2023 Chair and

Executive Director Message

2023 was a year of high engagement and intentional learning. It also marks the fourth year of Laidlaw Foundation’s five-year strategic plan.

impact investing

Five years ago, the Board embarked on a strategy to align investment decisions with granting and programming priorities. The Foundation’s desire to explore additional ways that our assets serve our mission and purpose has led to the creation of the impact investment strategy. This included a 5% carve-out of our endowment to be invested in opportunities, in addition to expectations in revenue, that have specific social and environmental outcomes. Currently this investment portfolio includes nine opportunities including the YMCA Alternative Suspension Bond, Community Forward Fund, Raven Indigenous Impact Fund, and BKR Black Innovation Fund which we are spotlighting in this report. These assets are currently managed by Rally Assets.

Asset Allocation

The asset mix table (previous page)  and asset mix pie chart below are based on the market value plus uncalled capital. Unlike committed capital or market value alone, this calculation captures changes in investment valuations, returns of capital, and the cash balance held by the custodian.

The asset allocation strategy is aligned with stated investment objectives and is not limited to a set asset mix as per the Foundation’s Investment Policy Statement. The asset mix for the current portfolio is provided for information purposes. The capital is generally equally distributed across assets classes with private equity/venture capital having the largest allocation of capital.

IMPACT INVESTMENT SPOTLIGHT:
BKR CAPITAL

Indigenous Youth and Community Futures Fund

$681,970

Through the Indigenous Youth and Community Futures Fund (IYCFF), Laidlaw invests in opportunities for Indigenous youth to develop and lead projects where they are immersed in their lands, languages and cultures; participate in everyday acts of resurgence, reclamation and wellbeing; build relationships within and across Indigenous communities; and learn about and define for themselves what reconciliation means.

Relationship-building is not as straightforward as it seems. But there is something special about naming it as a practice that is akin to a heartbeat. Without it, we lack direction about how to inspire and champion each other and our communities.

The heartbeat of Auntie’s Place, its three co-founders, tells this story about their own aunties and the roles they’ve played in each of their lives. One of them, Leslie VanEvery, had an aunt who looked out for her wellbeing as a child growing up in Six Nations.

These relationships were the catalyst for the founding of Auntie’s Place, a community-led group that supports Afro-Indigenous, Black and Indigenous girls in sharing their cultures and developing their relationships to each other, themselves and their communities.

The Empowerment Circle, funded by the Indigenous Youth and Community Futures Fund (IYCFF), is a six-week program where young girls get to know each other through a range of workshops on topics such as community care, hood feminism and self-expression. In the sixth week, the girls get to go to Six Nations and create digital stories about their experiences. Their bonds with each other strengthen, especially given some past experiences with discrimination in other programs. The program has been a welcome change.

“They were happy that they were in a space where they could be themselves and not face any kind of discrimination,” says Leslie. “I think they just enjoyed the community and being in a space that was…a lot more relaxed…We let them guide [the music] we listened to because it was their space…it was an opportunity for them to just be themselves.”

When her own daughter requested to do the Empowerment Circle logo, Leslie had an aha moment: Young girls could benefit from more leadership opportunities that allow them to build their skills and deepen their connections to their communities and each other.

However, trying to achieve many things at once can create an imbalance. “When you’re focused on relationship-building, it’s hard to focus on administration…Sometimes when we want to do everything, we do a little bit of everything but we don’t do one or two things really really well,” said Leslie.  The heartbeat needs time to slow down.

With a renewed focus on one or two major program outcomes, there’s been more time for the three co-founders to reflect. “It’s helpful because you get to reflect on the program as it goes along...it’s all about refining the program and details so that we can build upon it later,” says Leslie. One detail is the hope to include mentorship within the current program. Another is to create a Black and Indigenous parenting program that reclaims traditional practices of the communities.

Space continues to be a challenge. Currently, the program can only accommodate nine participants instead of 12 total. With Laidlaw Foundation’s support, Leslie is hopeful for incorporated non-profit status and owned space in the near future. Relationship-building has laid the groundwork for this path to a heart full of possibilities.

Youth Action Fund

$1,673,469

The Youth Action Fund offers grants to grassroots initiatives working with youth who are underserved by the education system and over-represented in the justice and child welfare systems, prioritizing Black and Indigenous youth-led projects. The development of this fund was guided by a series of consultations with experts and advocates in the field.

Objectives:

• Elevate the voices of young people with lived experiences  in the justice, education, and child welfare systems

• Support initiatives working on or advocating for early intervention

• Promote equitable and accountable institutions and systems

• Support initiatives working on or advocating for evidence-based policy

• Support initiatives that are informed by youth, families and communities

Capacity Building

$62,924

Capacity Building provides professional development to Youth Action Fund recipients.

As a B3 charitable organization – Black-led, Black-serving and Black-focused – Restoration and Empowerment for Social Transition (REST) aims to end homelessness among BIPOC youth in the Peel Region. Over time, it has incorporated more storytelling into its community-building initiatives.

Alya and Mya have been connected from the very beginning. Alya began at REST in 2021 as a volunteer; Mya began as a client the same year. The same day Alya was hired as a program assistant, Mya was hired as a coordinator for the REST podcast, Homelessness in Hiding: Our Youth Between the Cracks. Together, they’ve contributed to a space where no one feels left out.

“Youth come here because they can come here to speak to people casually or to receive services…It makes a really big impact on youth who otherwise don’t have any other safe places to be and that can mean literally they’re experiencing active homelessness, living out of a shelter or have housing that is secure [yet constraining],” says Mya, now a Peer Support Leader at REST.

Among the many programs that REST offers topics on, such as tenant rights, is My Story, My Power. It’s a multi-year storytelling program that empowers youth with lived experience of homelessness and housing insecurity to shift narratives about it by telling their stories to build confidence in their voices. It is funded by the Youth Action Fund (YAF).

Youth meet biweekly on Saturdays with peer leaders who lead sessions that encourage youth to tell their stories, build their skills and connect with one another. These workshops help youth change their own minds about homelessness and the value of their voices. When there are no peer leaders, Mya and Alya take the lead: Mya leads sessions related to storytelling skill-building and Alya leads sessions related to self-reflection. Through these experiences, both Mya and Alya have grown and learned alongside the youths. In particular, Alya connected to her artistic side.

“It’s a big step out of my comfort zone because I don’t have a background in writing or storytelling…I’m still learning but I feel like from October until now, I’ve experienced a transition with my efforts and what I bring…I’m grateful that I’ve been part of the program,” says Alya.

What makes the program easier to run is the clear budget structure of the YAF that includes financial information about all aspects of the program. The challenge is navigating the youth grant funding structure of the My Story, My Power program. Each of the 20 youths receives $1,000 to participate, making the possibility of doing so a guarantee. However, youth receive this grant in instalments, which may delay their participation or completion of their projects.

The beauty of My Story, My Power, nonetheless, is the creativity of the youths’ storytelling projects, which include digital art, spoken word, music experimentation and more. As the program nears its end, Alya and Mya are hopeful about their upcoming exhibition and the future of storytelling at REST Centres.

Youth Collective Impact Spotlight HALTON YOUTH COLLECTIVE IMPACT (HYCI)

Collaboration can be a powerful catalyst for sustainable change and impact in communities. Gillian McLaren, Project Manager and Board Liaison, and Frances Pace, Director of Fundholder and Community Engagement, have a deep understanding of it. Their organization, the Oakville Community Foundation, is dedicated to addressing local issues by making long-term collaborative investments in communities.

One of those investments was the Halton Granters Roundtable (the Roundtable), a collaboration between local funders with engagement from Sheridan College researchers. Its purpose was to identify priority areas and how collaboration could support tackling issues within them.

“We [wanted] to develop more impactful funding rather than having a long list of supports for a number of organizations with a little bit of money,” said Frances.

After several months of work, the Roundtable settled on a collective goal: To serve youth aged 18–24 transitioning out of care in education, employment and training, supported by Halton Children’s Aid Society. This initiative transformed into the Halton Youth Collective Impact (HYCI) program, a further collaboration between community partners, local service agencies and youth with valuable knowledge and lived experience. The momentum was looking promising, prompting the Roundtable to seek customized resources to capitalize on their collaborative energy and translate their shared goal into tangible outcomes for youth leaving care. They enrolled in our Youth Collective Impact (Youth CI) program which aims to help organizations in local communities across Ontario, learn about, develop, launch and implement collective impact approaches that directly improve outcomes in their community.

Since 2014, Youth CI has provided resources to 109 collectives across Ontario, addressing a variety of issues such as mental health, housing, youth navigating the justice system, and challenges faced by newcomers.

 “The program shone a light on the ability of organizations to work more intentionally together,” said Tamer Ibrahim, former Program Manager of Youth CI.

The program was also unique in that it allowed collectives to start from the concept stage, even if their ideas weren’t fully developed. It recognized that ideas need time to evolve into action and that resources are necessary for that development.

Like the Roundtable, Youth CI engaged collaboratives to attend an initial workshop to support the design of a strategy for deeper engagement on their chosen issue. During this workshop, partners define their issue, build a common agenda with key players and agencies, and create a three to six-month action plan. After this stage, collaborative members, guided by a backbone organization, become eligible for on-going coaching and grants ranging from $10,000 to $250,000. These resources help the collaborative build momentum and capacity to effectively implement their initiative.

YOUTH CI
SPOTLIGHT
CONTINUED

The program model was developed from Innoweave’s initial Collective Impact program stream, designed to address a variety of complex issues. The Ministry of Children, Community, and Social Services provided the funding to implement the program.  At the time, Innoweave had been housed at the McConnell Foundation for 12 years, and has since transitioned to the MakeWay Foundation in December 2023 to continue its impactful work.

The Oakville Community Foundation has navigated each phase of the Youth CI program with success, securing invaluable coaching and funding resources, including Exploration, Launch, and Execution Grants.. “Our focus is on removing barriers for the youth in the program. This included community table partners creating videos that described their offerings, in order to make ourselves known to youth. We want youth to know we’re dedicated and they can rely on this program,” said Gillian.

But there were also challenges. The funding did not cover all program costs and there were opposing measures of success. Furthermore, in 2023, the Ministry of Children, Community, and Social Services abruptly ended funding for the Youth CI program during the execution phase of the Foundation’s work, leaving staff to adjust quickly.

“With the cancellation of the initiative, there was a missed opportunity to prove the long-term success of the program and roll it out to the broader population,” said Frances.

The Collective must continue to submit grant applications to ensure that the support continues for youth. Stopping the program is not an option.

As Tamer puts it: “There’s an appetite for groups to work together, but there’s a question of resources. In order for collective impact to be sustainable, it needs large scale funding.”

Collaboration can be a powerful catalyst for sustainable change and impact in communities. Gillian McLaren, Project Manager and Board Liaison, and Frances Pace, Director of Fundholder and Community Engagement, have a deep understanding of it. Their organization, the Oakville Community Foundation, is dedicated to addressing local issues by making long-term collaborative investments in communities.

“When you look at the cost of housing, food, inflation, etc.… access to employment and education provides better opportunities for success,” says Steve O’Hearn, Supervisor of Youth Programs at Halton’s CAS.

The HYCI program is a triumphant victory.

In four years, youths have set goals and achieved what seemed impossible. One youth got their real estate licence; another is getting their commercial pilot’s licence. The mentorship component in particular has also created a reliable structure in youths’ lives. As one youth put it:

“The mentors have been there for so many important times in my life…when I couldn’t find work the collective impact still gave me and my son a sense of food security that we needed so badly… I was also inspired to finish my high school so I can achieve my goal of post-secondary education.”

In Jennifer McKnight’s role as the Collective Impact Coordinator at HYCI and as the most reliable point of contact role in HYCI as the most reliable point of contact in youths’ lives has provided her with insights about system gaps, youths’ needs and their bravery.

“Youth are so open to the possibility of something developing and having [a mentor] in their life…they come from tumultuous backgrounds so having the courage to be open…is incredible.”

The hope is that HYCI will remain a permanent fixture in Halton Region and a model for community-building.

Community, Equity

and Solidarity Fund

$1,208,200

The relief fund addresses inequities in philanthropy and extends solidarities to communities impacted by the pandemic, as well as by racism, colonization, and systemic exclusions.

POPUP: Youth
Direct Action Micro-Grants

$30,000

This fund supports Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities dealing with increasing social insecurity and lack of resources to access support. Echoing South African disability activists, the PopUp Grants 2023 espouse the “Nothing about us, without us” slogan. Black, Indigenous, and racialized youth know how best to support their own communities. When it comes to collective and community support, we want to amplify multiple perspectives including leadership from Black and Indigenous communities. To recognize this, Laidlaw Foundation launched PopUp Grants up to $5,000 to support projects and events created by youth that address social inequities through collective and community support.

Board Recognition DISCRETIONARY Fund

$10,000

The State of Black and Indigenous Youth in Ontario

On November 15, 2023, Laidlaw Foundation launched its inaugural report titled The State of Black and Indigenous Youth in Ontario: An Examination of the Experiences and Impacts of Policing on Black, Indigenous, and Racialized Youth. This milestone marked the beginning of a series of publications aimed at highlighting the enduring challenges faced by today’s youth, which have persisted for decades despite policy interventions.

While changes have been introduced at a macro level, they often occur too slowly or fail to have the intended impact. Countless publications, academic or otherwise, have meticulously documented these issues, and youth across Ontario are calling for an immediate shift in the narrative. A change in perspective and approach is crucial to effectively address these persistent challenges.

The report aims to raise awareness on these issues in the hopes of informing targeted efforts to address the diverse and unique challenges faced by youth, particularly those at significant risk of marginalization. This transformative process begins with open dialogue and discussions directly involving affected youth. In celebration of the launch, we initiated the first conversation by hosting a panel discussion where 118 unique attendees joined us virtually and in person. The guests, while primarily from the Greater Toronto Area, represented audiences we targeted in our report, which include all levels of government, the philanthropic sector and community organizations. The panelists were youth with lived experience of being policed in the Education, Child Welfare, and Criminal Justice systems. Also included on the panel were members of the Youth Advisory Council, who played a crucial role in informing the research for the project. The discussion centered on the challenges faced by Black, Indigenous, and racialized youth and their experience with policing in Ontario, paving the way for further conversations. It must be noted that “policing” is a term used metaphorically to describe the discriminatory treatment Black, Indigenous and racialized youth are subjected to that marginalizes them.

Our vision at Laidlaw is for The State of Black and Indigenous Youth in Ontario to be a dynamic platform where young individuals can freely share their experiences, voice concerns, and offer insights. Through this initiative, we aim to identify and address existing gaps, barriers, and create lasting solutions, reshaping the prevailing narrative that has endured for far too long.

Impact of Laidlaw Foundation’s 2019 – 2024 Strategic Plan:  A Summative Evaluation Report (2023)

Below is an excerpt of the Executive Summary of AgentsC’s evaluation of Laidlaw Foundation’s 2019 – 2024 Strategic Plan.

For all of its strengths, commitments, and investments in child welfare, the Province of Ontario adopts a fragmented rather than a holistic approach to preparing youth for their future as adults. Throughout the Province’s many youth oriented programs and services, it is difficult to identify the overarching strategy that underpins work with youth in Ontario.

For example, youth health and wellness is often separated from youth mental health, which in turn is separated from the youth justice system, which in turn is separated from youth employment, education, care, and housing. Programs for Black and Indigenous youth or 2SLGBTQ+ youth are often offshoots of other programs and lack integration.

We know that Provincial youth strategy impacts non-profit youth service delivery, which in turn impacts youth philanthropic investment practices among funders. However, if the links to the youth welfare chain lack integration, it stands to reason that the outcomes associated with youth programs will also be fragmented.

Such fragmentation in and of itself is not necessarily a negative situation. However, unless a more holistic approach to youth welfare can be practiced, we will not realize the benefits of an integrative systems approach to supporting Ontario’s youth in their journey towards adulthood.

Could youth in Ontario be better served with integrated systems, policies, and strategies that are holistic rather than fragmented/ thematic? This is one of the fundamental questions which the board and leadership within Laidlaw Foundation will need to answer in the lead up to the creation of the organization’s new and ambitious strategic plan in 2025.

This report is focused not on what the future may look like but rather, what we may learn from the recent past. AgentsC Inc. is pleased to provide insight stemming from our summative evaluation of the progress made towards the Foundation’s strategic plan (2019 – 2024). It may be fair to say that this report is in fact an evaluation of the strategy to date, along with conclusive observations for how current learnings may influence continuity of practice until 2024 and create new ambitions for 2025 onwards.

Our vision at Laidlaw is for “The State of Black and Indigenous Youth in Ontario” to be a dynamic platform where young individuals can freely share their experiences, voice concerns, and offer insights. Through this initiative, we aim to identify and address existing gaps, barriers, and create lasting solutions, reshaping the prevailing narrative that has endured for far too long.

There are some we know and others that we do not when it comes to the current strategy itself:

What we know:

• Laidlaw Foundation is uniquely positioned as a champion of trust-based and equity philanthropy in the sector in Ontario and across Canada. As a private foundation that has intentionally invested in decolonizing its giving, the Foundation can play an important role as a peer leader for other private foundations in the country.

• The Foundation has made great strides in centering youth voices and youth lived experiences to address systemic barriers and impact change in Ontario’s justice, education and child welfare systems. There is now an opportunity for the Foundation to seek out and explore a more integrated and intersectional approach to investing in youth. Laidlaw Foundation can differentiate itself as a youth development funder by promoting the integrative approaches required for youth to make a healthy and prosperous transition to adulthood.

• The Foundation has a significant and proactive role to play in centering transformational story-telling and youth-led public and political engagement to amplify the discourse on intersecting challenges faced by Ontario’s Indigenous and Black youth impacted by the justice, education and child welfare systems.

• The Foundation is ripe for the development of a Theory of Change and a complementary organization-wide Logic Model that enables its various funding streams to explore intersectional opportunities for work in the areas of Trust-based Philanthropy, Capacity, Engagement and Advocacy, Convening, Research, Granting and Ethical Investing.

• While the Foundation has started its journey of decolonizing its granting, reporting and impact evaluation processes, there is a need to ensure a consistent implementation of these approaches across all granting streams to enable more robust and cohesive data and knowledge gathering.

What we don’t know:

• There is a need for greater strategic clarity on how the Foundation will share vital research data and youth voices with key stakeholders such as government representatives, policy-makers, other funders, and service providers to impact future funding and policy directions.

• The Foundation’s role and approach in strategically building pathways for youth with lived experiences to lead policy and decision-making on systemic change across the province needs further exploration.

• The strategic impact of Laidlaw Foundation’s Community Equity and Solidarity Fund that provided multi-year cornerstone funding to the Foundation for Black Community and Indigenous Peoples Resilience Fund needs to be evaluated and widely shared across the sector.

artist statement

graceswainart.com / @graceswainart on Instagram, Facebook & TikTok / anishinaababeblog@gmail.com

Hello, Aanii! My name is Grace Swain, I’m from Swan Lake First Nation Treaty One territory on my father’s side, and Wiikwemkoong First Nation on my mother’s side. I grew up and currently live in Bruce Mines, Ontario. I’m an Indigenous artist, speaker and advocate. I’m passionate about making traditional land-based art accessible to all Indigenous peoples. In addition to my online collection at graceswainart.com, I offer commissioned pieces and host paint nights/workshops.

Illustration Descriptions

Cover Art

The cover art for Laidlaw Foundation’s annual report embodies partnership, trust-based philanthropy, and the transformative power of community collaboration.

At its heart lies the Medicine Wheel, resonating with the Foundation’s commitment to inclusive partnerships, devoid of hierarchy. Much like how the medicine wheel is a balanced shape without a top or bottom, length or width showing that we are all equal and no one is above or below each other. It represents unity, harmony, courage, and respect—core values driving the Foundation’s work.

Perched atop the Medicine Wheel is the revered Eagle, Migizi, symbolizing our connection to the Creator and love. Only the eagle has the ability and strength to fly higher than any other animal, thereby placing it closer to the Creator than all others. In my community, I’ve been taught that when we pray the Eagle brings our prayers to the Creator. Therefore, I’ve decided to include the Eagle in this cover to represent all of our efforts being brought back to the Creator to help guide us and to our communities to help ground us.

Wrapped around the Medicine Wheel is a tree which also embodies the cyclical nature of life, as it sheds its leaves in the fall only to be reborn with fresh foliage in the spring. The tree also represents a connection to the land and our ancestors who are helping to guide us in this work.

The youth holding hands stand as a powerful representation of empowered voices, shaping their own futures. This inclusion underscores the Foundation’s dedication to amplifying Black, Indigenous, and youth voices.

A connecting line weaves through the elements, symbolizing the interconnected nature of the Foundation’s work and its commitment to building bridges between partners and communities, fostering ongoing dialogue and collaboration.

Surrounding the artwork, vibrant florals bloom, signifying growth, renewal, and the interconnectedness of all living things, serving as a poignant reminder of the beauty and resilience inherent in nature and the communities served.

Acknowledgements:

The Fruits of our Labors

This artwork shows hands holding ripe fruits surrounded by colourful flowers. It’s a visual reminder of the good things that come from hard work, and the fruits of our labour.

The hands represent the effort we put into our work. They’re holding the fruits, which symbolize the results of our hard work and dedication.

The strawberries in my community are called the “heart berry.” They stand for love, compassion, and connection. Some teachings say the heart-shaped leaves of the strawberry plant remind us to care for each other and build strong communities.

Blueberries are important too. They symbolize wisdom, protection, and living in harmony with nature. They’re tough little berries that grow in rough places, teaching us about resilience and strength.

The flowers around the fruits and hands add a touch of beauty and remind us of the cycles of life and nature.

This artwork is a reminder that our hard work can bring good things, and it also teaches us important lessons about love, wisdom, and living in harmony with the world around us.

Impact Investment: BKR Capital

In this artwork, a tree symbolizing innovation stands adorned with vibrant technology branches in red, yellow, green, and black, echoing the Rastafarian colors. Roots of Innovation embodies the mission of the BKR Black Innovation Fund, dedicated to fostering Black entrepreneurship in tech.

BKR Capital nurtures the seeds of innovation by investing in promising Black founders, and providing vital resources. Through strategic partnerships, mentorship, and funding opportunities, BKR empowers Black youth to thrive in the tech landscape.

The Rastafarian colors carry significance: red for the struggle for liberation, yellow for Africa’s wealth, green for the land’s beauty, and black for community strength. By weaving these colors into the branches, the artwork celebrates the cultural heritage driving innovation in Black communities.

Indigenous Youth and Community
Futures Fund: Auntie’s Place

In the heart of a celestial scene, an Auntie embraces girls, each embodying one of the Seven Grandfather Teachings: love, respect, bravery, honesty, humility, truth, and wisdom. Surrounding them are delicate florals, symbolizing growth and resilience.

Auntie’s Place honors the vital role of Aunties in Indigenous communities. The Auntie, akin to a mother in Haudenosaunee culture, offers guidance and care, fostering kinship ties that endure for generations.

I intentionally chose purple for this piece to represent the Black community, signifying resilience and pride. It reminds us of the strength of Black heritage, interwoven with Indigenous traditions. In the sky of purple, I’ve interwoven the northern lights as they dance across, a teaching given to me by my Elders. The Northern Lights represent the energy and beauty orchestrated by our ancestors. Thus, showing the Afro-Indigenous community shining through in this piece.

The Empowerment Circle at Auntie’s Place empowers Afro-Indigenous youth through cultural teachings and workshops led by Elders. They connect with their roots and community, culminating in a journey to Six Nations for ceremony and tradition.

Aunties Love Heals All celebrates the transformative power of love and community. In Auntie’s Place, every embrace is a testament to healing, empowerment, and belonging.

Youth Action Fund: Restoration and Empowerment for Social Transition Centres

The Youth Action Fund prioritizes storytelling designed to mobilize youth with lived experience of homelessness and housing insecurity to tell their stories from a place of empowerment, rather than victimhood. The Youth Action Fund has a program called Strength in Storytelling: My Story, My Power which aims to share stories that empower youth to see that they are more than their trauma and that they have built power through what they have overcome. In this artwork, I wanted to portray this by showing two Black youth standing side by side, their faces uplifted with determination and resilience. Each youth is depicted with their mouth open, symbolizing their voice being heard. Emerging from their mouths is a vibrant stream of energy, representing the power and impact of their voices.

Overall, the artwork encapsulates the theme of empowerment and resilience, highlighting the transformative power of story-telling and the importance of amplifying marginalized voices.

Youth Collective Impact: Oakville Community Foundation

In the center of this artwork, a person symbolizes the diverse youth of our community. They are surrounded by three essential elements of wellbeing, our mind, body and spirit, each representing Indigenous teachings and vital aspects of holistic health.

A line extends to the Eagle, representing love and our mind, emphasizing emotional well-being and connection. The Eagle also represents transportation, much like how Youth Collective Impact is assisting youth transitioning out of care, and physical transportation – the Eagle transports our prayers to the Creator as they are closest to the Creator. Another line reaches towards a smudge bowl and rattle, symbolizing our body and the importance of physical health and spiritual cleansing. A third line connects to a tipi and lodge, embodying shelter and our spirit, highlighting safety and cultural identity.

This artwork is a visual representation of the collaborative efforts of Youth Collective Impact, the Oakville Community  Foundations project, and insights from Sheridan College’s Community Development Faculty research. Through this project, they address the multifaceted challenges faced by youth in the Halton region, including homelessness and the lack of support for those transitioning out of care. Thus, reconnecting youth to their mind, body, and spirit is integral to our being.

We would like to recognize the many contributors to this report, including Kinmond Smith (Designer), Grace Swain (Artist), Jean Boampong (Copywriter), and Dimitra Chronopoulos (Editor).