Organizations

4Rs is a youth-led initiative seeking to change the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous young people through engaging youth in dialogue that furthers respect, reciprocity, reconciliation, and relevance. With the aim of building a culture where youth are more connected and can share their experiences in safe spaces, 4Rs has a framework for cross-cultural dialogue that supports their work through the delivery of experiential training and the hosting of gatherings and workshops across the country.

Achēv connects youth to opportunities that help them achieve their full potential. By offering high-quality programs and personalized services, Achēv provides the resources and guidance that youth need to achieve their goals and supports their career development, language education and settlement success in their communities.

Acte d’Amour’s mandate is to reduce the isolation of seniors by offering intergenerational workshops on new information technologies, memory maintenance exercises, and other social activities (crafts, music, dance, etc.).

Action jeunesse St-Pie X de Longueuil Inc. is working to mobilize youth mentors to involve them in a community engagement project that will facilitate the integration of youth newcomers. This includes offering a peer support network and a co-creation process that will guide youth in their interests and promote diversity in the high schools attended by these youth, as well as in the community.

Alberta Council for Global Cooperation mobilizes young Albertans to become global citizens engaged in sustainable development. Alberta Council for Global Cooperation works towards ending poverty and achieving a peaceful and healthy world, with dignity and full participation for all.

Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association supports active member Friendship Centres who, through program and service delivery, engage with and improve the quality of life for urban Indigenous people.

Aboriginal Life in Vancouver Enhancement Society (ALIVE) has an ongoing objective of assisting Indigenous youth to become more acquainted with the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

Apathy is Boring is a non-partisan organization that supports youth to become change-makers. The organization is committed to training and supporting volunteers who actively reach out to disengaged or under-engaged youth and meet young people in the spaces where they are comfortable. During their volunteer service program, youth participants co-create and implement a community service project in one of seven hubs. The program includes two types of participants, ‘ambassadors’ and local youth. Ambassadors lead local youth participants in the outreach, implementation, and evaluation of community service projects.

Association des Scouts du Canada is part of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. The movement mobilizes youth to become active citizens and create positive change in their communities.

Barons Eureka Warner, Family & Community Support Services (BEW FCSS) enhances the well-being of individuals, families and communities. Youth are given the opportunity to explore the social needs within their community and find solutions to address those needs. BEW FCSS works with youth within four communities to create a youth DO Crew and to co-create service opportunities that respond to specific community needs with an aim to support youth’s project management skills and ability to initiate and lead meaningful community service initiatives

Boys and Girls Club of Canada (BGCC) provides programs and services to over 200,000 young people in approximately 700 Canadian communities. During out-of-school hours, clubs offer safe spaces where young people can explore their interests, develop their strengths, and realize positive outcomes in self-expression, academics, healthy living, physical activity, and mental health. Trained staff and volunteers help young people build the confidence and sense of belonging they need to overcome barriers, form positive relationships and mature into responsible, caring adults. BGCC is experienced in serving and engaging youth who face multiple barriers, and its clubs fill the opportunity gap in low-income communities across Canada.

Brampton Multicultural Community Centre is a group of diverse professionals dedicated to enhancing newcomer community engagement. The organization works with newcomers to facilitate their settlement and integration into Canada, and they engage youth in meaningful service experiences through an innovative peer to peer program that combines orientation to key community issues impacting youthill building and volunteer work.

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) is Canada’s only nationwide charity dedicated solely to the protection of our public land and water, and ensuring Canada’s parks are managed to protect the nature within them. Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society is assisting youth in learning the benefits of meaningful community service and volunteering in their regions while gaining confidence, leadership, and critical thinking skills through wilderness expedition and the development of community service projects that better connect Canadian youth to their natural spaces.

Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) encourages environmental conservation and sustainable living so future generations can enjoy the outdoors. CWF educates, researches, and advocates for the conservation of Canadian wildlife and natural habitats and the wise use of Canada's natural resources. It offers education programs to inspire future generations to develop a passion for wildlife conservation, and has a breadth of experience conducting youth engagement programs.

Career Trek works collaboratively to remove barriers to education, employment, and life-long learning opportunities through hands-on career exploration, mentorship, and workshops. By improving the career development potential of youth, Career Trek is helping them to acquire skills to find and maintain productive employment and to continue community service in the future through the completion of community service projects and associated learning.

The Montréal LGBTQ+ Community Center is a non-profit organization that acts to improve the well-being of people in LGBTQ+ communities by promoting cooperation and seeking the support of the community and social development by individuals and organizations. By mentoring youth participants and providing recreational and relationship-based types of supports, the organization co-creates projects with youth in which they can foster a positive change in Montreal's LGBTQ+ community and acquire new knowledge and develop new skills pertinent to the issues of social diversity, social oppression, and support through training.

Change Makers' Education Society helps people to gain the skills, knowledge and confidence to participate in creating a healthy community and lead a fulfilling life. The workshops and activities that the organization offers has the goal of strengthening the community, while working with local schools and community service providers to recruit and train Indigenous, non-Indigenous, and immigrant youth in theatre and video production techniques that allow them to open a dialogue around social issues and the need for reconciliation.

Chantiers jeunesse promotes the development of young, active and engaged citizens, as well as the improvement of local communities in Canada and abroad. The organization’s community is based on values of intercultural exchange, solidarity, and respect for differences. By organizing volunteer projects for youth in various regions of Quebec and beyond and as a member of the Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organizations, Chantiers jeunesse helps youth to improve the living environment of a community and to get involved in a cause close to their heart, such as the environment or the preservation of heritage and culture. Chantiers Jeunesse also offers young people the opportunity to develop their leadership talent and entrepreneurial skills by taking charge of their own project.

Cirque Hors Piste is an organization dedicated to social circus, which offers an alternative and inclusive creative space for young people with a marginalized life path. The organization promotes individual and group learning through the circus arts.

Through various activities, Comité de Solidarité / Trois-Rivières (CS3R) aims to raise awareness and mobilize the regional and national population on international issues. It also aims to change mentalities by promoting a real awareness and the emergence of global citizenship. At the international level, CS3R’s actions are largely translated into solidarity and international cooperation projects.

The Community Sector Council Newfoundland and Labrador is committed to strengthening and promoting the essential role that voluntary and non-profit, community organizations play in building healthy and prosperous communities. The organization looks to frame a model for community service and civic engagement in which the participants identify priorities of interest to them, with the purpose of enabling youth to determine the issues which excite them.

The Cooperation Council of Ontario is a social enterprise. It works to ensure the promotion, development and innovation of co-operatives and social enterprises in Ontario.

The Conseil jeunesse francophone de la Colombie-Britannique (CJFCB) works to promote, develop and represent the interests of French-speaking youth in British Columbia and helps them to achieve their full potential through the organization of various cultural, educational and community-oriented initiatives.

The Co-operative Entreprise Council of New Brunswick (CECNB) provides a wide range of services to co-ops and social enterprises and works closely with government and partners to bring about new programs, resources, and policies that support healthy, sustainable communities. The organization works to create a civic service mindset among youth while nurturing cross-cultural awareness, reconciliation, and relationships of trust among Indigenous, Anglophone and Francophone youth by engaging them in the co-creation of the Netukulimk Tricultural Learning Centre.

The Duke of Edinburgh International Award is a global program with the goal of challenging, empowering and recognizing young people. Present in all provinces and territories and through the guidance of Award volunteers, each young person is encouraged to examine themselves, their interestsilities, and ambitions, then set goals in the areas of community service, physical fitness, transferable skills, and adventurous journey.

Ecosource is an innovative Ontario-based organization that inspires the community to become more environmentally responsible through creative public education. The organization brings Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth together to design and lead service-oriented environmental stewardship projects, while offering an opportunity for them to develop leadership skills and approach reconciliation, resiliency and success through Indigenous history and cultural practices and teachings.

Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers (EMCN) serves as a key catalyst and leading collaborator in positively shaping the attitudes, behaviours and practices of organizations and individuals to value the diversity that newcomers bring to the community.

Elephant Thoughts Educational Outreach supports teachers in creating change, both in Canada and abroad. Elephant Thoughts Educational Outreach works on building an inclusive Canada by bringing Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth together to design and lead opportunities that support reconciliation of First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis youth, non-Indigenous and underrepresented youth (youth-at risk) and prioritize social issues that impact all communities. While volunteering, youth learn and showcase hard and soft skills such as project development, team building, facilitation skills, and leadership, and they have the opportunity to build networks with professionals in the community and develop skills that boost their employability.

ENSEMBLE for the respect of diversity works and interacts with young people to promote respect for differences and to engage in dialogue to build an environment free of discrimination and bullying, while working to educate, train and engage youth in all stages of finding and implementing solutions to issues of intolerance in their communities.

Fédération de la jeunesse franco-ontarienne (FESFO) is there to ensure that Franco-Ontarian youth participate fully in the development of their community.

The Fédération des jeunes francophones du Nouveau-Brunswick (FJFNB) represents and defends the interests of young Acadians and Francophones in the province. It organizes activities BY and FOR young people. The FJFNB promotes youth leadership, cultural development and community involvement.

Fixt Point Arts and Media is creating meaningful connections and increasing understanding of one another through public engagement, facilitated conversations, active listening and presentations that aim to capture and preserve Canada’s collective community. Through developing youth leadership skills and addressing community issues such as isolation and marginalization, Fixt Point Arts and Media focuses on offering opportunities related to public engagement, story gathering, and audio presentations in order to promote civic engagement and skill development in the community.

The Fraser Basin Council (FBC) is a charitable, non-profit organization that brings people together to advance sustainability in the Fraser River Basin and throughout British Columbia. FBC works in collaboration with four orders of government (federal, provincial, local and First Nations), the private sector and civil society, and people in multiple sectors, to help find collaborative solutions to today’s issues. This is done through a commitment to the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainability.

Friendship Circle Quebec creates friendship in the lives of individuals with special needs and provides an opportunity for said individuals to become contributing members of the community. Through programming, Friendship Circle aims to promote an inclusive community that values all individuals regardless of the challenges they face, and by bringing youth with disabilities and youth without disabilities together to identify inclusion barriers. Together, the youth develop leadership skills through the co-creation of inclusion activities, develop best practices on reducing the barriers and consolidate their findings into a video presentation.

Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House (FHNH) plays a leadership role in creating inclusive communities by connecting people and strengthening their capacity to create change. By offering programming and services, FHNH aims to build the leadership capacity of East Vancouver youth from underrepresented groups by engaging them in the development and execution of strategies to address community challenges.

Generation XX Inc. works to build youth civic engagement capacity by providing opportunities for youth to take on leadership roles as board members and develop community service projects that are meaningful to them. Since 1996, the organization has had a dual board structure with youth members serving alongside adults to direct every aspect of its operations, which includes an indoor skateboard/rollerblade/scooter park and social club.

Global Youth Network (GYN) is an international non-profit, non-governmental organization that works as an empowerment vehicle and a revolutionary movement for all youth in the world. It is a network for young people to assert their power in numbers, energy and imagination to transform their various endeavors, and for youth to work collaboratively to address social justice, cultural identity, urban-rural understanding and Indigenous solidarity.

The Graffiti Gallery offers emerging young artists an opportunity to show their work through the delivery of engagement workshops. These workshops are created and delivered by youth recruited from diverse backgrounds – providing them the opportunity to design, develop and facilitate educational arts workshops that focus on youth mental health and community engagement. The workshops also include guest artists (both international and local) that work with the youth to develop exciting ways to use the arts as a tool to engage with social justice issues, which fosters the development of essential skills including: increased self-confidence, social toleranceilities to work within team environment, increased feelings of belonging within communities and aspirations for success for future endeavours.

Greater Victoria Volunteer Society (GVVS) raises generations of new volunteers and delivers learning and tools to volunteer-led groups across Greater Victoria. Individuals and organizations can search for volunteer positions, meet with a volunteer advisor, participate in programs and services, or register for events or training. Through the training, GVVS aims to provide youth with knowledge and skills related to volunteer recruitment and coordination, employment planning, and community development.

Hardy Giles Consulting specializes in developing “outside the box” innovative approaches and solutions for training, planning and other specialized projects. The organization works with Indigenous youth to enhance their personal and professional skills, to promote community service and create community champions, and to recruit youth to participate in cultural awareness training and building playgrounds in two remote communities. Through this, the organization facilitates the co-creation of a project that encourages inclusive partnerships and educates youth on a process of reconciliation between Indigenous youth and other Canadian youth.

Horses at Heart helps children, youth, and families to achieve their therapeutic goals and to promote personal development, mutually respectful relationships, and to enjoy the many benefits of horseback riding and horsemanship training. The organization works to promote civic engagement of Indigenous and at-risk youth to enhance the personal and professional skills of youth leaders, and to share a professional development opportunity through equine-assisted therapy programs that helps to build mutual understanding through maintaining respectful relationships.

Ilitaqsiniq – Nunavut Literacy Council promotes and supports literacy initiatives in the official languages of Nunavut, with respect for the principals of community capacity building and development. llitaqsiniq is bringing together Inuit and non-Inuit youth throughout Nunavut to learn about reconciliation by working together to identify and create initiatives they would like to see take place in their communities. This creates opportunity for youth to develop leadership skills and approach reconciliation, resiliency and success through learning about Inuit history and reconciliation while providing opportunities for mutual understanding through a safe youth-led space.

Indigenous Friends Association (IFA) aims to inspire and support the imagination of Indigenous communities to create and maintain their digital technology to further their autonomy. IFA provides young First Nations, Inuit, Métis and non-Indigenous women and two-spirit youth with the skills and training needed to close educational and employment gaps in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics while engaging in a process of reconciliation through collaborative learning.

The Invasive Species Council of British Columbia (ISCBC) is a collaborative-based organization committed to reducing the spread and impacts of non-native species within BC. The organization engages youth in three distinct regions of BC to teach them how to identify and address specific invasive species, to help them build healthy habitats in their local community landscapes, and to reconnect them with their sense of community.

Katimavik aims to develop diverse youth as engaged, caring citizens and capable contributors and leaders for a better Canada. By collaborating with other organizations to foster understanding, respect and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and with Canada’s other diverse cultures, Katimavik empowers youth to become change-makers that support reconciliation across Canada, as well as inclusiveness, diversity and sustainability.

Leads Employment Services supports people with disabilities, those who are highly vulnerable, and employers that are meaningfully engaged to create a diverse workforce and community. The organization is developing long-term workforce and civic engagement with the integration of youth with and without disabilities, and they work to provide opportunity for the youth to learn life and employment skills.

The Learning Disabilities Association of Toronto District (LDATD) is committed to creating a society in which people with LDs are able to achieve the full expression of their intellectual and other abilities, and are enabled to contribute in the workplace to their fullest. LDATD also works to support LD youth to gain valuable skills and increase civic engagement opportunities that will benefit them in life and work while making a difference in their community.

LGBT Youth Line is a Queer, Trans, Two-Spirit* youth-led organization that affirms and supports the experiences of youth across Ontario. By providing anonymous peer support and referrals, training youth to provide support to other youth, and providing resources so youth can make informed decisions, LGBT Youth Line is addressing community issues of isolation, discrimination, and increased social challenges for 2SLGBTQ (Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Queer) groups.

Lillooet Friendship Centre Society aims to strengthen capacity, services, and continue to develop and deliver “best practices” through the support and guidance of other Friendship Centres. Lillooet Friendship Centre Society works with youth to identify and address the challenges and issues faced by youth in nine communities, and they create a space where youth are supported in identifying where change is needed and in addressing the issues and gaps by co-creating service opportunities, by engaging the community, inviting community partners to support them, raising awareness, and overcoming the challenges and issues the communities are facing.

Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre is a strength and value-based family resource organization delivering community-based programs and services. They believe in accountability, transparency and effective use of resources, which for them means working together with families, partners, funders and governments to create community-based solutions that build local capacity for self-care. The organization addresses Indigenous reconciliation and promotes mutual understanding and respect between Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth by providing training and supporting civic engagement opportunities.

MABELLEarts provides newcomer, refugee and racialized youth in three low-income inner-suburban Toronto neighbourhoods with meaningful and impactful arts-based service opportunities. Youth are accessing training, mentorship and on-the-ground learning opportunities that are designed to foster a life-long commitment to community involvement and civic engagement by bringing youth together to identify community needs that are important to them.

Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) looks to develop and enhance opportunities for Métis communities by implementing culturally relevant, social, and economic programs and services. MNBC is addressing reconciliation as it relates to the Métis population in British Columbia and they support youth in the co-creation of service opportunities in their communities.

Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre is to provide structured, social-based programming for Urban Aboriginal People while serving as a focal point for the urban aboriginal community to gather for a variety of community functions and events. The organization creates mutual understanding and positive relations between Indigenous peoples and others throughout the community of Halifax by enhancing the personal and professional skills of youth leaders to address local issues with other local youth to perform community outreach and engagement.

Mindyourmind is a community-based youth engagement and wellness program devoted to improving mental health outcomes for youth in Canada. The program works with young people and service professionals to develop processes, media content, and tools that will help young people better manage their mental health, utilize technology, and ultimately impact systems change. Mindyourmind also support partners who are invested in youth engagement to improve outcomes in their own agencies.

Motivaction Jeunesse’s mandate is to prevent school dropout, sedentary lifestyles and delinquency among underprivileged youth and to contribute to the integration of young immigrants through sports and outdoor activities and by providing them with meaningful experiences.

The Native Council of Prince Edward Island (NCPEI) is a community of Indigenous people living off-reserve in traditional Mi’kmaq territory and is the self-governing authority for all off-reserve Indigenous living on Epekwitk (PEI). NCPEI creates opportunities for youth and organizations on the province of PEI, and its varied communities, to address a wide spectrum of issues or themes that are important to them.

Niagara Peninsula Aboriginal Area Management Board (NPAAMB) provides skills development and training opportunities for urban Indigenous youth in Southern Ontario. The organization aims to attract, develop, and motivate young Indigenous talent by respecting their diverse cultural identities and working closely with the surrounding communities. They also provide the youth with skills and leadership training, and pair the youth with non-Indigenous youth to follow training on Truth and Reconciliation.

Northern Loco Inc. aims to create sustainable futures for Northern communities. They work to develop innovative solutions to the challenges facing their communities by utilizing new technologies that are guided by Indigenous knowledge, traditional practices, and ways of being. The organization looks to increase the number of youth actively engaged in addressing community issues through service opportunities and engages local organizations to help in the delivery of collaborative programming.

Northern Youth Abroad (NYA) seeks to foster leadership, cross-cultural awareness, individual career goals, and international citizenship in the youth of the North. The organization promotes success in education by providing life-changing experiences through volunteer work and travel and by encouraging the civic engagement of youth through supported and meaningful service opportunities. These opportunities will simultaneously invest in the development of skilled, resilient, and confident young northerners who are ready to take on any role in their communities and beyond.

The NunatuKavut Community Council (NCC) is the representative governing body for approximately 6,000 Inuit of south and central Labrador, and it works to promote and ensure the basic human rights of its members as NunatuKavut Inuit, and the collective recognition of these rights by all levels of government. The organization’s vision is that the NunatuKavut govern themselves, providing and caring for one another, the families, and the communities while nurturing the relationship with the land, ice, and waters. They also bring Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth together to learn about reconciliation and decolonization, help them to develop the leadership skills required for success in an academic and professional environment, and encourage them to aspire to be leaders in their communities and the increasingly global world.

Ocean Wise is an environmental charity that works to inspire the global community to increase its understanding, wonder, and appreciation for oceans. They produce research reports, run conservation programs (e.g., the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, Ocean Wise Seafood, and the Marine Mammal Rescue program), facilitate engagement and education programs to raise awareness of conservation issues, and provide youth with the opportunity to volunteer in the areas of ocean health and ocean literacy.

On Site Placement creates collaborative opportunities for youth and the community. The organization supports youth through the creation and design of campaigns that highlight the importance of diversity – fostering a commitment among youth towards community service that supports and develops inclusion for equity-seeking groups and promotes the benefits of embracing diversity in schools and workplaces. Youth receive training related to diversity and inclusion, identity, bias and underrepresented groups, and are able to engage in mentorship opportunities to strengthen their knowledge of diverse cultures and collective identities, to acquire the knowledge of what it takes to be a strong ally of community support for other marginalized groups, and to discuss productive ways to manage micro-aggressions.

Ottawa Riverkeeper Inc. is a champion and collective voice for the Ottawa River watershed, providing leadership and inspiration to protect, promote and improve its ecological health and future. Ottawa Riverkeeper Inc. addresses the need to protect the watershed and ensure a swimmable, drinkable, fishable future by teaching, engaging and inspiring youth through a journey that makes them Water Leaders.

The Outdoor Council of Canada (OCC) is a nationally incorporated, non-profit, member-owned organization that was founded to promote universal access to outdoor education and recreation. The organization works with youth to co-create service initiatives that respond to specific community needs and break down inclusivity barriers to ensure children, youth and families have meaningful outdoor experiences and are able to successfully transition to active lifestyles as adults.

Plenty Canada is a registered non-profit organization that facilitates access to and shares resources with Indigenous peoples and other community groups around the world in support of environmental protection and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By promoting the civic engagement of Indigenous and at-risk youth, Plenty Canada aims to enhance the personal and professional skills of youth leaders, to share a professional development opportunity through cross-cultural capacity programs, and to build mutual understanding through maintaining respectful relationships.

The Potlotek Education Department provides youth in five Cape Breton Mi’kmaq communities with leadership training as well as civic engagement opportunities through involvement in community service projects. Youth are trained on themes such as leadership in Mi’kmaq Territory, community development, fundraising, and networking.

The Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) Society provides a broad spectrum of programs and services which includes Employment Programs, Settlement Services, Language Services, Social Programs and Housing Services. The PICS Society addresses the building of an inclusive Canada by providing eligible youth in Surrey with volunteer leadership training as well as civic engagement opportunities through involvement in volunteer community service opportunities and community development projects.

Red Fox Healthy Living Society serves Indigenous and inner-city children, youth, and families. Their programs foster healthy, active living, leadership, and employment training, and in partnership with the Environmental Youth Alliance Society, they bring together Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth to learn about reconciliation and decolonization while carrying out a community service project to increase access to safe, biodiverse green space and cultural resources in Vancouver.

The Réseau de développement économique et d’employabilité (RDÉE Canada) and its network support the economic development of Francophone minority communities in Canada.

S.U.C.C.E.S.S. supports youth to achieve their goals by building their skills, connections, and confidence. Their strengths-based services are tailored to the unique and diverse experiences of youth, and promote positive relationships, community connections, as well as personal and leadership development. S.U.C.C.E.S.S. addresses the building of an inclusive Canada by facilitating the civic engagement of youth in Vancouver through the realization of volunteer service opportunities that align with both the communities’ needs and the young leaders’ interests.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority is driven by the commitment to improve frontline patient care for Saskatchewan people, and is working collaboratively to better coordinate health services across the province to ensure patients receive high quality, timely health care, wherever they live in Saskatchewan. The organization works with youth to co-create service initiatives that address the social issues of cultural responsiveness and reconciliation within a long-term care facility. These initiatives give youth the opportunity to lead, design, and acquire the necessary skills to explore these social issues by using digital media and creating cultural arts projects.

Saskatoon Open Door Society welcomes newcomers to Canada and helps to them settle in Saskatoon. The organization helps newcomers to connect, integrate and build strong reciprocal relationships with the local community, including Indigenous communities, and is proud to be part of Reconciliation Saskatoon. By building and promoting a diverse and inclusive community, Saskatoon Open Door Society aims to ensure that newcomers feel that they belong and can participate fully in Canada’s economic, social, intellectual and cultural life. Through the creation of a Youth Community Stakeholders Committee, Saskatoon Open Door Society is bringing youth together to solve community issues that are identified by the group.

South Okanagan Immigrant & Community Services (SOICS) works to create a welcoming community where immigrants feel safe and can participate in all aspects of community life. SOICS recruits youth using online social media platforms and connections with local community service providers to help them identify, research, and create an action plan to address building awareness around issues of diversity and building inclusive communities.

St. Paul’s is a not-for-profit university college that works to engage youth in civic opportunities to co-create service initiatives that address local and regional priorities and provide learning and skill-building opportunities. The youth lead, design and acquire the necessary skills to give back to their community.

The Students on Ice Foundation educates the world’s youth about the importance of the Polar Regions and uses a co-creation approach rooted in design-thinking and social innovation to create safe spaces for youth collaboration, collective impact and growth. The organization supports youth in their continued personal and professional growth and inspires and catalyses initiatives that contribute to global sustainability. Through inspiration, training, and mentoring, local community groups and leaders are given the tools to engage youth, elders, and key stakeholders in future-focused opportunities.

TakingITGlobal uses a co-creation approach rooted in design thinking and social innovation to create safe spaces for youth collaboration, collective impact and growth. The organization encourages youth to design and carry out service projects by taking ownership of an issue, proposing a solution and involving their peers.

The Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research, Education and Conservation supports local organizations to gather Indigenous and non-Indigenous young people from across Canada to address barriers to reconciliation and decolonization, and implement inclusive solutions for animals, people, and the environment. The institute creates a space where Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth can exchange cultures and perspectives to break down barriers and stereotypes, while finding innovative youth-led solutions to address community challenges and begin braiding a path to reconciliation. The institute promotes an approach of empowering and equipping youth to take actions in their own communities that will create positive change benefiting people, animals, and the environment, and of enabling young people to develop compassionate decision-making skills in the process.

The Pas Family Resource Centre promotes, supports and enhances the growth and well-being of families in The Pas area. The organization engages Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth in co-created service opportunities based on the Indigenous teachings of the animal clan of the Wolf and Indigenous cultural experiences.

The WRENCH (Winnipeg Repair Education and Cycling Hub Inc.) creates stronger and healthier communities by removing barriers to building, repairing and maintaining bicycles. The WRENCH focuses on educating youth, and empowers them to transfer their passion for bicycles into meaningful, hands-on service opportunities.

Trinity Theatre Toronto develops tools and insights that bring balance between an individual's social, emotional and ethical development and their pursuit of academic skill and work achievement. The organization helps to develop a service mindset among youth through an innovative community-based training and mentorship program that supports youth to engage in meaningful service opportunities in their communities.

UNA-Canada is an historic national civil society organization and registered charity with the mandate to educate and engage citizens on the work of the United Nations and global issues. UNA-Canada Service Corps provides youth with inaugural opportunities to participate in UN events and gives delegates the chance to deepen their service journeys and share their experiences.

United Way of Quinte works the community, partners, volunteers, government and businesses and is committed to making every effort to focus on bringing about measurable, positive and permanent change throughout the Hastings and Prince Edward Counties to build healthier, more inclusive communities. The organization works with youth to co-create service initiatives that respond to specific community needs, and to increase youth leadership opportunities, build productive relationships, and become life-long advocates of causes important to them.

UR Pride looks to provide and promote health, wellness, and social support for sexually and gender diverse people in the community, to promote an intergenerational community of sexually and gender diverse people in the community, to advocate for the safety and equitable inclusion of sexually and gender diverse people in the community, and to provide avenues for sexually and gender diverse people to expand their skills and explore new leadership opportunities. The organization addresses two-spirited, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer, intersex, asexual, pansexual (2SLGBTQIAP+) inclusion and diversity by allowing 2SLGBTQIAP+ youth to grow their capacity in inclusive and anti-homophobic spaces.

The Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth (USAY) strives to provide essential programming and services to Calgary’s Indigenous youth by engaging them in the creation of special editions for USAY’s publication, entitled New Tribe Magazine – Special Edition. The publication of each issue looks to be preceded by an event that will include guest speakers, community members and youth from diverse backgrounds, and will provide an immersive and interactive experience that will focus on dialogue of a particular topic to encourage reconciliation, generate allies, and build excitement for the edition.

Victoria International Development Education Association (VIDEA) strengthens the environment where youth and communities, globally, have access to the education, informationills and support necessary to take feminist leadership in developing their own sustainable solutions to environment, human rights violations and injustice. VIDEA strives to support and inspire others, especially Indigenous, and underrepresented youth, to better understand global issues, and issues of oppression, discrimination, systemic sexism and colonialism, and to use their power and voice, towards more just communities. By promoting a culture of life-long civic engagement and service, VIDEA is helping youth and beyond to have an increased understanding of each other and respect for diversity. The organization supports youth in their creation of youth-driven, unconventional theatre productions that address Indigenous reconciliation, provides training on themes such as diversity, reconciliation, Indigenous histories and cultures, and theatre production, and assists youth with their group meetings and mentorships that oversee the successful implementation of their youth-led service projects in the community.

Volunteer Alberta is a diverse and inclusive member association that aims to strengthen and create pathways for volunteerism and civic engagement in Alberta. The organization addresses gaps in existing youth leadership programs and services throughout Alberta by engaging youth from underrepresented groups who have a curiosity for learning non-profit and charitable leadership and governance skills, as well as by developing a service pathway that enables youth to make an impact in areas that matter to them.

Wayfinders is a community-based mentorship and outreach program that aims to provide opportunity to youth who might not otherwise get it. The program looks to address reconciliation and decolonization by bringing together a cross-cultural group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth for short-term volunteer service opportunities. Through these opportunities, the youth build meaningful community connections, develop leadership skills, and receive a variety of trainings and coaching sessions on priority items specifically addressing reconciliation, decolonization and the story of residential schools – allowing them to enhance their personal and professional skills. Together, youth identify and develop group priorities for service to their community through youth-led discussion forums and focus groups.

Women’s Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor Inc. (WEST) provides support to women in Windsor-Essex County and works to aid them in achieving their goals through acquiring employment, training and skill development. They provide programs, services and supports to underrepresented female youth to advance meaningful outcomes related to community service, and they engage them in the co-creation of meaningful service opportunities in order to impact positive change in the community and to respond to community gaps and needs. WEST recruits youth through various means and provides them with opportunities to become engaged in the community, and to enhance their social, professional and personal development.

The YMCA in Canada is dedicated to the growth of all persons in spirit, mind, and body, and to their sense of responsibility to each other and the global community. The YMCA engages youth in service opportunities while also supporting their learning and growth, and provides them with leadership opportunities where they co-create community service projects over the school year or summer.

The YMCA of Northeast Avalon is a charity dedicated to strengthening the foundations of communities through nurturing the potential of children, teens and young adults, promoting healthy living, and fostering social responsibility. Through the engagement of youth, the YMCA of Northeast Avalon addresses the growing issue of senior isolation while providing both parties with the opportunity to gain intergenerational empathy and providing the youth with access to the broader perspectives that come with age. Through this, the organization hopes that both the youth and the seniors will have the opportunity to learn new skills and create lasting impacts on each others’ lives.

Youth Assisting Youth (YAY) grows the leaders of tomorrow through peer mentorship of at-risk and newcomer youth. YAY connects volunteers to meaningful mentorship experiences that profoundly impact the most vulnerable youth and their families in communities across Toronto and York Region areas, and are bringing youth together and recruiting them to become youth mentors to at-risk mentees in need of guidance and support as well.

Youth Central Society is a charitable, non-profit organization that aims to change the perception of youth in communities by giving them the tools and supports they need to become engaging, empathetic, and caring citizens with a sense of ownership and responsibility. The organization supports youth in building valuable skills for future employment, in giving youth a voice, and in growing a youth’s understanding of their community. Through recruitment and engagement, Youth Central Society encourages youth to participate in meaningful service opportunities, to promote civic engagement, to find their passion, and to become actively engaged in their community

Youth Challenge International (YCI) is an organization where diversity and talent come together to shape a better future for youth around the world. They bring together young people and change makers across the greater Toronto and Hamilton area to tackle climate issues – providing the youth with the opportunity to collaborate in teams to address these issues and design community-based projects to make an impact.

Youth Empowering Parents (YEP) helps young people learn how to be patient and communicate clearly (and slowly!) with adults and seniors. The organization provides youth with meaningful and lasting civic engagement opportunities by putting them in charge of implementing a program in their community, and by working with immigrant adults/seniors to teaching them digital skills, language skills, or any other identified skills.