New Grants Support GTA Youth Opportunities

Youth Opportunities Fund to Help Youth Grow and Thrive

TORONTO, March 25, 2014 /CNW/ - Youth facing multiple barriers in the Greater Toronto Area* will benefit from $4,658,000 in funding from the Youth Opportunities Fund. A total of 22 grants to grassroots, youth-led and community-based organizations and youth leaders were announced today by the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

Funded by the Ontario government, the Youth Opportunities Fund (YOF) will help grantees work locally to improve outcomes for youth facing barriers to economic, social and personal wellbeing. The YOF is a commitment of Ontario's Youth Action Plan and is an ongoing program with grant funding available each year.

Funded initiatives will engage young people ages 12 to 25 who are racialized, First Nations, Inuit or Métis, recent immigrants, LGBTTQ, and/or youth with special needs. The program also strengthens supports for young people who:

• Are at-risk of becoming and/or are in conflict with the law
• Have experience in child welfare services
• Are in low-income situations or from low-income families
• Have dropped out of, or are at-risk of dropping out of, school

Initiatives include:

WoodGreen Community Services - $953,600 over four years to expand the Rites of Passage program for African Canadian youth in three target communities in Toronto (Falstaff at Jane & Wilson, The Peanut in the Don Valley Village Neighborhood and Scarborough Village). The Rites of Passage program is based on a recognized, culturally-based 12-month curriculum focused on fostering positive youth development.

Oshawa Community Health Centre - $971,700 over four years to support an Aboriginal coordinator and a mental health worker to strengthen programming and supports for Aboriginal youth living in and around Durham Region.  Funding will support youth as they work collaboratively to create programs which will improve cultural knowledge, self-identity and mental health.

Eritrean Youth Collective (Care of For Youth Initiative) - $365,700 over five years to develop a youth-led leadership and mentorship program for Eritrean youth in Toronto. Young leaders will plan, lead and promote action within their networks and the broader Eritrean community.

QUOTES

"We believe in our young people - that given the right opportunities, they can reach their fullest potential. Through the Youth Opportunities Fund, more youth will be given the chance to harness their talents, realize their potential and become engaged members of their communities and our province."
— Teresa Piruzza, Minister of Children and Youth Services

"These organizations have proposed actionable initiatives that are grounded in their day-to-day experiences. We were impressed with how thoughtful and focused the initiatives are and expect they will deliver lasting impact to individual youth and local communities across the GTA."
—     Dev Sainani, Chair, Board of Directors, Ontario Trillium Foundation

QUICK FACTS    

• The YOF has two funding streams:
• This year the Strategic Collaborations Stream will invest in three collaboratives of youth-serving groups that seek to build on proven initiatives and enhance the quality and responsiveness of service delivery for youth.
• This year the Grassroots Innovation Stream will invest in
• Five Promising Initiatives that have demonstrated an early track record, and,
• 14 Promising Ideas, which will create space for young leaders and/or groups of youth to access funds, build their skills, grow their networks and strengthen their communities.
• The YOF will help all YOF grassroots groups and emerging young leaders build their capacity and skill set. GOAL, a program of ArtReach Toronto will design and facilitate capacity-building services for applicants and grantees in the Grassroots Stream.
• The YOF is an annual $5 million program, funded by the Ontario government and administered by the Ontario Trillium Foundation
• The Gordon & Ruth Gooder Charitable Foundation has contributed $500,000 to the Grassroots Innovation Stream. This marks the first time the Ontario Trillium Foundation has embarked on a funding partnership with a private foundation.
• The OTF has invested over $20 million in youth-led and youth serving grants in the GTA, including close to $3.2 million in youth-led initiatives since April 1, 2010.

ABOUT

The Youth Opportunities Fund invests in ideas and projects led by or focused on youth who face multiple barriers. The program supports projects aligned with Ontario's strategic framework for youth, Stepping Up: A Strategic Framework to Help Ontario's Youth Succeed.

A leading grant maker in Canada, the Ontario Trillium Foundation strengthens the capacity of the voluntary sector through investments in community-based initiatives. An agency of the Ontario government, OTF builds healthy and vibrant communities.

MORE
View a list of YOF grant recipients
Read the Youth Opportunities Fund backgrounder and program guidelines
See who is on the YOF Grant Review Committee
Learn more about the Ontario Trillium Foundation
Ontario Trillium Foundation on Twitter - @ONTrillium

*GTA = City of Toronto, Peel, Halton, Durham and York Regions

Image with caption: "Ontario Trillium Foundation (CNW Group/Ontario Trillium Foundation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140325_C7002_PHOTO_EN_38319.jpg

SOURCE: Ontario Trillium Foundation

Gabrielle Gallant - 416 963 4561 [email protected]