MENTORINGVULNERABLE

YOUTH

FRONTLINE WORKERS' WORKSHOP

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I. INTRODUCTION

II. UNDERSTANDING VULNERABLEYOUTH

Vulnerable Youth Definition

Recognizing the role of risk and protective factors

III. MENTORING VULNERABLE YOUTH

Role of mentoring in increasing protective factors

Our mentoring model: A Community Mentorship Initiative

Mentoring Model Implementation

IV. THE ROLE OF THEMENTOR

Who can serve as a mentor?Mentor’s role and responsibilities

Youth/Mentee’s responsibilities

Professional Boundaries

V. BUILDING TRUSTING RELATIONSHIPS WITH VULNERABLE YOUTH

The Mentorship relationship: Phases

Communication, Active Listening and Expectation

Acceptance and accountability

Accessibility and flexibility

Commitment and persistence

The impact of role modeling and practice

Closing

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I. INTRODUCTIONThis toolkit was created by CultureLink in

partnership with the Toronto Youth Equity Strategy (TYES) and Youth Employment Partnerships (YEP).

The Toronto Youth Equity Strategy aims to build

resiliency and access to supportive systems for

youth most vulnerable to in-volvement in serious

violence and crime (MVP youth). TYES includes

28 recommen-dations and 110 actions the City

of Toronto will take to provide better services

and outcomes for vulnerable youth. TYES was

adopted unanimously by City Council in

February 2014. The TYES Creative Report can be

found online at: toronto.ca

TYES is on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at:

TorontoTYES

Youth Employment Partnerships is a neighbourhood-based youth employment network that offers job placement and staffing services to organizations throughout Toronto. Supporting hundreds of employers and thousands of Toronto youth annually, YEP connects employers with local or city wide employment services. Striving to improve employment retention, YEP has the flexibility to offer subsidized or unsubsidized job placements to all eligible Toronto employers with many additional benefits and supports to job seekers and employers for each new hire during the first few months of employment.

This toolkit was developed out of CultureLink’s participants’ feedback from the MOOC’s community, CultureLink’s MOOC course: Engaging and Empowering Vulner-able Youth (2017), as well as experiences working with mentors serving vulnerable youth in diverse communities.

More information about CultureLink can be found online at: https://www.culturelink.ca/about-us/

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II. UNDERSTANDINGVULNERABLEYOUTH

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Who are vulnerable youth? Some youth have greaterchallenges in transitioning due to interestingvulnerabilities. TYES engages youth most vulnerableto involvement in violence and crime. Who am I? Whoam I becoming? These are normative questions youthask  in search of their identity and sense of belonging.Most youth are able to grow out this stage with a moreintegrated sense of individual and collective identityand well-being. MVP youth are at greater risk and areat risk of individual and social disengagement.

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Recognizing therole of risk andprotectivefactors M

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Below are described some risk and protective Factors that increase or lower the possibility of increaseor lower the risk of vulnerability in youth development (adapted from https://youth.gov/youth-

topics/youth-mental-health/risk-and-protective-factors-youth and CultureLink’s MOOC: MentoringVulnerable Youth)

As youth grow and reach theirdevelopmental competencies, thereare contextual variables that promoteor hinder the process. These arefrequently referred to as protectiveand risk factors.

Temperament traits: low positive mood,withdrawal. Poor concentrationLow self-esteem, perceived incompetence,negative explanatory and inferential style.AnxietyLow-level depressiveInsecure attachmentPoor social skills: communication and problem-solving skillsExtreme need for approval and social support.

INDIVIDUALRISK FACTORS

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Risk andprotectivefactors

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"Risk is a biological, psychological andenvironmental factor that contributesto the development of a stressor, ormakes it worse, or makes it lastlonger. The greater the accumulationof these risks, the greater thepresumed risk of “wounding”."

Ethnic, linguistic and/or religious minoritiesLack of care and supervisionSeparation of family membersSingle parent familyDysfunctional/divisive familyNegligent or incapable parentsParent-child conflictPoor parentingChild abuse/maltreatmentDivorceMarital conflict/Family conflictFamily members suffering from majormental or physical illnessParental drug/alcohol useParental unemploymentMigration

FAMILYRISK FACTORS

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Risk andprotectivefactors

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Vulnerable youth are not only facingnormative life transitions and changestypical for their age, but also they haveto simultaneously cope with additionalexternal and internal risk factors thatexpose them to higher risk.

Peer rejectionStressful eventsPoor academic achievementPovertyCommunity-level stressful ortraumatic eventsSchool-level stressful or traumaticeventsCommunity violenceSchool violenceTraumatic events

ENVIRONMENTALRISK FACTORS

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Risk andprotectivefactors

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A protective factor can be defined as“a characteristic at the biological,psychological, family, or community(including peers and culture) level thatis associated with a lower likelihood ofproblem outcomes or that reduces thenegative impact of a risk factor onproblem outcomes.”

Positive physical developmentAcademic achievement/intellectualdevelopmentHigh self-esteemEmotional self-regulationGood coping skills and problem-solving skillsEngagement and connections in two or moreof the following contexts: school, with peers,in athletics, employment, religion, culture

INDIVIDUALPROTECTIVE FACTORS

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Risk andprotectivefactors

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By protective factors, we refer tobiological, psychological andenvironmental components thatcontribute to preventing a stressor, orlessen its impact, or ameliorate it morequickly.

Family provides structure, limits, rules, monitoring,and predictabilitySupportive relationships with family membersClear expectations for behavior and valuesStable living conditions/ Income and housingsecurity

FAMILYPROTECTIVE FACTORS

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Risk andprotectivefactors

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Protective factors include a person’stemperament /personality traits(coping skills, belief in one’s ability tosolve problems, level of activity, self-esteem, attributions), familyrelationship and communicationpatterns, external social supports (amentor, teacher, social worker withability to provide social support andmodel coping skills and resilience) andenvironmental resources (society andits institutions; schools, recreationaland neighbourhood enrichmentprograms, )

Opportunities for engagement within schooland communityPositive normsClear expectations for behaviorPhysical and psychological safetyBarrier-free, well-coordinated, integratedyouth servicesSafe and friendly neighbourhoodsDiverse and inclusive workplaces andneighbourhoodsStrong cultural and ethnic communitysupport

ENVIRONMENTALPROTECTIVE FACTORS

Presence of mentors and support for developmentof skills and interests

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III. MENTORINGVULNERABLEYOUTH

Resilience is defined as “an individual's ability to successfully adapt to life tasks in the face of socialdisadvantage or highly adverse conditions. Resilience is one's ability to bounce back from a negativeexperience with ‘competent functioning’. One of the commonly identified factors in resiliency literature is thepresence of an adult in the child/youth’s life to fuel motivation and foster the development of life skills needed toovercome barriers (Check & Connect, The role of a Mentor, University of Minnesota, 2014).

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Research shows that mentorscan provide critical supports thatare needed to increase protectivefactors and youth level ofresilience. When youth lackcommunity, family, relationshipssupports, they are often at risk ofphysical, social, andpsychological deterioration.

Not all risk factors affectyouth at the same level.

According to City ofToronto’s Youth Equity

Strategy, “depending on ayoung person’s level of

resilience, the nature ofthe systemic barriers

she/he/ faces may havedifferent impact onher/his life than on

another young person’s.

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Mentoring, building positive relationships, offers a powerfulcounter-force to vulnerability and risk by providing protectiveforces that help youth become more resilient in dealing with life’schallenges.

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Our Mentoring Model: ACommunity MentorshipInitiative

CultureLink’s anti-oppression framework is the cornerstone of our mentoring model and the fundamentalethical principle that guides our interactions with all our participants. The Anti-Oppression framework isa tool to see how people experience oppression in the world and the way oppression shapes theiridentity. This approach is fundamental to understand youth identity and the factors affecting theirpositive development.

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IdentityDevelopment

Mentors need to be aware of intersectionality  to understand identitydevelopment and power dynamics from a complex, systemic, ecologicaland multi-approach perspective, and understand the complexity of issuesaffecting youth and their individual and social engagement. Anti-oppression identifies the experiences of people based on their race, theirgender identity, sexual identity, their physical and mental ability, theirchoice of religion, their socio-economic status, their physical appearance,and so forth. It is crucial to see youth from these different identities to donot oversimplified our understanding of their feelings, thoughts, and lifeexperiences.

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Community MentorshipModel

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CultureLink’s MOOC course: Engaging and Empowering Vulnerable Youth.CultureLink, 2017. ©CultureLink 2017 All Rights Reserved

Our mentoring model can be defined as acommunity mentorship intervention; it is acomprehensive and structured/designedintervention to foster life skills to overcomebarriers and reach full potential. 

Our mentoring model is designed to supportmentors in formal mentoring relationships;nevertheless, all the tips and techniques can beused no matter the type of mentoring peopleare interested in doing.

Actual  Potential

Mentoring

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MENTORING MODELIMPLEMENTATION

Record-keeping, whether electronic or paper-based, is essential for a programto ensure consistency in enforcing policies and procedures. Mentor Screening Folders

Application formReference check recordsInterview summaries with interviewers' commentsPolice Background Checks (Criminal Background Check Clearance)

Mentee Referring DocumentsAssessment and Recommendations from the referring agencyIntake forms (program registration form)Needs assessments (self-referring cases)Parents or guardians consent form (must be signed before being filed)

Mentor Engagement AgreementsMentoring ContractConfidentiality Agreements

Mentorship Supervision FormsMentoring meeting recordsPreview the documentIncident reports (situational)School attendance tracking (optional)Parent interview records (optional)Periodic supervision meeting notesPerformance evaluation forms

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IMPORTANT POINT!T h e s t r u c t u r e i n s t i l l e d i n t h e f o r m a l

m e n t o r i n g r e l a t i o n s h i p e n s u r e s t h a t

m e n t o r s a r e p r o p e r l y t ra i n e d a n d

w e l l s u p p o r t e d a n d g u i d e d f o r t h e

t a s k s a s s i g n e d . H av i n g a s t r u c t u r e

i n c r e a s e s t h e l i ke l i h o o d o f t h e

m e n t o r s m a k i n g a t a n g i b l e

d i f f e r e n c e i n a y o u n g p e r s o n’ s l i f e

o v e r a r e l a t i v e l y l o n g p e r i o d o f t i m e .

Keeping Written -Electronic records

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Mentors’ recruitment &Screening

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Mentors are an important resource forany youth-serving organization,especially when most mentors arevolunteers. It is the organization’sresponsibility to have policies andprocedures in place to make sure thatmentors have a welcoming andsupportive work environment. Risk management policies andprocedures are critical to safeguardchildren and youth. Specific mentors' volunteer positiondescription must be available forrecruitment, and to clarify roles andresponsibilities.  Screening processes must be inplace: interview process, whether face-to-face or over-the-phone; personal andprofessional references;Police background check for vulnerablesector.  A confidentiality agreement must be inplace and signed once mentors areaccepted. 

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Mentors’ On-boarding &Training

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A welcome meeting and tour areimportant  as part of the on-boardingprocess;An overview on the youth-servingorganization - mission, vision, history andother programs;Introduction to the mentoring program(including the program’s mandates, jobfunctions of all program staff and how theyrelate to the mentors’ work);Reinforce key commitment requirementsfor mentors;Mentor role and responsibilities;Positive youth development theories andpractices;Key mentoring techniques and actionplanning for a structured mentoring;Monitoring and Reporting structure andcommunication protocols;Boundaries and self-care;How the mentors’ performance will beevaluated;Other organizational procedures.

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Throughout theMentoring Process

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The matching and mentoring process: anumber of things are considered whenmaking the match, such as: age, gender,linguistic and cultural background factors, geographic locations and availability of bothparties. The match meeting should help setparameters for the mentoring relationship: frequency of meetings, a review of theconfidentiality agreements, when and howto contact the caseworker.  Regular monitoring: mentors will beginregular meetings with their mentees. Thecaseworker should check in on a regularbasis. It is their role to make sure thementorship is going well and that mentorshave the skills and resources to manage thetasks.  Evaluation: Mentors should know how theyare going to be evaluated before they starttheir work with their mentees. The evaluationcan be formal or informal. Typically, in everyfollow-up meeting with the mentor, thecaseworkers should include evaluation andprovide feedback. Mentors have the right toreceive timely feedback from theircaseworker so they can improve their work. Appreciation: Mentoring vulnerable youth isa noble and serious undertaking. It requiresattitude, commitment and the right set ofskills to fulfill the tasks.Most mentoringprograms host mentor appreciation eventsto recognize their great efforts to support thecommunity they served. 

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IV. THE ROLE OF THEMENTOR

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The role of mentors vary greatly depending on thetype, focus or structure of the mentoringrelationship as well as the age and level ofvulnerability of mentees. The general role of amentor is that of mediating the individual/socialengagement. A mentor can be defined as anadvocate… as a person responsible for helping theyouth develop positive patterns of individual andsocial engagement. The term mentor implies anactive involvement in youth’s life to foster thedevelopment of life skills needed to overcomebarriers.

Mentors’ roles mayevolve over the courseof the mentoringrelationship. Based onour mentoring model,we define the mentor’srole as follows:

A role modelA resource connectorA life skills coachA supporter orcheerleaderA guide and monitorfor planned progressAn advocateA trusted adult inwhom the youth canconfide

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Personal & SocialCharacteristics of anEffective Mentor

All youth, particularly those living in at-risk-circumstances- have abilities and strengths,and can make progress and change theirlives if well supported;Behaviours and attitudes are learned anddeveloped, and it takes time andpersistence to change them;Diversity is a strength of our society. Amentor should celebrate all differences withtheir mentees and help them turn diversityinto assets;Mentoring is essentially an act to empoweryouth so they can successfully move throughadolescence into adulthood. Onlyempowered youth can really take charge oftheir lives. A belief in the power of problemsolving and willingness to persist despitebehaviour and decision-making outcomesis fundamental (Check and Connect, 2014).A willingness to cooperate with otherstakeholders is essential to help youthovercome barriers. Advocacy skills, includingability to compromise, negotiate andconfront conflict are required.

Above all, the most important qualities a mentor needsto have are a positive attitude about youthdevelopment, the willingness to be a mentor (ratherthan being obligated), being congruent/genuine,empathetic, and express unconditional positive regard(accepting the youth completely in a non-judgmentalway). We can say that a mentor for vulnerable youthmust believe in youth’s resilience and believe that:

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Mentor’sResponsibilities

Meet with the mentee regularly - it is crucial to havescheduled encounters;Build trust with the mentee using various forms ofengagement;Establish boundaries;Set short- and long-term goals with the mentee;Make a work plan based on the goals of the mentee;Ensure the work plan is implemented with fidelity;Track mentee’s progress and communicate with thecaseworker on an ongoing basis;Report unresolved conflicts to the caseworker;Follow all guidelines set by the support organizationregarding "Duty to Report”;Coach mentees on life skills such as conflict resolutionand time management; help youth to persist in the faceof challenges;Help mentees and their families (especially newlyarrived refugees and immigrants) to navigategovernment systems and connect them to pertinentservices;Collaborate with other service providers to help thementee break barriers to accessing services; shareinformation about system issues affecting youth;Nurture the mentee’s self-regulation and coach themto solve problems independently;Protect the confidentiality of the mentee;Report mentoring hours, activities and outcomes to thecaseworker;Participate in program evaluations.

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Youth/Mentee’sResponsibilities

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To be involved in a mentoringrelationship must be seen as a privilegefor both the mentor and the mentee.Both parties need to make an effort inorder to make the mentoringrelationship work. It is important thatthe mentees progressively take anactive lead in their life changes andengagement

We should encourage thementees to assume thefollowing responsibilities inthe mentoring relationship:

Be kind and consideratetowards their mentor;Honour theircommitments: attendtheir mentoringmeetings and bepunctual;

Be willing to engage inconstructive feedback;

Learn to persevere andnot to give up easily;

Be open to trying newthings;

Agree to set goals withthe mentor and make aplan together, andprogressively take thelead in their life changes.

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Professional boundaries:Limits and extent ofmentoring

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The mentor/mentee relationship is a specialtype of relationship where the youth entersinto the relationship entrusting the mentorswith their own well-being expecting thatmentors will provide with a safeenvironment in which they can work on theissues affecting their lives. This relationshipplaces them in a position if morevulnerability to closeness.

It is very important formentors to define andmaintain clear and firmboundaries with youth inorder to cultivate a healthyand productive relationship.The supporting organizationwill have guidelines or aCode of Ethics that mentorsare expected to follow thatmay cover these and othertopics.

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Professional boundaries:Do’s

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Define role as mentors; abide by the Code ofEthics set for the staff and volunteers by thesupporting organization; Discuss preferable ways to communicate; Discuss expectations of frequency and durationof meetings, as well as availability; Discuss confidentiality with the youth.  Abide bythe principle of who “needs to know.” Note,however, that mentors are mandated reporters.Should it be necessary to report a situation,explain the circumstances to the youth (andfamily, when appropriate). Share understanding of confidentiality;understand what confidentiality means to theyouth; Share any preferences, or common/expectedpeeves; Be firm and consistent not only with maintainingand enforcing boundaries, but at all times; Be aware of the power imbalance betweenmentors and your mentees. Make suggestionsand avoid giving orders/prescriptions; Keep in mind that the relationship has beenestablished to support youth, not the other wayaround. Seek help from the organization iffeeling overwhelm or burnout; Role-model and encourage youth to set theirown personal boundaries; Respect and embrace cultural differences.

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Professional boundaries:Don’ts

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Don’t solve mentee’s problems. Better toguide and support them so they learn howto tackle problems on their own;

Don’t take on roles or tasks that are beyondthe scope of mentoring;

Don’t buy gifts for your mentee or theirfamily or accept gifts from them;

Don’t lend money to your mentee or theirfamily;

Don’t impose your religious or politicalviews on your mentee or their familymembers;

Don’t make romantic or sexual advancestowards your mentee. If you and yourmentee are both adults and find romanticfeelings developing for each other, you needto report the situation to your caseworkerand the caseworker will formally end thementoring relationship.

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V. BUILDING TRUSTINGRELATIONSHIPS

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Building trusting relationshipswith vulnerable youth requiresrecognizing that qualityrelationships cannot be forced;they develop naturally over timeand require persistence,consistency and continuity.

Mentors need to understand that it takes time to get to knowthe youth and get their trust and openness, and need to reachout the youth even when they appear uninterested orindifferent.

Ongoing communication;Honest communication;Solution-oriented;and persistent outreachare critical.

Youth can sense whenpeople are not beingsincere, and they highlyappreciate authenticity andtransparency. Even ifmentors have innocentintentions, when they put ona facade, they are creatingdistance between them andthe youth they need to beconnecting with.

Self-awareness is key to managing non-verbal communication!

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Mentoring is a process not an event. Based on the needsassessment, the mentor may be given some informationabout the reasons why the mentee was selected andsome of the areas of concern. Mentors may also learnwhether the mentee is still attending school and if theyare, information on their attendance, behaviour andacademic performance may be shared with them.Mentors can use the information as backgroundinformation but should try to approach their firstmeeting with the mentee with an open mind (Latimer,2016). 

The Mentorshiprelationship:Phases

PREPARE& BEGIN:

During the first meeting, the following should be discussed:

The timing should be convenient for both; we also recommend keepingthe meeting to no more than an hour. Mentees may have spent all dayin school or working so sitting for another hour may be all they canmanage without fading. Confirm contact information; send reminders before meetings;Discuss confidentiality.

Mentors shall seek a placewhere there is someprivacy and at the sametime where they can bevisible to others, both fortheir own security and forthat of the mentee. Werecommend discussing thelocation with the menteeand the supportingorganization. Accessibilityand safety are crucialaspects to consider. 

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"The mentee you are working with has parents orguardians who are responsible for them. Your menteeneeds a strong foundation of support that includes you,their family, the referring agency and their school. Youcannot be an effective mentor working on your own.Connecting with family is important so you can provideyour mentee with the best chance for success. As amentor, your relationship with the mentee and theirfamily is a professional one. You will want to practice“professional caring”. I define professional caring ascaring about your mentee and bringing your best self tothe relationships while maintaining a professionaldistance (Latimer, 2016)." 

The Mentorshiprelationship:Phases

BUILD & SUSTAIN:

Here are some ideas to help you build a strong, open andtrusting relationship: 

Communication, Active Listening and expectation:

Creating a welcoming environment where yourmentee can let down their defenses, shareinformation and relax with you is an excellentgoal for any mentor. Listening to what yourmentee is sharing without showing or passingjudgment is one of the most powerful ways tocreate just such a space.

Creating a welcoming environment where yourmentee can let down their defenses, shareinformation and relax with you is an excellentgoal for any mentor. Listening to what yourmentee is sharing without showing or passingjudgment is one of the most powerful ways tocreate just such a space.

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Build & Sustain:Hold clear expectations for the youth. Believe that the youthcan be engaged and attain his/her personal goals. Respectfor the youth is characterized by open, honestcommunication and ensuring the presence of supports forthe youth to reach their goals. Guidelines for the mentorinclude (Latimer, 2016):

Focus, focus, focus. Start by having an internal conversationbefore the session begins. Remind yourself of your purposefor being here and let everything else go.

Reflecting is another useful tool. Reflecting back to the otherperson what we think we heard them say to demonstrateempathy and active listening.

Reflecting gives your mentee a chance to correct or confirmthat you have heard what they wanted to communicate. Soparaphrase the words and confirm the emotions expressed.

Clarify what you think you heard by asking questions. Do notassume you know the answer, reason or facts of what isbeing shared.

Use open-ended questions to solicit more information,yes/no questions to confirm your understanding.

When your mentee has finished sharing, stress on finished,take a minute to summarize everything to make sure youhave heard everything they have shared.

Help the youth to define the desired behavior as well as thespecific steps to achieve the behavior (do not prescribe).

Emphasize what is desired from him/her/they, not what wasdone wrong.

Provide the supports (or see that they are provided) neededby the youth to reach the stated expectation/goals.

Be a persistent source of support.

Expect respectful behavior from the youth; use interactionsas opportunities to model appropriate social skills.

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Acceptance andaccountability: 

Accept the youth and family as they are. Understand that theparent is being the best parent they can be. Do not attemptto “fix the family”. Rather, keep the focus of contact andcommunication on engaging the youth. Accept the youth, and do not condone inappropriatebehavior. Work to understand the youth’s perspective on thesituation, which involves active listening. Hold the youth accountable for his/her actions using aproblem solving dialogue and action planning. Articulateexpectations for youth behavior and model them viapersonal follow-through with the youth and family. Be nonjudgmental and use non-blaming communication,regardless of the youth’s presenting behavior.

Building trusting relationships with youth requires todemonstrated authentic acceptance for the youth and theirfamily and holding the youth accountable for their actions atall times. Guidelines for mentors include:

Accessibility andFlexibility: 

Be accessible to the youth, the family, and other importantstakeholders. Maintain a flexible meeting schedule. Ensure some availability in the evening and on weekends. Ensure that the youth, the family, and other importantstakeholders know how to initiate contact. Offer a variety of ways for the student and family to initiatecontact-phone, email, home visits.

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Commitment andPersistence:

Stay with a youth when “the going gets tough.”Realize that trusting relationships requirehanging in there with the youth-even when theyouth’s behavior is not changing or ischallenging.

Do not give up; continue to problem solve,develop plans of action, and communicate withyouth, the family, and other importantstakeholders to keep the youth engaged.

Believe in the youth even after other adultsdemonstrate that they are frustrated and havegiven up.

Make a long-term commitment to the youth-specifically, for a minimum of one year. Having thesame person interact and plan with the youth andfamily fosters trust and maintains optimism.Guidelines for mentors include:

The impact of rolemodeling:

Model desired behavior for the youth and provide the youth withscenarios to practice responses.Model how to problem solve to resolve concerns.Remain calm and professional, talk through situations, and use think-aloud procedures.Provide instrumental support by helping the youth directly withproblems-this facilitates problem solving toward personal goals.

Model optimism- the perspective that there is a way tofigure this situation out and advance the youth towardgreater productivity in their lives.Model punctuality, respect, and dependability.ü Model work ethic-effort, persistency, and self-regulation.

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Mentoring programs come with an end date. Bothmentor and mentee should know what that date is andbe mindful as time progresses. Ending the relationship isusually a time of celebration. Be prepared and help thementee be prepared by addressing the end of therelationship ahead of time. Youth are not usually goodplanners so gentle reminders as the time approaches willbe useful  (Latimer, 2016). 

The Mentorshiprelationship:Close and Redefine

Mentors need to have organizationalsupport and awareness of existingresources to facilitate the process ofreferral.  It is essential for mentors toembrace a team approach and make gooduse of the organizational support behindthem. 

CultureLink is a settlement and community organization with 30 years’ experience in developing anddelivering services to meet the needs of diverse communities. Passionate about providing innovative

services, we adapt to changes and create new programs that best respond to and address our clients’specific needs.

www.culturelink.ca

The Frontline Workers’ Training Series provides workshops, toolkits and short videos for City and community-based frontline workers on a range of topics designed to increase the capacity of workers to provide impactful services for MVP youth (youth most vulnerable to involvement in violence and crime).

The workshops are coordinated by the City’s Toronto Youth Equity Strategy (TYES) and Youth Employment Partnerships (YEP), and delivered in partnership with community agencies.

@TorontoTYES @torontotyes @facebook.com/torontotyes