Take Action
The time is now to get involved and engaged in the conversation to support youth.
There are turn-key strategies and initiatives that government, industry and education sectors can be a part of that will result in impactful change. Take Action Now outlines how stakeholders and communities can get involved to support our future leaders.
Take Action Now
Government, Industry and Education sectors all have a part to play engaging young people to build systems of support for mental health and wellness, future skill development, and career opportunities and experience. Community-focused strategies should be tailored to communities including Black, Indigenous and People of Colour, Socio-economically Disadvantaged, Youth with Disabilities, and other underrepresented groups.
Government
Black Youth & People of Colour
• Support the establishment of a Youth Hub that showcases virtual volunteering, internships, and job opportunities.
• Track the impact of digital skills programs on Black youth and ensure that organizations catering to marginalized Black youth can continue delivering coding and STEM education in pandemic-proof ways.
• Participate in Youth Culture’s Youth Consortium to connect directly with Black youth, industry, community navigators, and Youth Culture.
Indigenous Youth
• Support Youth Consortium consisting of government, industry, stakeholders, community navigators, and Youth Culture to work with Indigenous people to solidify consistent and reliable supply chains for health and safety, education, and industry.
• Establish programs that tap into, and learn from, entrepreneurs in First Nations communities. Many First Nations entrepreneurs have developed their businesses under challenging circumstances and have traditional and innovative strategies for success.
Socio-economically Disadvantaged Communities
• Establish Youth Ambassador programs with representatives from marginalized communities.
• Support the establishment of a Youth Hub that showcases virtual volunteering, internships, and job opportunities.
• Engage Youth Culture to track disadvantaged communities for the purpose of understanding the needs, and mobilizing partnerships to deliver support in food, technology and equipment.
Youth with Disabilities
• Continuation of mentorship programs like MentorAbility.
• Support for programs like Humber College’s Community Integration through Co-operative Education (CICE) certificate program designed to engage adults with developmental disabilities.
• Establish entrepreneurial programs to bring together business owners and people with disabilities interested in entrepreneurship
Industry
Black Youth & People of Colour
• Create internship programs through Youth Culture to support Black youth and People of Colour.
• Create roles for Black youth representatives on adult committees and advisory boards.
• Engage Youth Culture to mobilize focus groups from Black communities for insight on company culture, employee engagement, and product and service initiatives.
Indigenous Youth
• Invest in the economy in First Nations communities. For example, in Wiikwemkoong, traditionally the big drivers are sectors like police, education, health, and tourism. Wiikwemkoong’s newly-developed light industrial park could be a segue into Canada’s Advanced Manufacturing Innovation.
• Create a role for Indigenous youth representatives on adult committees and advisory boards.
• Engage Youth Culture to mobilize focus groups from Indigenous communities for insight on company culture, employee engagement, and product and service initiatives.
Socio-economically Disadvantaged Communities
• Participate in a multi-year community matching program to track the impact of support in a specific community.
•Create roles for youth from disadvantaged communities to participate as representatives on adult committees and advisory boards.
•Engage Youth Culture to mobilize focus groups from marginalized communities for future career opportunities and insight on company culture, employee engagement, and product and service initiatives.
Youth with Disabilities
• Learn more about Accessible Workplaces and supported employment through the Canadian Association of Supported Employment (CASE).
• Schedule a lunch and learn session from Youth Culture about Unconscious Bias from a Youth Lens to Build High Performing Teams.
• Create roles for youth with disabilities to be representatives on adult committees and advisory boards.
Education
Black Youth & People of Colour
• Establish new college, university and trade scholarships for Black communities significantly impacted by the pandemic.
• Establish connection between school boards in predominantly Black communities in order to provide opportunities and support.
• Share relevant and updated resources for a range of support initiatives in consultation with community navigators.
Indigenous Youth
• Support the growth of community capacity and implement remote programs to teach youth the skills in technology and app development specific to their needs.
• Promote the education of Indigenous ways of teaching and principles to spark inspiration and new ways of innovating through the learnings of traditional culture.
• Establish connection between Chiefs, Councils and schools in Indigenous communities in order to establish relationships and connections.
• Share relevant and updated resources for a range of support initiatives in consultation with community navigators.
Socio-economically Disadvantaged Communities
• Consult with community navigators and Youth Culture in order to understand the needs and provide opportunities and support.
• Establish sponsorship programs that include laptops, food resources and short and long-term educational options for disadvantaged communities.
• Establish connections between school boards in disadvantaged communities and Youth Culture to provide opportunities and support.
Youth with Disabilities
• Share career success stories highlighting people with disabilities in the workforce, particularly stories that promote relevant and potential job opportunities and entrepreneurship. For example, Good Foot Delivery provides meaningful employment for the neurodiverse community through a professional courier service developed via public transit and on foot.
• Share relevant and updated resources for a range of support initiatives in consultation with organizations for people with disabilities.
Contact Youth Culture to develop support strategies tailored to your sector. youthculture.com
Youth Strategies for Support in 2021
Youth Culture is committed to continuing and enhancing support for youth in 2021 and beyond.
• Free Certificate Program in Career Discovery & Essentials available online for participation in Youth Culture workshops and Industry Learning Pods.
• Virtual meetups with Industry Professionals.
• Development of a career portal to highlight career paths and future industries with employment opportunities.
• Free workshops to develop in-demand skills through Youth Culture and our partners.
• Free professional development for youth on writing resumes, practicing for interviews, time management, and networking.
• Tailored professional development sessions for newcomers and youth with disabilities.
• Establishment of a Youth Consortium to align support initiatives through bringing together community navigators, government, industry, education, organizations and youth.
• Launch pilot project of pre-teen Youth Council to interact with existing Youth Advisory Council to understand needs of Gen Alpha.
• Increased participation in the MentorAbility program to match youth with disabilities to industry professionals.
• Deliver Unconscious Bias workshops to Industry.
• Share accessibility best practices from a workforce onboarding perspective.
• Continue virtual events and workshops highlighting diversity and inclusion in partnership with TD.
• Launch monthly Industry Learning Pods to highlight innovative projects in the Advanced Manufacturing sector and Canada’s Superclusters in partnership with NGen.
• Establish frequent networking opportunities with industry experts including Lakeside
and MNP.
• Support coding workshop delivery to at-risk youth through Mind Fuel partnership.
• Continue outreach to school boards (TDSB partnership confirmed for spring 2021).
• Through partnership with Project Northern Lights (PNL), deliver professional development workshops to newcomers and underrepresented youth
• Continue to promote diverse authors through Celebrating Diversity Book Club in partnership with Anansi Press and Groundwood Books.