For Youth Initiative

What For Youth Initiative does

For Youth Initiative (FYI) is a Toronto-based registered Canadian charity (Charitable Registration #876026725RR0001) that delivers wraparound social services to Black, racialized, and newcomer youth aged 12-29. The organization operates two physical youth spaces in west Toronto — a primary location at 1652 Keele Street in York South-Weston and a second location at 504 Oakwood Avenue in Oakwood-Vaughan opened in September 2021 — and provides in-person programming, one-on-one casework, and virtual services free of charge. Its core program portfolio spans Academic Support (tutoring for grade 8 through first-year post-secondary), Employment Success (job skills, certifications, placement support), Youth Justice & Reintegration (including the RISE diversion program), Newcomer Advancement (settlement services, English conversation circles), and the FYI Scholarship (post-secondary financial support). Sub-programs extend the portfolio into differentiated sub-segments: Black Youth Leadership Program (BYLP) with the Institute for Change Leaders, Girls Night In (GNI), RISE 2.0, Healing Through the Arts, Empower U, Igniting Youth Creativity (IYC), Newcomer Compass, Around the World, and Youth Empowering Parents (YEP).

The organization is funded through a combination of individual donations (CanadaHelps, FYI Future Fund), government and foundation grants — including capacity-building grants from the Law Foundation of Ontario — and community partnerships, notably the Pinball Clemons Foundation for scholarships and a 2021 Bell Let's Talk community grant. Go-to-market is community-led: outreach occurs through schools, community partners, word-of-mouth, and digital channels including Instagram (@fyiinto) and the foryouth.ca website. Reported impact metrics include 731+ youth engaged, 154+ workshops supported, and 1,343+ one-on-one sessions delivered, alongside quantified outcomes such as 88% workforce readiness post-employment programming, 90% resource-confidence post-RISE 2.0, and 100% RISE 2.0 retention. FYI has no proprietary technology platform or AI/ML infrastructure; service delivery is human-staffed by youth workers, social workers, caseworkers, and facilitators, many of whom share lived experience with the communities served. Brigitte Barikage serves as Interim Executive Director following an internal transition from her prior Program Director role.

Name

For Youth Initiative

Legal name

For Youth Initiative

Website

https://foryouth.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

For Youth Initiative is a Toronto-based registered charity providing free academic, employment, justice, and settlement support to Black, racialized, and newcomer youth ages 12-29 across two west Toronto locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Social Services / Community Nonprofit

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM), Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth) (EDAAAOAD), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

Keywords

• Youth social services
• Community nonprofit
• Academic tutoring
• Employment support
• Newcomer settlement

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Charitable donations from individuals, community members, and supporters. The organization maintains a Future Fund for donations and accepts contributions through CanadaHelps.
2. Public Funding and Grants: Government and foundation funding to support youth programming. Mentioned capacity-building grants from Law Foundation of Ontario.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

For Youth Initiative is a Toronto-based community charity delivering free youth development programs for Black, racialized, and newcomer youth ages 12-29. Core offerings include academic tutoring, employment preparation, youth justice diversion and reintegration, newcomer settlement, and post-secondary scholarships, delivered through two physical youth spaces and virtual programming.

Product overview

For Youth Initiative is a community-based non-profit organization offering a portfolio of youth development programs for Black, racialized, and newcomer youth ages 12-29 in Toronto. The core programs include Academic Support (tutoring and educational planning), Employment Success (job skills and career support), Youth Justice & Reintegration (including the RISE diversion program), Newcomer Advancement (settlement and integration services), and FYI Scholarship (post-secondary financial support). These are supplemented by sub-programs such as Virtual & In-Person Tutoring, Youth Empowering Parents (YEP), Emotional Leveling, Newcomer Compass, Around The World, Post-Secondary Education Support, Black Youth Leadership Program (BYLP), Girls Night In (GNI), Empower U, RISE 2.0, Healing Through the Arts, and Igniting Youth Creativity (IYC). The organization operates two locations in west Toronto (York South-Weston and Oakwood-Vaughan) and provides both in-person and virtual programming.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Black Youth Leadership Program (BYLP): A leadership program using an anti-racist approach to promote Black youth involvement in creating meaningful and positive change, developed in partnership with the Institute for Change Leaders (ICL).
• RISE Program
• Girls Night In (GNI)

Products and services

• Academic Support Provides tutoring, homework help, educational planning, and goal achievement support for youth from grade 8 through first-year post-secondary, covering subjects including English, Math, Sciences, French, and Social Sciences.
• Employment Success Builds job skills and provides employment support including resume building, interview preparation, workplace certifications (Smart Serve, CPR, First Aid, Food Handlers), and career development coaching for youth.
• Youth Justice & Reintegration Offers diversion programming, reintegration support, and wraparound services for youth who have had interaction with the criminal justice system, including mentorship, emotional regulation programming, academic tutoring, and family engagement.
• Newcomer Advancement Supports newcomer youth to adjust, connect, and thrive in Toronto through settlement services, English Conversation Circles, one-on-one guidance, and community connection programs.
• FYI Scholarship Provides financial support and guidance for post-secondary education, including scholarships, bursaries, and application assistance for Black, racialized, and newcomer youth.
• Black Youth Leadership Program (BYLP) An anti-racist leadership program teaching Black youth (ages 15-24) skills in public speaking, communication, and confidence through partnership with the Institute for Change Leaders (ICL).
• Girls Night In (GNI) A youth program for young girls focused on female empowerment, mentorship, mental health, post-secondary readiness, leadership skills, and healthy bodies and minds through solution-focused methods.
• RISE Program A diversion and reintegration program supporting youth aged 12-29 who have had interaction with the criminal justice system, using a person-centered, strengths-based approach with 16 individual or group sessions focused on self, family/peers, education, employment, and criminal justice.

Quantifiable outcome

• 731+ youth engaged annually
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Institute for Change Leaders (ICL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019FYI partnered with ICL to deliver the Black Youth Leadership Program (BYLP), which uses an anti-racist approach to promote Black youth involvement in creating meaningful change. ICL teaches community organizing skills based on Marshall Ganz's framework and offers the first accredited Marshall Ganz-based course in Canada. BYLP has engaged over 200 Black youth since 2019.
• Girls Night In (GNI)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Girls Night In is a youth program founded by young women passionate about female empowerment. FYI has partnered with GNI to serve as a safe space for girls, supporting 10 youth across two cohorts. The program focuses on mental health, post-secondary readiness, career goals, and self-image for young women in the GTA.
• Pinball Clemons FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation providing scholarship funding to FYI youth. Through this partnership, youth like Gloria have received full scholarships to attend university. The foundation supports education access for Black and equity-deserving youth in Toronto.
• Yorkdale Adult Learning CentreminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReferral partner where FYI staff introduced youth to available employment supports. Located at Yorkdale mall, the adult learning centre connects FYI with youth seeking employment services.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• The 519: The 519 is a Toronto City-operated community centre delivering programs, services, and advocacy for LGBTQ2S and equity-deserving communities. It shares FYI's wraparound, equity-driven service model for marginalized urban populations, though with a different demographic focus.
• Children's Aid Society of Toronto: Children's Aid Society of Toronto supports children, youth, and families involved with or at risk of contact with the child welfare system. It intersects with FYI's wraparound youth support model, particularly the RISE justice-reintegration programming, though its statutory mandate differs.

Direct peers

• Frontier College: Frontier College is a Canadian nonprofit providing literacy, tutoring, and education programs for children, youth, and adults in underserved communities. It is comparable to FYI's tutoring-led academic programming and community-based delivery model.
• Youth Employment Services (YES): YES is a Toronto-based nonprofit delivering employment readiness, career coaching, and job placement for youth aged 15-29. It overlaps directly with FYI's Employment Success and Newcomer Compass programs in target population, geography, and service mix.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto provides one-to-one youth mentoring and group programs for children and youth facing adversity. It is directly comparable to FYI's mentoring and positive youth development orientation, particularly the Black Youth Leadership Program and volunteer-led engagement models.
• YWCA Toronto: YWCA Toronto delivers settlement, employment, housing, and gender-focused programming for women, girls, and gender-diverse youth in the GTA. It overlaps directly with FYI on newcomer settlement, employment services, and girls' empowerment (Girls Night In), and serves a comparable Toronto community footprint.
• COSTI Immigrant Services: COSTI is a Toronto-area nonprofit providing settlement, language training, employment, and newcomer support services. It directly parallels FYI's Newcomer Advancement programming for newcomer youth, including English conversation circles and employment preparation.
• Pathways to Education Canada: Pathways to Education Canada supports low-income youth to graduate high school and transition to post-secondary through academic tutoring, financial support, and one-on-one advising. It maps closely to FYI's Academic Support and FYI Scholarship programs.

Broad incumbents

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada: Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada is a national federation of youth-serving clubs offering academic support, employment readiness, mentorship, and recreation to young people. It is broadly comparable to FYI's wraparound youth-development mandate, though it operates across many Canadian cities rather than focusing on a single Toronto corridor.
• Aga Khan Foundation Canada: Aga Khan Foundation Canada funds and operates international and domestic development programs including youth employment, education, and newcomer integration. It is broadly comparable as a Canadian nonprofit addressing newcomer and equity-deserving youth outcomes at larger scale.

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/fyiinto/?hl=en
• Xx.com/FYIinTO
• Facebookfacebook.com/FYIinTO

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about For Youth Initiative