Youth Assisting Youth

What Youth Assisting Youth does

Youth Assisting Youth (YAY) is a registered Canadian non-profit charity founded in 1976 and headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. The organization's core service is a 1:1 peer mentoring program that matches volunteer young adult mentors ages 16-29 with youth mentees ages 6-15 across the City of Toronto and York Region. Volunteer mentors commit to a minimum of 120 service hours over one year (approximately 10 hours per month) and receive training, ongoing support, a 24/7 emergency hotline, and access to scholarship opportunities. The organization reports having matched over 5,000 youth mentors and served more than 10,000 children and adolescents since inception, accumulating over 2.2 million volunteer service hours and documenting a 98% high school graduation rate among mentored youth. YAY is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary in July 2026 under new Executive Director Ed Carlson.

YAY's product portfolio has expanded beyond core peer mentorship into a multi-faceted youth empowerment ecosystem. Adjacent services include the LifeLine Mental Health Program (1:1 counseling and self-care training for mentees, mentors, and families, expanded with Ontario Trillium Foundation support in 2022), a Virtual Tutoring Program launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, gender-specific Girls and Boys Empowerment Workshops, community-based group activities (including Jays Care baseball, chess workshops, and annual picnics), and the Gil Orbach Joy Scholarship Program awarding $2,000 annually to outstanding mentors. YAY does not develop proprietary technology platforms; all services are human-delivered.

The organization's business model is a multi-channel non-profit revenue structure with no pricing to participants. Confirmed revenue streams include individual donations (monthly and one-time), government grants (Ontario Trillium Foundation Resilient Communities Fund grants of $69,753 in 2021 and an additional grant in 2022; support from IRCC, the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, and the City of Toronto), corporate sponsorships (including McCarthy Tétrault as presenting sponsor, BLG as gold sponsor, Torys LLP and Shell Canada as silver sponsors of the 2020 Move-a-thon), and event-based fundraising (annual Move-a-thon, Team Seneca Navy partnership targeting $550,000 in 2025). The go-to-market model is community-led, recruiting both volunteer mentors and mentees through Instagram, blog content, email newsletter, community events, volunteer fairs, earned media (Global News), and peer referral networks. YAY is recognized as a Right Cause partner by IRCC, United Way Greater Toronto, the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, and the City of Toronto.

Name

Youth Assisting Youth

Legal name

Youth Assisting Youth

Website

https://youthassistingyouth.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Youth Assisting Youth is a Toronto-based non-profit charity founded in 1976 that runs a youth-to-youth peer mentoring program, matching volunteer mentors ages 16-29 with mentees ages 6-15 across Toronto and York Region, supported by an integrated suite of mental health, tutoring, and scholarship services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentorship Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGADAD

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYEDAJALAL

Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/K–12 Educational Support Services (Tutoring & Counseling)

SECONDARYBPAGADAK

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPAGADAM

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

Keywords

• Youth peer mentorship
• Youth mentoring programs
• Volunteer mentorship services
• Youth mental health counseling
• Youth empowerment nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: YAY operates as a registered non-profit charity (CRN: 11930 7478 RR0001) funded primarily through individual and corporate donations. The organization accepts monthly donations and one-time contributions to sustain its peer mentorship programs.
2. Government Grants: YAY receives funding from government sources including the Ontario Trillium Foundation Resilient Communities Fund ($69,753 grant in 2021) and support from the Government of Ontario, IRCC, and Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services.
3. Corporate Sponsorships and Partnerships: Corporate sponsors support YAY through event-based fundraising such as the annual Move-a-thon. Sponsors include McCarthy Tétrault, ReBOOT Canada, BLG, Torys LLP, Shell Canada, and others who provide financial and in-kind support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Youth Assisting Youth operates a 1:1 Peer Mentoring Program that matches volunteer youth mentors ages 16-29 with mentees ages 6-15 in Toronto and York Region, with mentors committing at least 120 service hours over one year. The organization surrounds these mentoring relationships with integrated supports including 1:1 mental health counseling and self-care training (LifeLine Mental Health Program), virtual tutoring, empowerment workshops, community-based group activities, and an annual scholarship program for outstanding mentors. All services are delivered free of charge to participants.

Product overview

Youth Assisting Youth operates a multi-faceted youth empowerment ecosystem centered on its flagship 1:1 Peer Mentoring Program, which has served youth since 1976. The core program is complemented by the LifeLine Mental Health Program (offering 1:1 counseling and self-care training), Virtual Tutoring Program, Girls and Boys Empowerment Workshops, and Community-Based Group Activities. The Gil Orbach Joy Scholarship Program provides post-secondary financial support to outstanding mentors. This integrated model creates dual impact: supporting older youth mentors (ages 16-29) in their growth while they guide younger mentees (ages 6-15) toward success.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 1:1 Peer Mentoring Program Core program matching volunteer youth mentors ages 16-29 with mentees ages 6-15 in sustained one-on-one mentoring relationships across Toronto and York Region, requiring a minimum of 120 volunteer service hours over one year. Includes in-depth mentorship training, 24/7 emergency support, and free activities for mentor-mentee pairs.
• LifeLine Mental Health Program Mental health support service providing 1:1 mental health counseling and mental health self-care training for mentees, volunteer youth mentors, and their families, addressing ongoing mental health impacts including those arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Virtual Tutoring Program Remote learning support program delivering virtual tutoring for mentees to combat isolation and support academic success.
• Girls and Boys Empowerment Workshops Empowerment workshops designed to develop leadership, confidence, and life skills among mentees as part of YAY's integrated youth empowerment model.
• Community-Based Group Activities No-cost community-based activities including annual picnics, Jays Care baseball program, chess workshops, and special screenings that help youth step away from screens, connect with community, and strengthen mentoring relationships.
• Gil Orbach Joy Scholarship Program Annual scholarship program awarding $2,000 to outstanding youth mentors who have completed at least one year of service and 120+ volunteer hours, honoring the legacy of former mentor Gil Orbach and supporting post-secondary education.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% of mentored youth graduate from high school
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Team Seneca NavycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 7 June 2024Partnership with Team Seneca Navy, a rowing team participating in the 2025 World's Toughest Row competition. The team aims to raise $550,000 to support four selected charities including YAY, focusing on building leadership, personal growth, and character development among youth in the Greater Toronto Area and York Region.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada: Canada's largest youth mentoring network, providing 1:1 mentoring between adult volunteers and youth. Directly comparable to YAY in target population (at-risk youth), service category (mentorship), and funder mix (government, United Way, corporate sponsors).
• Pathways to Education: Canadian charity providing wraparound academic and social supports to youth from low-income communities to increase high school graduation rates. Comparable in targeting at-risk youth, pursuing graduation-outcome metrics, and operating multi-service programs in Canadian cities including Toronto.
• Junior Achievement of Canada: National non-profit delivering youth-focused financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship programs across Canada. Comparable in mobilizing youth volunteers/mentors, serving the same age cohorts, and operating school-linked programming with measurable life-outcome data.
• Kids Help Phone: Canada's primary 24/7 youth mental-health support service (call/text/online). Comparable in targeting Canadian youth mental health, receiving government and United Way funding, and addressing overlapping psychosocial needs that YAY's LifeLine Program also serves.
• Frontier College: Canadian literacy non-profit mobilizing volunteer mentors/tutors to support children, youth, and adults. Comparable in leveraging volunteer youth mentors, providing tutoring services, and targeting the same outcome dimensions (education completion, social-emotional support).
• Right to Play: International non-profit using sport and play to educate and empower disadvantaged children and youth. Comparable in combining youth development, mentorship-trained volunteers, community-based group activities, and outcome measurement for at-risk youth.
• Leave Out Violence (LOVE): Youth violence-prevention charity originally founded in Toronto that pairs youth mentors with younger at-risk youth. Directly comparable in originating from a juvenile crime-prevention mission (parallel to YAY's 1976 founding purpose), serving Toronto youth, and operating a youth-to-youth peer model.

Broad incumbents

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada: National federation of community-based youth clubs offering after-school programming, mentorship, and youth development. Comparable in serving at-risk youth in Toronto and broader Canada, but with a broader portfolio of recreational and educational programs rather than a pure mentorship focus.
• YMCA of Greater Toronto: Major Canadian charitable organization delivering youth development, newcomer services, mental wellness, and community programming in the GTA. Comparable in serving at-risk and newcomer youth in YAY's operating geography through a multi-program, community-based model.

Others

• Toronto Foundation: Community foundation for the Greater Toronto Area that funds and aggregates youth-serving non-profits including mentoring organizations. Comparable as a Toronto-based funder ecosystem that channels corporate and individual donations to organizations in YAY's peer set.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/youthassistingyouth
• Xx.com/youthassistYAY
• Facebookfacebook.com/youthassistingyouth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Youth Assisting Youth