The Youth in Community Services (YICS) program is dedicated to empowering minority and racialized youth aged 15-29 in Northwest Toronto. This comprehensive program is divided into three transformative phases, each aligned with distinct objectives to ensure holistic learning, skill development, and community impact.

Program Objectives:

The YICS Program is centered around achieving the following objectives:

1. Skill Empowerment: To provide participating youth with a diverse range of skills that enhance their personal and professional development, enabling them to succeed in any career path they choose.
2. Community Support: To encourage and enable youth to become active participants in their communities, promoting positive change and lasting improvements.
3. Civic Engagement: To cultivate a sense of civic responsibility and democratic participation among youth, empowering them to contribute meaningfully to society.

Program Activities:

The YICS Program consists of outreach and recruitment, intensive training workshops, project implementation, and a concluding symposium and reflection phase.

Participants will gain valuable skills, experiences, and knowledge from the training sessions, which cover leadership, problem-solving, civic engagement, volunteerism, and career exploration. They will apply these skills in real-world scenarios by creating volunteer projects addressing community issues.

The Benefits of the Program:

The benefits of completing the YICS Program include participants’ completion of skill-building workshops, engagement in community service and volunteer projects, personal and professional development, and the creation of lasting, sustainable change within the community. Participants will also receive volunteer hours, professional certifications and valuable hands-on volunteer experience to enhance their resumes.