YIP Spotlight: Youth-Led Circles
Learn more about youth projects that received funding from our Youth Impact Project.
About the Youth Impact Project
The Youth Impact Project (YIP) is a collaboration between the Children and Youth Planning Table of Waterloo Region (CYPT) and Smart Waterloo Region Innovation Lab (SWRIL).
On June 8, over 100 youth from 15 local organisations pitched their ideas to a panel of nine youth. The Youth Decision-Making Panel (“The Dragons”) decided which projects would receive funding to make their idea a reality. The Youth Impact Project looks to fund youth who are addressing local challenges which are identified through the 2023 Youth Impact Survey results. The funded projects include a focus onsupporting youth mental and physical health, increasing feelings of belonging,and responding to climate change and food insecurity.
Youth will be working on their projects untilDecember. We're featuring each of the 12 projects!
Youth-Led Circles: We Are the Future
Who pitched the project?
Bill, Billy, Sri Vatsa, Xavier, Ana, Angela, Arsema, Marmawit, and Mhret
Supported by KW Multicultural Centre
What problem are you addressing in Waterloo Region?
The Newcomer Youth Snapshot highlights important issues such as discrimination and shows us that newcomer youth spend less time on recreational activities and more time helping their families. This suggests that newcomer youth are more limited in terms of time for socialization, personal development, and wellbeing, and should prioritize activities that foster growth and peer connections. We hope to create a safe space for newcomer youth to learn, grow, and have fun while connecting with other newcomer youth.
Youth Led Circles We are the Future! Offers newcomer youth opportunities to socialize, share their stories, and exchange advice in a fun, safe, and supportive environment while gaining leadership skills and getting involved in the community.
What are you going to do with the money?
The Youth-Led Circles: We Are the Future program is a week-long event designed to empower newcomer youth through mutual advice sharing, leadership training, community engagement activities, and supportive forums discussing issues like mental health/self-esteem, cultural identity, and environmental advocacy. We ran a pilot in April 2024 and hope to use our funding to expand our program by:
- Increasing Program Frequency: With additional funding, we can run the youth-led circles bootcamp multiple times a year, allowing more youth to participate and benefit from the program.
- Expanding youth-led Initiatives: We will create additional youth-led initiatives based on the ideas developed during the bootcamp to further support youth.
- Enhancing Resources and Materials: Funding will enable us to provide high quality resources and materials for our workshops, ensuring that participants have access to the best tools and learning experiences.
- Involving More Newcomer Youth: We plan to involve more newcomer youth in program development, such as having participants from the first cohort help plan and lead the second cohort, enhancing their leadership skills and ownership of the project.
Keep up with Youth-Led Circles
The youth who pitched this project are associated with the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre. To learn more about KW Multicultural Centre and what they do:
More about the Youth Impact Project
The Youth Impact Project is a collaboration between Smart Waterloo Region Innovation Lab (SWRIL) and the Children and Youth Planning Table of Waterloo Region (CYPT).
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Learn more about youth projects that received funding from our Youth Impact Project.
Learn more about youth projects that received funding from our Youth Impact Project.