be supported by creating time and space to interact with other speakers and community members.

 

Northwest Black Collective

Kwetu Youth Hub

Year 1 Request (2024): $100,000

Total Request: $292,400, 3-year project

Location: Thunder Bay

Kwetu Youth Hub will support young people primarily impacted by the education and child welfare systems. The Swahili word 'Kwetu' was selected for its meaning of 'our' or 'ours', but can also informally mean 'home'. The Kwetu Youth Hub is founded on five pillars: community building, cultural empowerment, education, life skills, and wellness. We selected these pillars based on what themes emerged from our preliminary work and experiences in the community when we considered what gaps are currently existent for Black youth in Thunder Bay.  The program will support young people who have been impacted by the education and child welfare system by offering alternative pathways to get high school credits and by offering programming that encourages community building and can provide access to practical life skills and social and cultural supports that are not typically found in the child welfare system. School attendance and professional certification is not always possible, especially when youth struggle in the traditional classroom, have extra responsibilities such as children or working to support the family, or have less access to materials and technology. We hope to increase accessibility to education and community supports in a way that also honours the realities of what these youth have experienced, and to bridge gaps that are disproportionately impacting Black youth.

 

Restoring Our Roots

Planting Roots

Year 1 Request (2024): $100,000

Total Request: $300,000, 3-year project

Location: Peterborough

In Ontario, Indigenous youth experience gaps that impact experiences within the justice, education, and child welfare systems including a lack of culturally responsive supports and resources. These gaps contribute to ongoing challenges and disparities, increasing the vulnerability of Indigenous youth within these systems. In many cases, participation in these systems has also disrupted the flow of intergenerational knowledge and weakened bonds that connect youth and communities, with the effect of further eroding their wellness and resilience. These impacts are not only experienced by Indigenous youth but also set into motion cycles of disadvantage and disconnection among future generations.

 

The Planting Roots program is a youth-led initiative designed to support off-reserve and urban Indigenous youth who face barriers within the justice, education, and child welfare systems. The program is implemented over the course of 3 years, with Year 1 establishing cultural connections through land-based learning. Year 2 deepens cultural roots via language learning and cultural workshops, and Year 3 celebrates the gift of community through music and dance. Culminating in a youth-led powwow and feast, the program works to create a supportive environment that provides opportunities that empower leadership skills, build resilience, strengthen cultural identity, and support youth as they navigate the challenges and successes of life.

 

Project Agape

Black Healing Justice Project

Year 1 Request (2024): $100,000

Total Request: $294,109, 3-year project

Location: Ottawa

The Black Healing Justice Program is a tailored program for Black newcomer (individuals who have lived for 5 years or less in Canada) survivors of gender-based violence aged 18-29 without permanent status in Canada and have left education due to experiencing sexual or gender-based violence (GBV) and the challenges in seeking support within the educational system. Lack of disclosure, which is challenging for many survivors, may impact immigration status and academic progress which also adds stressors to survivors.

This program will run for 2 cycles of 10 weeks each and cater to 15 Black newcomer survivors annually, offering practical skills and wellness workshops. It will combat social isolation that many Black newcomer survivors face and support healing and navigating education and life changes post-trauma. Additionally, an online self-advocacy toolkit will be developed, offering resources, letter templates, and tips for survivors interacting with institutions. Black youth experts and program participants will inform the toolkit, ensuring relevance for Black newcomers. This toolkit provides a sense of belonging, connection and awareness about resources available to participants. It will also empower survivors to advocate for themselves and their communities by educating them on their rights, and supporting them in making their voices heard. We plan to reach and support over 200 Black newcomers in Ontario with this toolkit.

 

People of Tomorrow

Narratives Reclaimed: Cultivating Young Voices from the African and Caribbean Diaspora

Year 1 Request (2024): $100,000

Total Request: $300,000, 3-year project

Location: Ottawa

“Narratives Reclaimed” aims to empower youth of African and Caribbean descent by engaging them in creative exploration and expression of their cultural roots and present-day narratives. These young people, often from low-income neighbourhoods, face significant pushback in education, including a lack of representation in the curriculum and limited support for higher education aspirations. They often experience academic racism and systemic barriers that hinder their progress and limit their opportunities.

 

By providing workshops in cultural research, story development, writing, and illustration, People of Tomorrow supports youths in overcoming educational barriers. Participants learn research methods tailored to exploring historical and cultural contexts, gaining access to resources that help them understand and document their heritage. The goal is to transform young individuals into authors, allowing them to reclaim and redefine the negative narratives imposed on them by the system. The project aims to equip them with the tools and confidence to tell their own stories, fostering a deeper connection with their heritage and enhancing their sense of identity and belonging. Through this initiative, it strives to empower Black youth to break down barriers imposed by the education system and society at large. By amplifying their voices and celebrating their cultural heritage, the project aims to inspire positive change and create a more equitable and inclusive environment for future generations.

 

Disability Justice Network of Ontario

Challenging Ableist Violence, Unjust Punishment & the School-to-Prison-Nexus in Ontario’s Education System

Year 1 Request (2024): $100,000

Total Request: $300,000, 3-year project

Location: Hamilton

Our project will empower Black, Indigenous, and racialized disabled youth facing systemic ableism in Ontario schools. Through consultations, toolkits will be developed to foster community care, mutual aid and self-advocacy, providing resources to youth experiencing suspensions, expulsions, seclusion, exclusions, restraints, interactions with police or other forms of carceral violence in the education system. Project coordinators will engage with a combination of abolitionist, health justice, criminal justice, labour, disability justice and transformative justice organizations/institutions to consult on broader impacts/aspects of structural ableism in education (many of which will likely fall outside of publicly-funded educational institutions).

 

Priority amongst youth will be given to participants who have experienced criminalization (within or outside of public school settings) as a result of structural ableism within the education system. The project will engage with youth/families and gather their experiences on the aforementioned experiences through programming sessions (online or in-person), educational workshops and/or focus groups—depending on need at any given moment in the project. Emphasizing intersectional and anti-colonial approaches, this will be coupled with a province-wide provincial advocacy campaign aimed at tackling carceral violence within schools (i.e. through lobbying, direct action, public education, policy dissemination, etc.).

 

Injaz

Building Bridges

Year 1 Request (2024): $100,000

Total Request: $277,584, 3-year project

Location: Toronto

Injaz’s ’Building Bridges’ project aims to support Sudanese youth in the Greater Toronto Area who face barriers in education and encounters with the justice system. Many newcomer youth struggle with educational setbacks due to language barriers and differing educational backgrounds. Despite holding advanced degrees from their home countries, these youth often find their qualifications unrecognized in Canada, forcing them to restart their education or settle for less fulfilling career paths. Building Bridges will connect youth with educational and recreational support through partnerships with community youth organizations. It will offer tailored programming and workshops led by Black Sudanese youth educators and industry professionals, focusing on both hard and soft skills. The project will begin with research on the specific educational barriers faced by Black Sudanese youth, ensuring Injaz's approach is well-informed and effective. Through skill-sharing and knowledge dissemination, participants will be equipped with sustainable skills and resources for long-term success in pursuing education and also better understanding of the justice system.

 

Power to Girls Foundation

Black Girls Elevating their Voices for Change in the Education System

Year 1 Request (2024): $100,000

Total Request: $300,000, 3-year project

Location: Toronto

Funds are being requested to deliver the newly improved program GIRLs (Growing Independent Resilient Ladies). GIRLs offers 24 weeks of extracurricular, hour-long sessions that take place in schools in low-income communities in Toronto. The curriculum framework is flexible, allowing participants to define program content in terms of mentorship, skills development and support for their physical and emotional well being.

 

As a youth-led, Black-led program, GIRLs has the goal to help Black girls not only navigate the education system, but also imagine and influence change. GIRLs is being enhanced in response to the exciting ‘Roots of a Girl’ research report (2024) developed by Power to Girls. The research stands out in that it was informed by 245 Black-identifying girls across Ontario who participated in surveys, Afro-centric Sharing Circles and test programming. The first of its kind in Canada, this study increases understanding of what is working for girls in the education system, and where they are feeling ignored, pushed out, and inadequately supported. Over 3 years, up to 300 girls ages 12-18 would participate in GIRLs, accessing space where they work with young facilitators and mentors, and where they are equipped to design and test solutions for change within the education system.

 

Youth Association of Academics, Athletics and Character Education (YAAACE)

The Community School Initiative and the Transitional School 2.0

Year 1 Request (2024): $100,000

Total Request: $300,000, 3-year project

Location: Toronto

For over 17 years, YAAACE has addressed the academic struggles and justice system challenges faced by young people, particularly Black youth, who are disproportionately underachieving and over-represented in the criminal justice system. The Community School Initiative and the Transitional School collectively address achievement gaps and provide holistic support to underachieving and justice-impacted youth in northwest communities. These supports include mentorship, education, family supports, housing and employment assistance, mental health services, and customized coordination plans. Our programming is delivered by Ontario-certified teachers, coaches, youth counsellors, social workers, and case managers with lived experiences. The Community School Initiative includes evening and weekend tutoring, March Break Camp, and the Summer Institute providing consistent access to caring adults who help build capacity for youth to reach their full potential. The Transitional School supports students aged 12 to 17 upon release from detention or suspension, preparing them to re-engage in regular school environments. Educational programming runs from September to June, Monday to Friday, with additional critical services provided year-round.

 

Uthando Collective

Itoju Mentoring Program

Year 1 Request (2024): $100,000

Total Request: $300,000, 3-year project

Location: Toronto

Itoju Mentoring Program will support 120 African international students over 3 years (2 cohorts/year) to aid their integration into Canada’s education system. Itoju addresses the unique challenges faced by Black African international students in education by providing mentorship, tools & resources. We focus on the interconnected challenges of immigration, education, and finances through a 17-week curriculum centering academic success, financial literacy, career planning, mental health, & cultural transitioning. The program will pair students with mentors who have navigated the “hidden curriculum” as international students for guidance & support. Recognizing that academic success is intertwined with overall well-being, especially for international students whose academic standing affects their immigration status, Itoju’s holistic approach ensures students get the knowledge, encouragement, and community needed to thrive. The African international student experience is impacted by anti-Blackness and systemic racism, affecting mental health & belonging. They are viewed through a deficit lens, questioning their educational backgrounds and competence. Itoju will help mentees build self-esteem, confidence, & strong social networks.Through program learnings, we will advocate for systemic changes that improve the experiences of Black African international students in Canada. Itoju will provide a supportive community and create a soft landing for African International students in Canada