Our Story
Our vision is an Ontario where shared knowledge is transformed into positive impact for all youth!
OUR MISSION
To make research evidence and evaluation practices accessible and relevant to Ontario’s grassroots youth sector through knowledge exchange, capacity building and evaluation leadership!

Knowledge Exchange
We create and curate evidence-based resources to support youth work practice, and to amplify the voices and experiences of young people in Ontario.

Learn by YouthREX
YouthREX offers professional development opportunities for youth workers to learn, connect and share – both online and offline.

Youth Program Supports
We work with youth programs to support the design, development and evaluation of their work with young people.

Community-Engaged Research We conduct Community-Engaged Research about youth and youth workers in Ontario. Our first project – the Ontario Youth Sector Compass – was completed in November 2021.
Our Service Pledge to Youth Programs
01.
Understand your youth program’s capacity – and start there.
While grassroots organizations share many similarities, we recognize that all organizations are unique, have different histories, work in different contexts and have staff with varying capacities. We are committed to taking the time to learn about these unique aspects of your organization so that our work with you takes into consideration your organizational, social and political realities.
02.
Be responsive to your program’s needs.
We will be guided by the question, “How and when will you use the information that comes from this process?” Asking this question will help us ensure that our work with you is relevant and meaningful.
03.
Work collaboratively with a youth program.
While we will do our best to support your program, we know we are not the experts on your work. We aren’t coming in to tell you what you do; our work is a shared process and YouthREX is committed to staying true to the ‘eXchange’ in our name.
04.
Adhere to high ethical standards in supporting your evaluation.
Our evaluation work with you will comply with the Tri-Council Policy Statement on the Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans. All our processes will also demonstrate cultural awareness, sensitivity and inclusive practices that reflect on our own values.
05.
Meaningfully engage youth.
YouthREX is committed to processes that include the experience and voices of Ontario’s youth, particularly those who are racialized youth, newcomer youth, Indigenous youth, youth with disabilities or special needs, youth in and leaving care, Francophone youth, LGBT2SQ youth, youth living in rural & remote communities, youth from low-income families and youth in conflict with the law. We will work with your organization to identify how to engage youth in the design, development and evaluation of your youth program.
06.
Commit fully to equity, diversity and inclusion.
When it comes to equity and inclusion, there is always room for improvement. We will work with you to better recognize the differences in the experiences of youth with diverse identities, in enhancing the inclusiveness of your program, and in identifying and reducing barriers to meaningful youth participation.
TIMELINE
YouthREX's highlights and contributions over the past nine years
YouthREX is funded by the Government of Ontario’s Ministry of Children, Community & Social Services, and we are proud to have our provincial office hosted by the School of Social Work at York University in Toronto, Ontario.
December 2, 2014
Ontario’s Ministry of Children & Youth Services funds YouthREX to support Ontario’s youth programs with knowledge exchange, capacity building, and evidence-informed program design, development, and evaluation.
February + March 2015
YouthREX hosts community events e with the theme Celebrate! Collaborate! Evaluate! to launch five regional hubs across the province
March 24, 2015
YouthREX hosts Beyond Measure? Evaluation and Action in Ontario’s Youth Sector, our first knowledge mobilization eXpo, for more than 60 youth sector stakeholders.
April 14, 2015
YouthREX hosts its first webinar, Reframing How We Work With Youth.
October 5, 2015
YouthREX launches its first online certificate, Program Evaluation for Youth Wellbeing.
November, 2015
YouthREX launches the YouthREX Framework for Evaluating Youth Wellbeing to guide the program evaluation of Ontario youth programs
January, 2016
YouthREX launches its first Critical Youth Work Certificate in three communities: Scarborough (January 14, 21 & 28), Windsor (February 11, 18 & 25), and York Region (March 3, 10 & 17).
March 31, 2016
YouthREX releases Beyond Measure? The State of Evaluation and Action in Ontario’s Youth Sector.
June 10, 2016
YouthREX’s Youth Advisory Council launches documentary, Youth Leading Change, a youth-led film that features interviews with young people across the province on how they are making change in their communities.
October 27-29, 2016
Over 300 youth sector stakeholders attend YouthREX’s #KtA2016, our first provincial Knowledge to Action Exchange: The Youth. The Work. The System. During the Design Day, participants collaborate to co-design uniquely tangible recommendations and solutions to advance youth wellbeing.
May 2, 2017
YouthREX in collaboration with Strides Toronto, launches the Youth Outreach Worker (YOW) Learning Hub, comprising five modules, 15 lessons, 25 lectures, and a virtual community of practice.
September 2017
YouthREX’s contract with the ministry is renewed till March 2020 so YouthREX can continue supporting Ontario’s youth programs with knowledge exchange, capacity building, and evidence-informed program design, development, and evaluation.
January 9, 2018
YouthREX releases Doing Right Together for Black Youth based on the input of over 1500 community members who answered the call from Ontario’s Ministry of Children and Youth Services to co-develop the Ontario Black Youth Action Plan.
March 14, 2018
Applications open for YouthREX’s Youth Program Supports, a continuum of services that supports the youth sector with the use of evidence in the design and development of youth programs, and program evaluation
October 24-26, 2018
Over 300 youth sector stakeholders attend YouthREX’s #KtA2018, our second provincial Knowledge to Action Exchange: The Youth. The Work. The System. This year’s theme is Data + Stories for Action!
February 11, 2019
YouthREX launches its second online certificate, Using Spreadsheets in Program Evaluation.
July 1, 2019
YouthREX’s Academic Director, Dr Uzo Anucha is awarded a York Research Chair in Youth and Contexts of Inequity by York University
February 10, 2020
Registration opens for YouthREX's third online certificate, Cannabis and Youth: A Certificate for Youth Workers
February, 2020
YouthREX in collaboration with Strides Toronto and the York Research Chair in Youth and Contexts of Inequity host Roundtable: Looking through the Kaleidoscope of Cannabis: Presumptions, Policy, Practice.
April 29, 2020
YouthREX releases a collection of resources and supports for youth sector stakeholders in response to COVID-19.
June 8, 2020
Dr. Uzo Anucha, YouthREX’s Academic Director, and the YouthREX team publish Will This Be The ONE? Reflection, Engagement & Action Against Anti-Black Racism in Ontario in response to the global uprising against anti-Black racism.
July 14, 2020
YouthREX launches The Relentless Pursuit of Better Youth Outcomes: Reimagining Youth Work in a COVID-19 Era, an in-conversation series on how the Ontario youth sector is adapting to shifting contexts as a result of COVID-19.
August, 2020
YouthREX’s contract with the ministry is renewed till March 2023 so YouthREX can continue supporting Ontario’s youth programs with knowledge exchange, capacity building, and evidence-informed program design, development, and evaluation.
December 7, 2020
YouthREX’s REX Virtual Café, an online Community of Practice is fully live! Dr. Joey-Lynn Wabie and Michelle Kennedy host an AMA (Ask Me Anything) about their webinar, Land As Our First Teacher
February 11, 2021
Registration opens for YouthREX's fourth online certificate, Centering Black Youth Wellbeing: A Certificate on Combatting Anti-Black Racism. 11xxx participants register for the inaugural cohort of the certificate!
February 11, 2021
YouthREX in collaboration with the York Research Chair in Youth and Contexts of Inequity host a Teach-In: From Trauma-Informed Care to Healing-Centered Engagement: A Youth Work Teach-In with Dr. Shawn Ginwright.
February 11, 2021
Launch of data collection for YouthREX’s first community-engaged research project, Ontario Youth Sector Compass that is focused on understanding the experiences of young people and youth workers in Ontario
November 18, 2021
Launch of data collection for YouthREX’s first community-engaged research project, Ontario Youth Sector Compass that is focused on understanding the experiences of young people and youth workers in Ontario.
February 7, 2022
Registration opens for YouthREX’s first French certificate, Centrer le bien-être des jeunes Noirs. The translation of the English version: Centering Black Youth Wellbeing: A Certificate on Combatting Anti-Black Racism was made possible by a partnership with School Mental Health Ontario.
March 15, 2022
YouthREX releases evidence-informed resources on the economic empowerment of Black youth to support community stakeholders in building a shared understanding of possible interventions and outcomes under a new funding stream of the Black Youth Action. All resources are also available in French.
March 15, 2022
YouthREX releases evidence-informed resources on the economic empowerment of Black youth to support community stakeholders in building a shared understanding of possible interventions and outcomes under a new funding stream of the Black Youth Action. All resources are also available in French.
April 7, 2022
YouthREX and LGBT YouthLine partner to launch Asking About Gender: A Toolkit for Youth Workers, featuring an Inclusive Gender Menu, as well as an article on REX Blog and registration for a live webinar on confronting assumptions about gender and challenging transphobia.
May 11, 2022
YouthREX launches Learn by YouthREX, a professional development platform that brings all our online certificates and workshops together in one place.
November 30, 2022
YouthREX in collaboration with the York Research Chair in Youth and Contexts of Inequity host a third online Teach-In: Hacking Deficit Thinking: A Youth Work Teach-In featuring Dr. Byron McClure and Dr. Kelsie Reed.
Special Reports

YouthREX at Five
Our Reach and Impact

Quick-Glance Update
Highlights from our Stakeholder Survey

The State of Evaluation and Action in Ontario's Youth Sector