THE KIT FOR CENTERING BLACK YOUTH WELLBEING
Good Youth Work Practices
PODCAST
Educate, Reflect, Act: Addressing Anti-Black Racism (with YouthREX)
Features members of the YouthREX team in conversation with Anjelica Galluzzo of The Revolutionized Mind.
The Art of Calling In: Loretta Ross
Discusses “calling in” as a practice rooted in a human rights framework that can transform engaging across divides.
“Seriously though, where are you from?” Neither here, nor there: Episode 1 and Episode 2
Features conversations with youth about what it’s like being Ethiopian or Eritrean and growing up in Canada, from the podcast Kümneger Talks.
BLOG
Ontario Youth Sector Compass: Spotlight on Black Youth Mental Health
Explores findings on Black youth mental health from YouthREX's Ontario-based research project.
Mutual Aid to Support Black Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing
Explores mutual aid as way to support the mental health and wellbeing of Black youth.
Safe Spaces Nurture and Validate Black Youth Voices
Explores the importance of centering Black youth voices in response to the ways that anti-Black racism and adultism can silence young people or cause youth to internalize feelings of inadequacy.
EVIDENCE BRIEFS
The N-Word: Four Empowering Responses for Black Youth
Summarizes strategies for Black youth to respond to the use of the N-Word and address the hurt and emotional powerlessness caused.
Confronting Anti-Black Microaggressions: Strategies for Black Youth and Non-Black Allies
Summarizes strategies for responding to anti-Black microaggressions for Black youth and non-Black allies – and what to do when called-in for causing harm.
Three Strategies & Seven Practices for Delivering Effective Group Programming for Black Youth
Outlines strategies and practices to deliver effective group programming for Black youth.
Seven Promising Practices for Developing Supports for Black Parents/Caregivers
Summarizes findings from Review of Promising Practices: Supports for Black Parents (2020).
Program Design Considerations for After-School Tutoring Programs
Summarizes program design considerations for after-school tutoring programs to support improved academic outcomes for youth experiencing marginalization.
Five Practices to Promote Mental Health Among Black Youth in Team Sports
Defines key terms and messages, and summarizes recommended practices to build and support improved mental health.
Ten Curriculum-Based Strategies to Engage in Political Consciousness-Raising with Black Youth
Summarizes curriculum-based strategies for political consciousness-raising with Black youth.
Economic Empowerment of Black Youth: Programmatic Interventions for Jobs and Retention
Summarizes programming interventions to increase the number of Black youth in meaningful employment.
Economic Empowerment of Black Youth: Programmatic Interventions for Diversifying Economic Opportunities
Summarizes programming interventions to support entrepreneurship and increase access to high-growth sectors, including STEM.
Economic Empowerment of Black Youth: Programmatic Interventions to Strengthen the Talent Pipeline
Summarizes programming interventions to provide learning and skill development opportunities for Black youth.
Eight Best Practices for Extracurricular Literacy Programming for Black, Racialized, and Low-Income Youth
Identifies sites of marginalization in literacy learning, summarizes best practices for extracurricular literacy programming, and outlines considerations for online book clubs.
Eight Best Practices for Supporting Black Youth Who Have Been in Conflict with the Law
Summarizes best practices for supporting Black youth who have been in conflict with the law.
Four Strategies to Promote Radical Healing with Black Youth in Conflict with the Law
Defines radical healing, describes trauma and healing as collective, and outlines strategies to promote radical healing.
INFOGRAPHIC
BlackSpace Manifesto (BlackSpace)
Outlines just practices for Black-led organizations to guide interactions with colleagues, partners, and communities.
FACTSHEETS
Level Up Your Allyship: 10 Actions for Non-Black Allies
Provides practical actions for becoming a more effective ally in the fight against anti-Black racism.
Harmful Assumptions and Stereotypes of Black Youth
Outlines harmful assumptions and stereotypes of Black girls and young women and of Black boys and young men.
20 ‘Simple Things’ to Centre Black Youth Wellbeing
Provides examples of 10 individual and 10 organizational practices to centre Black youth and improve Black youth wellbeing.
Top Ten Good Practices for Mentorship Programs for Black Youth
Summarizes a review of research literature on mentoring Black youth to highlight good practices.
Doing Right: What Collective Actions Can Advance Equity for Black Youth?
Outlines 13 calls to action, featuring multi-sectoral and collective strategies.
Working Together to Do Right for Black Youth
Summarizes reflections from community members on how to work together to ensure the Black Youth Action Plan works for Black communities.
TAKE 5: Using Data for Racial Justice by Samuel Sinyangwe
Summarizes five lessons learned from data scientist and activist Samuel Sinyangwe keynote at YouthREX’s 2018 Knowledge to Action Exchange.
Top Eight Good Practices for Parent/Caregiver Engagement with Black Families
Summarizes a review of research literature on parent/caregiver practices to highlight good practices.
The Engaged Parent: Navigating the School System for Black Student Success – Grades 10-11 (Jean Augustine Chair, York University)
The Engaged Parent: Navigating the School System for Black Student Success – Grade 12 (Jean Augustine Chair, York University)
Designed to support parents effectively and confidently engage with the school system to support Black children’s academic success and wellbeing.
TOOLKITS
Ten Lessons for Talking About Race, Racism, and Racial Justice (The Opportunity Agenda)
Provides advice on finding entry points for moving these critical discussions forward.
Black and LGBTQ: Approaching Intersectional Conversations (The Trevor Project)
Approaches to consider before, during, and after a difficult conversation to safeguard the dialogue and participants’ mental health.
Mmere Dane: Supporting Black Youth on a Restorative Journey – Facilitator Resource & Toolkit (Delta Family Resource Centre & Partners)
Outlines culturally responsive resources, building on the important and often unrecognized work of youth workers from grassroots and community organizations.
RESEARCH SUMMARIES
Healing the Hidden Wounds of Racial Trauma
Summarizes eight critical and interrelated steps to promote healing when working with Black and racialized youth.
Examining the Role of Peer and Family Belongingness in the Mental Health of Black LGBTQ+ Youth
Examines the relationship between mental health outcomes and protective factors, specifically peer and family belongingness, among Black LGBTQ+ youth in the United States and Canada.
Confronting Afrophobia: A Phenomenological Inquiry on the Marginalization of African-Canadian Youth in Canadian Institutions
Examines systemic Afrophobia and anti-Black racism and the role youth workers play in either challenging or reinforcing inequities for young people.
Say-Walahi Diaspora Youth, Islamophobia and Anti-Black Racism: Implications for Education
Examines how Muslim Black/African youth in Toronto construct unique diasporic identities to exercise agency and build community in schools to disrupt imposed deficit narratives.
“Unconventional Canadians”: Second-Generation “Habesha” Youth and Belonging in Toronto, Canada
Explores the social process of identity development for Ethiopian and Eritrean youth in Toronto to foster an understanding of how youth anticipate and respond to various life experiences.
WEBINARS
Building Black Futures Through Literacy
Features a conversation about the importance of literacy learning that centres the cultures, histories, and identities of Black communities.
Black Youth from the Diaspora: Racism, Identity, and Transnational Belonging
Examines how Black youth across local and transnational contexts experience systemic barriers while exercising agency, resilience, and world-building.
Opening Up: Creating Healing Spaces for Young Black Men
Features a discussion on the importance of confronting the stigma around mental health for young Black men and adopting healing-centred approaches to wellness.
VIDEOS
Loretta J. Ross: Don’t Call People Out — Call Them In
Offers a toolkit for starting productive conversations instead of fights — what Loretta Ross calls a “call-in culture” — and shares strategies.
Access additional resources about working with Black youth on our Knowledge Hub!
Have a resource to share? Get in touch!