An Interview with Eric Mezin, Director of the Council of Educators of Toronto

YouthREX recently launched a second Moving the Dial report on access to post-secondary, Bridging Programs: Pathways to Equity in Post-Secondary. In light of this launch, we sat down with Eric Mezin, Director of the Council of Educators of Toronto (CET) to hear his thoughts on access to post-secondary education (PSE) and to learn about the CET’s unique approach… View Article

September 28, 2016

How to Effectively Use Arts-Based Activities in Youth Work

In this blog, I explain how arts-based activities can support the goals of youth work by serving as tools for exploration, sharing, and discussion. One of the key lessons for youth workers to consider when engaging youth in arts activities is asking effective open questions that can broaden or deepen a discussion. Directly asking a… View Article

September 14, 2016

Seeing Ourselves: Representations of “Successful” Students and the Erasure of Black Youth

Canadians, particularly Torontonians, flaunt our diversity, inclusion, and our ‘mosaic’ society. Toronto is one of the most diverse cities in the world, something that makes me proud and provides an advantage in this globalized world. However, we still have work to do to truly connect diversity and opportunity; simply having people of different colors living… View Article

September 6, 2016

Se voir : représentations des élèves « à succès » et effacement de la jeunesse Noire

Les Canadiens, en particulier les Torontois, affichons notre diversité, notre inclusion et notre société « mosaïque ». Toronto est l’une des villes les plus diversifiées au monde, ce qui me rend fier et me donne un avantage dans ce monde globalisé. Cependant, nous avons encore du travail à faire pour vraiment connecter la diversité et les opportunités…. View Article

Report Launch: Trans Youth and the Right to Access Public Washrooms

The following is an excerpt from YouthREX’s Research to Practice Report: Trans Youth and the Right to Access Public Washrooms “Entering a public washroom for the purpose of a necessary biological function should not be a shaming experience or a problem of any sort.” – Lori B. Girshick It is already difficult to be a youth with all… View Article

August 23, 2016

Taking the Youth Program Evaluation Plunge: Starting Where You Are and Figuring Out What You Need to Know

Members of the youth sector understand the youth they work with and design engaging and meaningful activities that make an impact on youths’ lives.  At the same time, funders ask organizations to report on the impact that their programs have by using quantitative and qualitative methods and metrics, approaches that often seem removed from the… View Article

August 16, 2016

Using Arts-Based Activities to Collect Program Evaluation Data

Sometimes, working with youth can be challenging, daunting, and even painful. Bringing fun and creativity to our work can be energizing for us, and can also sustain us through difficult moments.   I’ve been studying the facilitation of arts-based methods in group work with marginalized children and youth for almost 10 years. I’ve also trained several graduate students… View Article

August 9, 2016

Get Out the Vote! Young People as a “New Political Force”

“While they still punch below their weight electorally, young Canadians represent a powerful new political force that will continue to shape the future of Canadian politics for the next three decades, much like their parents’ generation, the Baby Boomers, did for the previous three.”  – (The Next Canada: Politics, Political Engagement, and Priorities of Canada’s… View Article

August 6, 2016

The Whys, Ways, and Means of Summer Youth Employment

“A first job means more than a paycheque. It can mean increased self-confidence, access to mentors, exposure to opportunities beyond your neighbourhood, understanding the value of education, and it builds the belief that your current circumstances do not define your future possibilities.” – Susan McIssac, Former President and CEO, United Way Toronto and York Region,… View Article

July 25, 2016

Taking Care During Times of Anti-Black Trauma

“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” – Audre Lorde The last couple weeks have been difficult to process – for me, individually, for black people, for our communities, and for society at large. With the blatant anti-black racism that occurred at and in response… View Article

July 16, 2016

Prendre soin de soi pendant les périodes de traumatisme anti-Noir

“Prendre soin de moi n’est pas de l’auto-indulgence, c’est de l’auto-préservation et c’est un acte de lutte politique.” – Audre Lorde Les deux dernières semaines ont été difficiles à aborder pour moi, individuellement, pour les personnes Noires, pour nos communautés et pour la société dans son ensemble. Avec le racisme anti-Noir flagrant qui s’est produit… View Article

CAMH Ontario Drug Use and Health Survey

Quick Fact: The number of Ontario adolescents experiencing moderate to serious psychological distress jumped to 34% in 2014 from 24% in 2013. (CAMH)  The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) recently released their latest Ontario Student Drug Use & Health Survey. This survey, the longest running school study of adolescents in Canada is conducted every two years. This year,… View Article

July 7, 2016

Beyond the Single Story

This year the holy month of Ramadan and PRIDE month overlap. Traditionally, Ramadan is a period of peace and PRIDE is a time for celebration. This June, many in both communities are in shock and mourning in the wake of the utterly tragic and senseless loss of 49 young lives in Orlando, Florida. I think… View Article

June 23, 2016

Youth Councils: Finding the Right Fit

“The more we increase the active participation and partnership with young people, the better we serve them… And the more comprehensively we work with them as service partners, the more we increase our public value to the entire community.” – Carmen Martinez, United States Diplomat As a new school year approaches, I am reminded of my… View Article

June 14, 2016

Youth Suicides in Woodstock, Ontario

Quick Fact: Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young Canadians between the ages of 10 and 24. (CMHA)  Today, at around 9:00am, hundreds of students walked out of classes in Woodstock, Ontario in response to the suicides of five youth under age 19 in the city since late February. Officials report that there… View Article

May 25, 2016

Federal Transgender Legislation

Quick Fact: Statistics collected by TransPULSE in Ontario determined that “on the basis of gender identity, 73% of trans people have been made fun of, 39% have been turned down for a job, 26% have been assaulted, and 24% have even been harassed by police.” Yesterday, in Montreal, Prime Minister Trudeau accepted the Laurent McCutcheon Award… View Article

May 17, 2016

The State of Child and Youth Protection in Ontario: Can the Tangle be Unwoven?

“It takes a village to raise a child.” No one is really sure where this proverb comes from, “it takes a village to raise a child.” But the sense behind it has widespread currency: society has a responsibility for the protection and flourishing of children and youth. I take the opportunity of the upcoming annual… View Article

May 13, 2016

The Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth Launches We Have Something to Say

“Growing up we both faced many challenges with systems that were not responsive to our needs or the needs of a family member. We felt dismissed and that our opinions were not considered in any decision-making. We Have Something to Say is important to us because we want to be part of creating change now… View Article

May 11, 2016

Getting to the Point with Just 6 Questions

Are you interested in learning about research that matters to youth work, but find you never have time to get around to it?  YouthREX’s mission is to make research evidence and evaluation practices accessible and relevant to Ontario’s grassroots youth sector. Accessibility and relevance are two guiding lights for our knowledge mobilization team. In order… View Article

May 4, 2016

Ontario Government Announces New Autism Investments

Quick Fact: There are an estimated 40,000 children and youth in Ontario with ASD. At the end of last month, the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services announced a $333 million investment into a new autism program aimed at reducing waitlists and providing better services for families. Youth with autism are identified in Ontario’s Stepping… View Article

April 26, 2016

Attawapiskat – State of Emergency

A state of emergency has been called in Attawapiskat after an increasing number of young people attempted suicide in the remote Ontario First Nation.  11 First Nations youth attempted suicide in one night on Saturday, April 09, 2016 and since September of 2015, over 100 suicide attempts were made by residents in the community. Mental… View Article

April 14, 2016

Evaluate This! Expanding our Evaluation Repertoire to Include Youth

What’s happening? What happened? What worked? What can I do differently next time to achieve a better outcome? These common, though informal, reflections play in the back of my mind throughout my daily experiences. Whether I ask these in relation to new or ongoing circumstances, I am constantly involved in evaluative work. In principle, in… View Article

April 5, 2016

Research Reflection: Mental Health and Transitions from Adolescence to Emerging Adulthood

I am graduating from high school this year and next year I am entering a nursing program. I am most interested in the issues of health in relation to youth. As a Youth Research Assistant with the Knowledge Mobilization Team at YouthREX, I’ve chosen the research summary on the article Mental Health and Transitions from Adolescence… View Article

March 30, 2016

Youth Voice: Meaningful Youth Participation in Program Evaluation Isn’t Easy

YouthREX recently completed Beyond Measure: The State of Evaluation and Action in Ontario’s Youth Sector, reporting the results of a province-wide survey of youth-serving nonprofits in Ontario, as well as the results of a series of in-depth interviews with grassroots youth sector leaders. As part of both methods, we asked people about how youth were involved… View Article

March 9, 2016

Pictures of Practice: Evaluation and Representation

If we don’t represent experience, how can we share it with those who aren’t present? Evaluation is a way of ‘taking pictures’ of what is going on in an intentional and thoughtful way. One of the delights of working with the youth sector is seeing how many possible pathways there are to achieving outcomes associated with… View Article

October 25, 2015

F|PYN – Frontline Systems of Support

“‘Self-care’ becomes a radical act when we take the risk and allow ourselves to be truly seen, and taken care of, by others. Let’s take risks and take care of each other, honestly and accurately name problems, and renew our innate gifts as healers, artists, organizers, creators, and maintainers of healthy systems.” – Jenny Katz… View Article

October 22, 2015

Voices from the Frontline: Self-Care

“To be honest, the work is beautiful. It’s fulfilling, it carves a well within you, it makes you a whole, fuller, better person.” – Duane Hall, Spoke N’ Heard When we first started working together, we were most excited about finding creative and meaningful ways for us to highlight the stories and experiences of frontline youth… View Article

October 19, 2015