Youth Strategies Branch
Youth Opportunities Atlas

The Youth in Policing Initiative Afterschool program was created in recognition of the importance of providing support and employment opportunities for young people all year round. This employment initiative focuses on diverse youth between the ages of 15 and 18 years, who reside in our priority identified neighbourhoods within the City of Toronto. The aim of the Youth in Policing Initiative is to promote youth participation in and exposure to the work environment through diverse, educational, and productive work assignments. This program also enhances the link between the police and the neighbourhoods we serve. This initiative gives young people an opportunity to develop job skill

A program built on past successes in addressing quality of life for First Nations youth using sport and recreation to encourage for social change

This program provides prevention and intervention programming to support youth between the ages of 12-20 who are gang involved or at risk of gang involvement and help build their pro-social skills.

The Newcomer Youth Settlement Program creates and provides opportunities where inclusion, respect, responsibility, honesty and caring are the norm for all. Newcomer youth, between 13-29 years old, are invited to join this new program, providing youth with a vision for a better future, motivates them to realize lasting positive change in their lives, and help them become valued and productive members of the community.

A new program that will utilize restorative justice approaches and peer mediation within a school or community setting to address conflict / violence. Youth will be able to take accountability for their behaviour, to strengthen pro-social skills and to access community services and supports as needed, through partnerships with school(s), community agencies and police. Evidence: Research shows that restorative justice approaches implemented in schools have resulted in reduced rates of youth dropping out of school, truancy and disciplinary actions. In addition, peer mediation has been shown to be an effective conflict resolution method which also promotes pro-social behaviour and youth engagement.

A family-focused, early intervention program children 6-12 who are engaging in aggressive, antisocial behaviour and / or have come into contact with the police. The program aims to prevent antisocial behaviour and increase pro-social behaviour, reducing the chance of future conflict with the justice system through timely and effective early intervention. SNAP has been found to reduce aggression / delinquency / antisocial behavior in middle years children, improve academic success by decreasing behavioral issues at school, and increase the connection of children and parents to community-based resources.

United Way Toronto & York Region created Career Navigator™ specifically for young people who have the hardest time to find work—those facing multiple barriers including, but not limited to, poverty, discrimination, settlement issues, family breakdown, and low educational attainment. CareerNavigator™ is an education-to-employment pipeline that combines industry recognized training and social supports to help youth secure credentials and experiences needed for in-demand jobs.

Youth CI, a partnership with the Laidlaw Foundation and the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation’s Innoweave Initiative, helps youth-serving organizations in local communities across Ontario. The program develops, launches and implements collaborations that helps youth to succeed. Youth CI offers information and engagement sessions, workshops, coaching and funding to current and potential collaborations in Ontario.

A program expansion working with youth in conflict with the law and their families to support rehabilitation and help avoid re-offending. Evidence: Youth are not involved in youth justice in isolation of other factors in their lives. Research shows the benefits of working with families to understand how dynamics reinforce positive / negative behaviour, understand problems in a new way and develop healthy, supportive relationships. Family workers provide a holistic view in identifying strengths, resiliency factors and areas that may require additional support. Implementation: Contracts have been signed with all agencies selected to deliver the Youth Justice Family Worker Program. Youth and their families can be referred to the program by; probation officers, schools, police, crowns and or funded service providers.

The Youth Mentorship Program helps support locally-developed adult/elder-to-youth mentoring activities with a focus on high-risk youth aged 12-25 in target communities across the province. Mentorship programs will focus on at least one of three outcome areas: Employment and Entrepreneurship, Educational Achievement, and Civic Engagement / Leadership Tbe objective is to support the positive development of high-risk youth through access to consistent, caring adults who will support youth to achieve goals in the three outcome areas. Participants will be better supported to: Make healthy and safe choices; Increase resiliency; and Make progress toward identified goals.

The Youth Opportunities Fund (YOF) is an annual program that provides grants and capacity building supports to youth-led grassroots groups and community-based organizations serving young people who face multiple barriers to economic and social wellbeing.

TheYouth Research & Evaluation eXchange (YouthREX), in partnership with York University, provides knowledge mobilization and capacity building services to youth-led organizations across Ontario. It also provides customized evaluation supports to grassroots organizations and initiatives. YouthREX has five regional hubs to engage local youth serving organizations, including in London, Ottawa, Sudbury, Thunder Bay and Toronto.

The Youth Outreach Worker Program is a comprehensive multi-agency outreach initiative for marginalized youth in underserved neighbourhoods, and special populations in East Toronto. The Youth Outreach Worker (YOW) engages youth ages 12-21 years old and their families, helps them better navigate and connect with services and supports in their communities. As of April 2013 the program has been enhanced to serve Aboriginal, Tamil, Afghan, African Canadian, Chinese, Roma, LGBTQ youth, and to target youth through Social Media.