Youth4Youth Canada

What Youth4Youth Canada does

Youth4Youth Canada is a youth-led nonprofit organization founded in 2021 and based in Ottawa, Canada. The organization was co-founded by four Indigenous female youth aged 13 to 18 and operates with volunteer support, delivering programming that spans arts, culture, and health education for Indigenous and broader Canadian youth audiences. Its core services are delivered at no cost to participants and consist of two flagship programs: Talk Overdose | Parlons Surdose (launched May 2021), an opioid awareness initiative using lived-experience education to reduce stigma and reach Grade 7-12 students, and Kîšâc Indigenous Cultural Workshops (launched 2022), which reconnects Indigenous youth with cultural practices including beading, moccasin making, cooking & baking, and jingle & jigging. The organization reports having reached 10,000+ students via in-person and virtual presentations across Canada and has been recognized with the 2022 RBC Spirit of the Capital Youth Award and the 2024 Yannies Award for Best Health Policy & Wellness.

Name

Youth4Youth Canada

Legal name

Youth4Youth Canada

Website

https://y4y.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Youth4Youth Canada is an Ottawa-based nonprofit founded and led by four Indigenous female youth that delivers two programs: Talk Overdose (opioid education) and Kîšâc Indigenous Cultural Workshops, serving Canadian youth through schools and community partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Non-Profit Education Services

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Student Wellness & Prevention Programs (Substance Use, Sexual Health, Bullying) (EDAJAIAG)

Keywords

• Youth education
• Indigenous cultural workshops
• Opioid awareness education
• Nonprofit health education
• Community-led programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and Donations: Funded by granting organizations and individual donors who share the organization's vision. Grants and donations are the primary funding source.
2. Handmade Indigenous Chocolates and Treats Sales: Sale of handmade Indigenous chocolates and treats to sustain organizational work. Products available through their website at kisac.ca/supporting-our-work.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Youth4Youth Canada is a nonprofit organization that creates and manages projects to improve the lives of youth in Canada through arts, culture, and health education. Its two core offerings are Talk Overdose | Parlons Surdose, an opioid awareness initiative launched in May 2021 that uses lived-experience education to reduce stigma and save lives, and Kîšâc Indigenous Cultural Workshops, launched in 2022, which reconnects Indigenous youth with their heritage through beading, moccasin making, cooking & baking, and jingle & jigging. The organization also sells handmade Indigenous chocolates and treats as a fundraising mechanism to sustain its programming.

Product overview

Youth4Youth Canada operates as a nonprofit organization founded and led by female Indigenous youth that offers two primary programmatic products: Talk Overdose and Kîšâc Indigenous Cultural Workshops. Talk Overdose is an opioid education initiative launched in 2021 that uses lived-experience education to reduce stigma and save lives. Kîšâc, launched in 2022, provides cultural workshops reconnecting youth with Indigenous traditions. The organization also sells handmade Indigenous chocolates and treats as a fundraising mechanism. The portfolio is unified under a mission to improve youth lives through arts, culture, and health education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Talk Overdose: Indigenous Youth working to reduce stigma towards opioids and save lives in communities across Canada. Also known as #TalkOverdose and #ParlonsSurdose.
• Kîšâc

Products and services

• Talk Overdose | Parlons Surdose An educational initiative led by Indigenous youth that reduces stigma toward opioids and saves lives in communities across Canada through lived-experience education and social media campaigns using hashtags #TalkOverdose and #ParlonsSurdose. Intended for Canadian youth, particularly Grade 7-12 students.
• Kîšâc Indigenous Cultural Workshops Cultural programming that (re-)connects Indigenous youth with their heritage through hands-on workshops in beading, moccasin making, cooking & baking, and jingle & jigging. The name "Kîšâc" is a Swampy Cree word meaning "a view to the future." Intended for Indigenous and other Canadian youth.
• Handmade Indigenous Chocolates and Treats Handcrafted Indigenous chocolates and cookies sold via the kisac.ca/supporting-our-work storefront to support Youth4Youth Canada's operations and fund programming. Products are also shared with schools and organizations during presentations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reached 10,000+ Grade 7-12 students with presentations and workshops

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Kids Help Phone: Canada's 24/7 e-mental health service for young people, operating at national scale with paid staff and government funding. Comparable as a leading Canadian youth mental health and substance use resource, but at much greater scale and a different delivery model (crisis line vs. school workshops).
• Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA): Nationwide federation providing mental health and addiction services, including school-based programs. Comparable as a broad Canadian incumbent addressing youth substance use and mental wellbeing, but operates as a large multi-service federation rather than a youth-led cultural nonprofit.
• First Nations Health Authority: British Columbia-based health authority delivering health programs and harm reduction services to First Nations communities. Comparable because it operates Indigenous-focused health and wellness programming overlapping with Y4Y's opioid education mission, though at a regional/provincial level.

Others

• National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR): National repository and educational body advancing truth and reconciliation in Canada, including Indigenous cultural education. Comparable as an adjacent enabling institution that shapes the broader Indigenous cultural education ecosystem in which Kîšâc workshops sit, rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Jack.org: Canadian charitable organization focused on youth mental health and suicide prevention, including opioid and substance use education. Comparable because it similarly mobilizes young leaders across Canada to deliver school-based presentations, and is named as a partner of Y4Y (jack.org 2022 Summit).
• Youth Action Network (Ontario): Ontario-based network supporting young people to lead mental health and wellness initiatives in their communities. Comparable because it is the same cohort funder that awarded Y4Y its 2024 Yannies Award and operates the same youth-led community mental health model in Canadian schools.
• Native Youth Sexual Health Network: Indigenous youth-led organization promoting sexual and reproductive health, harm reduction, and cultural wellness across North America. Comparable as another Indigenous youth-led nonprofit delivering peer-driven health education and harm reduction messaging, overlapping with Y4Y's opioid stigma work.
• Indspire: National Indigenous-led charity funding education and career paths for Indigenous youth in Canada. Comparable because both organizations serve the same Indigenous youth demographic through culturally anchored programming, though Indspire focuses more on post-secondary funding while Y4Y focuses on health and cultural workshops.
• Youth Ottawa: Ottawa-based youth engagement organization supporting young people tackling local issues. Comparable because it is Y4Y's co-located geographic peer, gave Y4Y its 2022 RBC Spirit of the Capital Youth Award, and operates the same volunteer-driven school engagement model.

Emerging players

• Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada: National organization representing Inuit women in Canada, with programs addressing health, cultural wellness, and youth empowerment. Comparable as an Indigenous-led organization serving youth cultural reconnection and wellbeing, but with an Inuit-specific rather than Swampy Cree focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Y4YCanada
• Facebookfacebook.com/y4yCanada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/y4ycanada
• Instagraminstagram.com/y4y.ca
• Xx.com/y4yCanada

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Youth4Youth Canada