Kwetu Youth Hub

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.