Black youth in Canada face systemic barriers in education and employment, with Black males twice as likely to experience unemployment or disengagement from school. The YMCA Black Achievers Mentorship Program, launched in 2021, is working to change that—connecting high school students with Black professionals for guidance, support, and real-world opportunities that help them thrive.
As the program expands to Rexdale and Brampton, we sat down with Chris Telford, Program Manager, and Dahlia, a participant, to discuss the impact of mentorship, the power of representation, and how initiatives like this are shaping futures. —Noa Nichol
Chris Telford, Program Manager of the YMCA Black Achievers Mentorship Program
Q: Can you share more about how the mentorship program pairs Black high school students with professional mentors in the community? What criteria or process is involved in making these matches?
A: The Black Achievers Mentorship Program focuses on supporting Black youth in achieving academic excellence, leadership and career development through mentorship, workshops, networking opportunities and more.
The reason the program has been successful since its launch is because of our mentors. Our mentors are Black professionals in the Greater Toronto Area who are passionate about empowering the next generation and want to make a real difference in the lives of Black youth.
We group youth with Black professional mentors that currently work in a department they’re interested in. For instance, if a mentee is interested in pursuing a career in medicine or education, we’ll try and connect them with someone who has similar experiences to ensure they’re getting the right support to build their career and grow. They meet on a weekly basis so it’s important that we connect our mentees with mentors who can drive their success.
Q: The program recently expanded into Rexdale and Brampton. What inspired this expansion, and how has the response from these communities been so far?
A: We first launched the YMCA Black Achievers Mentorship Program in 2021 in Scarborough, specifically Kingston Galloway, Malvern and Dorset Park neighbourhoods. We know this is an important program for Black youth and mentors in the community and we’re thrilled to expand into new regions with high demand like Rexdale and Brampton.
Since introducing the program to Rexdale and Brampton, the charity has seen a lot of interest from the community and are excited to continue providing important support and resources for Black youth in those regions.
Q: What impact have you seen the program have on mentees, both academically and socially, since its launch in 2021? Do you have any standout success stories that come to mind?
A: The YMCA Black Achievers Mentorship Program has given mentees an opportunity to explore and think about what they want to accomplish in the future. While the program allows mentees to connect with Black professional mentors and experience networking opportunities, it’s also giving them the chance to meet other people and build a community with like minded youth who are going through similar experiences.
We’re so lucky to have mentors volunteering their time to share their experiences with the next generation. It’s given youth the opportunity to see and meet people who have achieved in their career and given them a pathway to getting to where they want to go. That could be something like learning about the obstacles that other people have faced and how they navigated them to give our mentees a road map on how to get beyond certain roadblocks that they may face in their own life.
I also see first-hand the mentees’ growth throughout the program. Their confidence grows week after week, whether that’s becoming more comfortable with the group, figuring out what they want to do in the future and proactively asking questions to see how they can achieve their goals.
Q: As the program grows, what challenges have you encountered, and how is the YMCA addressing these to ensure the program continues to thrive?
A: The interest in the program! We’re seeing so much interest from youth in Rexdale, Brampton and Scarborough that sometimes it can be hard to meet the demand with mentors that are able to volunteer their time on Saturdays. Given the recent expansion in Rexdale and Brampton, we are continuing to address this by actively promoting the program and the opportunity to become a mentor as well as building concrete partnerships with professional organizations.
If you’re interested in becoming a mentor, you can apply at ymcagta.org/blackachievers. Interested mentors can apply from anywhere in the GTA but must be able to travel to Rexdale, Brampton or Scarborough on a weekly basis.
Q: With Black History Month approaching, how does the Black Achievers Mentorship Program celebrate and engage the community during this time? Are there specific events or initiatives planned?
A: We have a lot of programming planned for Black History Month for our mentees like guest speakers, youth advocacy and trips. For instance, a group of mentees are going to Montreal to the National Black Canadian Summit to learn more about initiatives that are happening within the Black community throughout Canada and another group will be visiting the Underground Railroad at the Niagara Heritage Centre later this month.
We’ll also be participating in some of the events hosted by the Y this month, including a Black market and Black mental health event.
Dahlia, Black Achievers Mentorship Program Participant
Q: How did you first hear about the Black Achievers Mentorship Program, and what made you decide to join?
A: The first time I heard about the program was through announcements at my school. I didn’t really think too much of it, but then I saw a mentor at the school talking about the Black Achievers Mentorship Program and she convinced me to join.
The main reason I joined was to be spontaneous. I’m usually pretty reserved at school, but this program gave me a chance to branch out and I’m so happy I did!
Q: Can you share your experience working with your mentor? How has the relationship helped you grow personally, academically, or socially?
A: My relationship with my mentor is very much professional big sister. She’s helped me so much over the past few months through the program with things like building resumes, career building and even scholarships and what that will look like when I need to start applying to university.
Personally, she’s also taught me a lot about patience and meeting new people. We meet every Saturday and I’m constantly meeting and seeing new faces so that’s been great.
Q: What has been the most valuable lesson or skill you’ve gained from participating in the program?
A: The most valuable lesson I’ve gained from participating in the program is that not everyone sees the world the same way. Everyone has different views and perspectives, and I’ve learned that through the program and the events we’ve participated in. We went to a homeless shelter for youth earlier in the fall to support for the day and I saw firsthand that not everybody is in the same position as I’m in. It taught me a lot about compassion and drew my attention to advocacy work.
Q: How has the program shaped your goals for the future, whether academically or career-wise? Are there specific aspirations you’re now pursuing because of this experience?
A: Career-wise, I always thought I wanted to be a neurologist. I’m taking a lot of science classes in school and was never really interested in trying other things like law. After joining the Black Achievers Mentorship Program, I realize now that I’m passionate about advocacy work and community building. When I’m older, I will definitely be looking into doing more volunteer work to give back to the community.
Academically, I’m studying a lot more. It’s definitely helping me with my future as well.
Q: What advice would you give to other Black high school students who might be considering joining the Black Achievers Mentorship Program?
A: You should definitely join. Life is very short and down the road I don’t want to look back and see I didn’t do anything spontaneous, never did anything to help people in my life or never found my community.
If you’re a student who loves helping and being part of a community, join! It’s really rewarding and a lot of fun. You get to learn more about yourself and the community around you.
share:
Be the first to comment