Program focus: Communication Skills, Community Awareness, LGBT, Mental Health, School, Skill Development, Socializing, Violence Prevention, Youth Engagement more…
The Respect in Schools Everywhere (RISE) Program is a youth-led, school-based violence prevention and mentorship program for grades 9 to12 students.
Youth participants are responsible for developing and facilitating workshops for students who are in grades 7 to 12 with a focus on bullying, mental health, social media education, stigma, and conflict resolution. RISE has developed a program model for schools that is evidence-informed and incorporates current and relevant research.
Get In Touch with RISE on Instagram
Program focus: Behaviour Difficulty, Communication Skills, Employment, Housing, Immigration, Income Support, LGBT, Mental Health, Primary Care Support Referrals, School, Skill Development, Socializing, Trauma more…
The Youth Outreach Worker Program is an initiative for at-risk youth ages 12 to 21 years old and their families in East Toronto. It is designed to help empower and provide them with individualized programming to meet their unique needs and circumstances. Youth Outreach Workers (YOWs) also work with other community resources to coordinate youth activities and services.
We also have specialized YOWs who have a focus on specific populations in Toronto, such as Syrian, Afghan and Tamil. Their goal is to make programs and services more accessible to youth and their families by overcoming language and cultural barriers. Outreach to specific populations help inform members of the community of the availability of services and to remove the stigma and fear associated with accessing services such as mental health.
We also offer clinical services as part of our Enhanced Youth Outreach Workers program (EYOW). In addition to providing support services, EYOWs can offer intensive intervention for example in the areas of mental health, addictions, trauma, relationship or family violence and / or human and sex trafficking etc.
Some of the many services we connect youth and families with include:
- Employment
- Housing
- Legal
- Education & alternative learning
- Volunteer hours
- Drop-in Programs
- Assistance in Applying for schools, loans & government assistance
- Help getting ID, SIN and Health Card
- Food Banks
- Counselling
- Newcomer youth programs
Program focus: Anti-Human Trafficking, Bilingual Services (French), Case Management, Child Welfare, Employment, Housing, Legal, LGBT, Mental Health, School, Sex Work, Sexual Relationships, Skill Development, Substance Abuse, Trauma, Work more…
Youth In Transition Workers aim to meet youth where it is more convenient for them, in the community, at coffee shops, libraries or at the office. Some resources and supports offered to youth may include:
- Housing and or educational supports
- Employment and services training
- Life skills (e.g., financial management and household management)
- Legal services and psychoeducation
- Health and mental health services
- Access to Trauma Therapy and Human Trafficking Peer Support Group
- Snacks and TTC fare for case management needs
- Access to Strides Food Mart available upon sign up
In addition to the above supports, Strides YIT workers provide targeted/focused assistance in the following areas:
- Mental Health and Addictions YIT
- Bilingual (French speaking) YIT connects youth with Francophone resources within their communities.
- Anti-Human Trafficking YIT provides individualized case management to youth at risk of sexual exploitation and Human Trafficking.
The length of work with youth varies based on their long-term and short-term goals. Once youth provide consent, referrals can be emailed directly to our team: YIT@Stridestoronto.ca.
Eligibility Details
Youth aged 16 – 24 years and is:
- in Extended Society Care or
- in a formal Customary Care arrangement immediately prior to the youth’s 18th birthday or
- eligible for support under Continued Care and Support for Youth (CCSY) or
- accessing Ready, Set, Go (RSG) funding
Get in touch with Strides Toronto Youth In Transition (YIT) workers on Instagram:
Program focus: Mental Health
Strides Toronto has a long history of providing mental health consultation and support services to elementary schools in Scarborough and east Toronto.
Partners for Success is a collaborative program where we work with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) to offer mental health services that meet specific needs identified by local schools. The program goal is to support children in achieving success in their school and community. This is accomplished through consultation to school staff and through class-wide and school-wide presentations and activities with children.
Program focus: Communication Skills, Community, Multimedia, Skill Development, Socializing, Youth, Youth Engagement more…
Studio 2 Multimedia Program supports youth in the development of multimedia skills, as well as social skills, with an emphasis on media literacy, employability skills and mental health.
Our program uses various industry standard software and hardware to help youth design a variety of media projects. Youth are engaged under the supervision and guidance of professionals and Strides Toronto staff. Projects youth can work on include film and documentaries, print, photography, portfolio development, and music/audio recording. Programming is delivered through one-on-one sessions, group workshops and facilitated workshops in the community and/or school.
In partnership with
Program focus: Child Development, Mental Health, Parenting, Skill Development
Babies’ Best Start works in partnership with Toronto Public Health to provide service to families under the provincially funded program Healthy Babies Healthy Children. In this partnership a Public Health Nurse from the City of Toronto and a Family Home Visitor from Strides Toronto work as a team to provide in-home support to families in the prenatal stage and to families with young children from birth to three years of age. Children must be referred before the age of three.
The parent receiving this service determines their own goals which may include areas such as pregnancy, breastfeeding, healthy attachment, healthy eating, safety, child development, positive parenting, parent health and well-being and community resources. The home visitors represent a variety of cultural backgrounds and speak many different languages.
Referral Details
Referrals can be made by parents or through a midwife, family doctor, nurse or other service provider to Healthy Babies Health Children through the Toronto Public Health Department. Children must be referred before the age of three.
Eligibility Details
Clients must meet the following criteria:
- Living in Toronto
- Pregnant or parenting a child who is 0 to 3 years old
- Be the legal guardian of the child(ren)
- Actively parenting the child(ren) in the family’s place of residence
- Available for home visits during our hours of operation.
The client must also meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Healthcare professional has concerns about the health and well-being of the client, family and/or child.
- Parent has concerns or questions about the child’s health and development, parenting, parent-child relationship.
- Newcomer to Canada, here less than three years and having their first baby in Canada.
- Client has a limited informal and/or formal support system.
- Client has a history of or is experiencing physical and/or mental health illness that is impacting capacity to parent or cope with pregnancy.
- Client facing challenging life situations or life stressors such as homeless, domestic violence, child protection concerns, no OHIP.
The Healthy Babies Healthy Children program is funded by the government of Ontario and delivered by your local public health unit.
Program focus: Child Development, Parenting
This program offers Family Home Visiting and Parenting Groups and is designed for families with children from birth to under 6 years of age who may be new to Canada, are living on a low income, or may be feeling alone or overwhelmed. The goal of our program is to help mothers and fathers see their strengths, build strong relationships with the children, and find positive ways to raise healthy, happy children. This program is free and voluntary.
Family Home Visiting
Supportive professional Family Home Visitors can meet regularly with parents in their home to provide information about infant and child development, healthy eating, safety, breastfeeding, toileting and community resources.
Parenting Groups
Trained staff offer a variety of weekly parenting groups such as Infant Massage, Parent-Child Mother Goose®, Nobody’s Perfect Parenting Group, Building Connections, and Summer Fun. Groups are offered at different community locations across Scarborough.
Eligibility Details
Families with children under 6 years of age who are either:
- new to Canada
- single or young parents
- having a language barrier
- living on a low income
- feeling isolated
AND with a self-identified parenting struggle.
Program focus: Behaviour Difficulty, Child Development, Mental Health, Parenting
The Community Support program works in partnership with other service providers to develop and deliver flexible mental health services that are responsive to unmet and emerging needs of children from birth to age 12 and their families.
Programs are based on current best practice and determinants of health and are created in relation to needs identified in the community in cooperation with community partners and families. Activities in the program include groups, workshops and presentations to families and/or community organizations to increase awareness and facilitate knowledge transfer to enhance the social emotional well-being of families with children under 12 years of age.
Program goals are to assist families in establishing and achieving their goals for the healthy development of their children; to enable children to function more successfully in all social contexts (home, school, neighbourhood); and to enhance the capacity of the community to promote the healthy development of children.
The services strive to be accessible to all families in relation to location, literacy level and cultural sensitivity. Areas of service include:
School Services
Program provides parenting workshops and presentations; parenting groups; class wide anti-bullying and social skills programs; and staff training.
Community Agencies
Program provides parent education, parent groups, and participates in community development activities.
Shelter Services
Program provides parenting groups, children’s groups, brief counselling, staff consultation and training to school and shelter staff.
EarlyOn
Program provides parent education, groups, and brief consultation on topics related to children under 6 years of age.