News

2025 Grant Recipients

15 April 2025

2025 Grant Recipients

The Youth Decision Making Team granted almost $700K in funding. Congratulations to the 11 organizations who received funding for their projects.

Adventure4Change

The Mental Wellness and Crisis Response Enhancement project will provide culturally relevant mental health support to youth by integrating a part-time social worker, monthly clinical supervision, and comprehensive staff training

AFRO

The Empowering Girls program provides peer-led discussions and breaks barriers to mental health support. By fostering open dialogue and mutual empowerment, Empowering Girls equips participants to navigate crises, build resilience, and thrive in a supportive sisterhood

Al-Salaam Islamic Centre

AMANAH (Affirming Mental Health and Nurturing Access & Healing) project provides culturally anchored psychotherapy and crisis support for youth. Through specialized therapy sessions, skill-building workshops, and community partnerships, they aim to de-escalate crises, address underlying issues, and foster resilience in at-risk youth.

Canadian Aweil Youth Association

The Empowerment Through Support project will offer culturally relevant workshops, peer support groups, and crisis intervention services designed to build resilience and equip youth with coping strategies for mental health challenges.

Crow Shield Lodge

Crow Shield Lodge will continue to build a culturally anchored support system for youth under Elder guidance. Through inter-agency relationships with Waterloo Region Police Services, Starling and other organizations, youth will be connected to the broader Indigenous Community and offered culturally safe space on the land and appropriate programming.

Kinbridge Community Association

Kinbridge Community Associations' Youth Council empowers Black and culturally diverse youth by providing a platform to voice their concerns, advocate for change, and foster leadership. Through workshops, mentorship, and community-driven initiatives, the council addresses critical issues like mental health, life skills, and youth engagement.

Muslim Social Services

Muslim Social Services will partner with Kind Minds Family Wellness to develop and pilot a culturally inclusive and community-driven program for Black Muslim youth to learn how to support their peers experiencing mental health crises.

Nigerians in the Region of Waterloo (NIROW)

The Roots to Resilience project focuses on providing culturally responsive youth mental health counseling and the development of a crisis response toolkit tailored for African youth.

Rhythm & Blues Cambridge

This collaborative project between Rhythm & Blues Cambridge and Porchlight Counselling and Addiction Services will create Black Youth Community Engagement led roles to guide the creation of a community-driven approach to addressing mental health crises among ACBi youth in Cambridge.

The Wisahkotewinowak Collective

The Land-based Intergenerational Support program aims to align the growing season with multiple Land-based gatherings of an Elder and group of youth, focused on knowledge sharing and holistic wellbeing support (i.e. mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health).

Youthcentrik

Youthcentrik will recruit and train youth mental health navigators to provide personalized, responsive support to ACBi youth in crisis. They will establish a network of trained ACBi male youth to provide emotional and practical support for peers facing mental health and addiction crises and implement culturally sensitive Wellness Workshops