York Space Report
Part 1 Download PDF – the executive summary     
Part 2 Download PDF – full report

This report demonstrates the overwhelming and long-standing need for a community recreation centre, where youth in the former City of York can access a safe and inclusive space to participate in and develop youth-driven empowering programming.  Often neglected, youth tend to be placed in the spotlight only when regarded as a problem.  Positive outcomes will only be achieved when youth are regarded as equal members of the community with a voice that needs to be heard in creating and implementing solutions.  Therefore, a major objective of this report was to work with youth to identify and examine the issue of space availability and the type of programs that are engaging for youth in the former City of York.  Another aim of this research was to work with youth to assess recreational needs in hopes of supporting and encouraging youth engagement and satisfaction with recreation opportunities, programs, facilities, and staff.  Lastly, this report contains asset maps of facilities located in City of Toronto Wards 11 and 12.

Empowering Education
Download PDF for the Executive Summary 
Download PDF for the full report

This research project is an attempt to further the basis of knowledge on key issues regarding schools and marginalized youth in Toronto, with the goal of providing effective and suitable community based responses to building alternative approaches to education. The report is premised on two assertions: 1) Inequalities are a reality in the existing education system, particularly for Black and Native youth, suggesting a need for more relevant and engaging forms of education, and; 2) Alternative education has the potential to act as a liberating and positive force in the lives of marginalized young people. The project was carried out through For Youth Initiative (FYI), with funding from the Department of Justice’s National Crime Prevention Strategy program.

Freedom Cipher Manual
Download PDF for the manual

Needs and Responses: Youth Perspectives on the Youth Criminal Justice System
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FYI in partnership with the City of Toronto hosted the “YOUTH SPEAK!” conference at the University of Toronto – Chestnut Residence on April 20, 2010, to provide a forum for youth to dialogue with stakeholders around the topic of youth and the criminal justice system in Ontario. In addition, the purposes of the conference were to bring relevant and personal experience to the discussion concerning the challenges that face youth who encounter the criminal justice system and to provide accountability on the part of stakeholders to improve the lives of youth. 

The focus of this report is to summarize, analyze, explain, and evaluate the statements made by panellists at “YOUTH SPEAK!” concerning their experiences with the criminal justice system, and to compile those statements into understandable themes. This report will compile and expand upon a total of five themes, all centred around issues in the justice system.

The following themes have been highlighted by at-risk youth as the main determinants for their disproportionate contact with the criminal justice system – this includes but should not be limited to: poverty, racism, community design, issues in the education system, and lack of economic opportunity for youth. Through this understanding; this report will highlight that the youth justice system lacks a vivid and comprehensive justice philosophy, which adequately addresses the basic and safety needs of young people. Recommendations will be provided to stakeholders in relation to the information presented at YOUTH SPEAK! to address the gaps within the youth justice system. 

The purpose of this report is to provide stakeholders with a more thorough understanding of some of the issues affecting youth involved in the justice system and to present pragmatic recommendations that stakeholders can fully incorporate into their respective agencies and organizations.

Reports From Other Groups

GYC Youth On Youth – Download PDF: The following report by the Grassroots Youth Collaborative is intended to assist youth led organizations in implementing outreach and activities that build community capacity through increasing staff knowledge of best practices and policy issues surrounding youth engagement.  In addition to presenting best practices and youth-led organizational problems and challenges, the research will also, more specifically, highlight best practices using the arts to engage youth, as well as best practices to engage ‘at-risk’ youth, including a critical discussion of what ‘at-risk’ means.

From the Roots Up – Download PDF: The content of this report is from a youth-led forum on building safe and healthy communities, held in March 2006 in Toronto, Canada.   Organized by the Grassroots Youth Collaborative, the purpose of this forum was to create an opportunity for youth in Toronto to come together and share their experiences and build a comprehensive action plan to address issues of violence in their neighbourhoods.  

Rooted in Action – Download PDF: This youth-led report, by the Grassroots Youth Collaborative, is a collection of demands and plans to address the root causes of violence in our communities.  As quoted from the report: “The reality of youth violence is one that does not only affect the 13 neighbourhoods identified by the city of Toronto as dangerous or ‘at-risk’.  Many of us have come to the realization from our work and relationships with our communities, that youth becoming ‘at-risk’ comes from a society who puts others ‘at-risk’ from being able to participate as equal members.  We invite all our youth allies and community members to begin to strategize how we can work collectively to build community power to bring about tangible change.”