Support YES
Help us Protect Toronto’s Most Vulnerable Youth
Our young people need your support.
For unemployed or low-income youth, rapidly rising rates of inflation and cost of living have had serious economic and social consequences such as mental illness, increased housing instability and inability to meet other basic needs such as food and clothing. A March 2023 report by the Canadian Mental Health Association states that Canadian’s mental health is worsening due to inflation and for a young person experiencing barriers to employment, the impact can be devastating.
We need your help to serve and support these young people through this continuing crisis and set them up for success. Your donation will support YES’ mission which includes activities such as reskilling youth in cloud technologies and skilled trades, providing living supports and critical wrap around supports for youth, counselling, job placements, mentorship and mental health supports.
As a leader in providing job readiness, employment and empowerment programming, we continue to work on the frontlines helping youth face these unprecedented challenges, but we cannot do it without your help.
YES continues to break down barriers to employment in a time when gainful employment seems next to impossible. YES is requesting your support to help us continue to offer and expand our services in order to give hope to the youth in our community and to help them achieve sustainable livelihoods.
How YES is helping
Our programs provide young people with the ability to develop skills for the digital age in order to give them a competitive edge in the labour market. Our technology programs offer disadvantaged young people the opportunity to acquire in-demand skills such as Amazon Web Services Cloud certification, training in future skills, access to mentors, and work experience.
Addressing the growing mental health crisis, we have increased our mental health supports and programming. Working with a qualified psychotherapist, we have introduced Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to support our most vulnerable youth through this crisis. Launched on a small scale in 2020, we will expand these critical services to more young people this year.
In times of distress, youth need a caring adult that they can turn to, to help them make sense of the changing job market and to keep them connected to professional networks. YES leverages its Mentorship Hub to connect youth with industry leaders virtually, through email and through telephone, to eliminate feelings of isolation and to keep them connected to their industry.
Acknowledging the threat that automation and augmentation posed for our youth, YES has re-developed a specialized suite of Future Skills curriculum. Focused on those soft skills that experts say will be in most demand, our new curriculum includes topics such as Growth Mindset, Motivation and Goal Setting, Fostering Collaboration and Connection, and Cultivating Metacognition.
How YES is helping
Our programs provide young people with the ability to develop skills for the digital age in order to give them a competitive edge in the labour market. Our technology programs offer disadvantaged young people the opportunity to acquire in-demand skills such as Amazon Web Services Cloud certification, training in future skills, access to mentors, and work experience.
Addressing the growing mental health crisis, we have increased our mental health supports and programming. Working with a qualified psychotherapist, we have introduced Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to support our most vulnerable youth through this crisis. Launched on a small scale in 2020, we will expand these critical services to more young people this year.
In times of distress, youth need a caring adult that they can turn to, to help them make sense of the changing job market and to keep them connected to professional networks. YES leverages its Mentorship Hub to connect youth with industry leaders virtually, through email and through telephone, to eliminate feelings of isolation and to keep them connected to their industry.
Acknowledging the threat that automation and augmentation posed for our youth, YES has re-developed a specialized suite of Future Skills curriculum. Focused on those soft skills that experts say will be in most demand, our new curriculum includes topics such as Growth Mindset, Motivation and Goal Setting, Fostering Collaboration and Connection, and Cultivating Metacognition.
YES gratefully acknowledges all the individuals, businesses and foundations that have donated and helped to empower our youth to become contributing members of our community.
None of this great work would happen without them.
Visionaries: $250,000+
Hero $30,000 – $99,999
Peter Gilgan Foundation
The Joan Prior Foundation
The Gordon and Ruth Gooder Charitable Foundation
Partner $5,000-$9,999
The Marjorie and Joseph Wright Memorial Foundation
The Hylcan Foundation | The Andy and Beth Burgess Family Foundation
Unifor Social Justice Fund
Sage Foundation
Ambassador $20-$999
Utkarsh Subnis | Richard Shallhorn & Nancy Baker | Colleen (Kelli) Marie Wight | Matt & Natasha Shoom-Kirsch | Matina Daniil | Rod McQueen | Hughes Distribution Group | Carlos Ortiz | Michael Nadler | The Lowidt Foundation | Patrick Payne | John E.C. Carr | Rashmi Nathwani | Brent Barron | Pat & Chris Snyder | James Hunter | Give Foundation | David Dimmer | Ron Latvanen | Gail Hendrie | Margaret Fisher | Chris Emergui | Jennifer Fergus | Stephen Cullis | Rosalind Waxman | Carolynne Veffer | Anne Cayer | Brent Brockerville | Irv Teper | Diane Karnay | Andrew Mark Willis | Ardin Lalui | John & Carol Heeney | Maxine Leon | Robert Hampson | Neil Phillips | Md Abu Sayed | Selasi Dorkenoo | Caitlin Spears | Pooja Subnis | Sarah Kingsley | Tara Thompson | Grace Jin | 5 Anonymous Donors
Champions: $100,000 – $249,999
This Way ONward Program Sponsor
Leader $10,000-$29,999
ECHO Foundation
The R.Howard Webster Foundation
The Catherine & Maxwell Meighen Foundation
The Christina Mary Hendrie Trust
The Mischa Weisz Foundation
Cannonbury Foundation
The Hodgson Family Foundation
Builder $1,000-$4,999
Fiera Capital | The Henry | White Kinnear Foundation | Michael Kavanagh | Harry A. Newman Memorial Foundation | Rami El Jurdi | Sandra Waechter | Julie Crothers | Edward Caffyn | Deloitte LLP | Jackman Foundation | RSM US Foundation | Andrew & Michael Westlake Memorial Fund | St. George’s Society Toronto
YES needs volunteers to help in our work with youth. We will do everything to ensure your volunteer experience is productive and rewarding.
Current Volunteer Opportunities with YES
Mentors for Youth: Some of our business skills training programs require each young person who is starting their business to have a mentor.
Fundraising: Get involved in our fundraising committee, host a fundraising event that benefits YES.
Board Member: YES seeks qualified individuals as Board Members who have a passion for helping youth.
Speakers: YES seeks speakers for workshops and different programs. If you have an expertise and would like to share it, please contact us with your information.
If you would like to volunteer please email us at yes@yes.on.ca or call 416-504-5516.
The Rotary Club of Toronto (RCT) founded YES in 1968 and remains a strong supporter of YES both with financial support and by providing members for the YES Board of Directors. In 2012, RCT celebrated their 100th Anniversary and made a million dollar investment into six charities across the GTA. YES is a proud recipient of this RCT funding and we received $100,000 for YES’ Job Camp program.
The Rotary Club of Toronto West awarded its prestigious 2016 Community Service Award to YES for “Meritorious Service to Youth” at the 17th Annual Awards Gala on Friday, Jan. 29 at the Old Mill Inn in Etobicoke.
