The Rites of Passage Youth Mentorship Program is a culturally relevant & responsive mentorship program aimed at supporting the positive development and success of African Canadian youth ages 12-16, who face multiple barriers to success & reside in the Northwest Toronto. We aim to strengthen the young person’s self-esteem, self-respect, and community responsibility, and establish connections to mentors in a positive, goal-oriented and culturally relevant way. Our Rites of Passage Youth Mentorship Program seeks to restore a sense of history and place for our youth, of where they come from and how to take the knowledge and oral history of the past to go towards the future.
Rites of Passage Programming:
- Pan-African history
- Social justice & civic engagement
- Healthy mind, body & spirit
- Positive self-identity
- Conflict resolution & bias reduction
- Anger management & anti-bullying
- Strategies for educational success
- Post-secondary education options & career exploration
- Sexism & misogyny
- Drugs & alcohol awareness
- Ontario youth justice system
- One-on-one mentoring by a vetted adult professional, elder or advanced university student for one year
Benefits
• Personal fulfillment through contribution to the community and individuals
• Satisfaction in helping someone mature, progress, and achieve goals
• Training sessions and group activities
• Participation in a mentor support group
• Personal ongoing support, supervision to help the match succeed
• Mentee/mentor group activities, participant recognition events