Component: Youth Initiatives

Legislation: Child, Youth and Family Services Act (CYFSA), 2017

Purpose of program

To improve the emotional well-being of children and youth by increasing access to consistent, caring mentors.

Service objectives

Through the mentorship relationship, the Youth Mentorship Program (YMP) helps youth participants make healthy and safe choices, increase their resiliency and make progress towards their goals in one or more of the following outcome streams

  1. Employment/entrepreneurship
  2. Educational achievement
  3. Civic engagement/leadership; and/or
  4. Cultural identity

Each program may be targeted to one or more of the outcomes streams.

Service description

Target population

Each local mentorship initiative is targeted to meet the needs of a specific population of high-risk youth. As a result, each initiative is highly tailored to the target population. The target population for the program is high-risk youth (ages 6-29).

Definition of ‘high-risk’ youth

High-risk youth are young people who often experience poorer outcomes and/or are at higher risk of antisocial behaviour.

Depending on the unique circumstances of each target community, “high-risk youth” may include populations such as visible minority youth, newcomer youth, Indigenous youth, youth in or leaving care, youth living in poverty, youth in conflict with the law, youth with disabilities or special needs, 2SLGBTQQIA+ youth, Francophone youth, and youth living in rural and remote communities.

Youth who are members of one or more of the above-described sub-populations of youth, experience an intersection of one or more of these identities and/or who have experienced additional risk factors (bullying, family conflict, having a sibling or family member in conflict with the law, etc.) are considered high-risk.

Black Youth Action Plan

The Black Youth Action Plan (BYAP) works toward eliminating systemic, race-based disparities by increasing opportunities for Black children, youth and families across the province.

Some agencies are designated to deliver the Youth Mentorship Program as part of BYAP.

Services provided

Each local mentorship initiative will provide the following services.

  1. Recruitment and selection of mentors and mentees, including
  • A consistent process for the recruitment and selection of both potential mentors and mentees
  • Security screening and the completion of a vulnerable sector police background check for mentors
  • Consideration of the importance of ethno-cultural identity and social background of both mentees and mentors (e.g., language, cultural competency)
  • A minimum time commitment, including a minimum number of hours per week /month and a minimum number of months/years in total for mentors and mentees
  1. Training of mentors, including
  • An evidence-based training process to familiarize mentors with the mentorship relationship and learn skills that will contribute to a successful match
  • Training materials based on available, culturally appropriate evidence (e.g. Toolkit on Effective Mentoring for Youth Facing Barriers to Success available at Ontario Mentoring Coalition); and
  • Supporting mentors to have a strong understanding of the developmental needs of young people and access to relevant supplementary resources
  1. Develop mentorship model and implement mentorship matching through:
  • A clear mentorship model (e.g., one-to-one mentorship, group mentorship, peer- to-peer mentorship, hybrid of models)
  • Matching processes be based on available evidence successful practices and that reflect the mentorship model (e.g., consideration of age, interests, cultural and other identities, etc.)
  • Matching processes that ensure that both mentors and mentees feel comfortable with their match and have opportunities to get to know each other in safe and comfortable environments
  1. Assess mentee goals, develop service plans and deliver activities that will be undertaken by mentors and mentees to achieve those goals, including
  • A consistent approach to assessing mentee goals and developing plans with mentees and mentors to achieve those goals
  • Delivering regularly scheduled activities that are aligned with the program outcomes and support mentees in achieving their goals
  • Ensuring youth voice is embedded in the development of service plans and activities
  • Ensuring activities for Black youth are culturally focused and delivered through an anti-Black racism lens
  1. Ongoing mentorship supports, including
  • Clearly defined issues identification and management process to support a successful mentorship relationship
  • Provision of funds for mentorship related activities that support the service plan developed between the mentee and mentor to achieve identified goal(s)
  1. When necessary, providing timely and relevant referrals to outside services to support improved outcomes for youth participants (e.g., mental health, housing, employment, youth outreach workers, educational partners, etc.)

Service targets

The target number of youth served by each initiative will vary depending on the unique program model.

Governance, accountability and service system requirements

Expectations of agencies

The Agency (service agreement holder with the ministry) will establish and build both informal and formal inter-agency linkages and/or partnerships to strengthen/enhance neighbourhood/community service infrastructure. The Agency is expected to:

  • Provide for effective delivery of YMP programming
  • Provide financial and service performance reporting, including submission of required and requested reports within established timeframes. This includes quantitative and/or qualitative data (including Identity-Based Data) requested by the ministry. If requested, participate in program and service evaluation initiatives established by the ministry
  • Reporting serious occurrences involving mentors and youth participants to the ministry as per the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services Serious Occurrence Reporting Guidelines, 2019
  • Developing appropriate policies and procedures for protecting the privacy of personal information with respect to the collection, use, disclosure and access to such information contained in records. The policies and procedures that are developed by the agency shall comply with Part 6 of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, 2002 (YCJA) when the information and records relate to young persons as defined by the YCJA, and the confidentiality provisions relating to children who are the subject of a child welfare proceeding under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, and the privacy provisions under Part X of the CYFSA, once they come into force

If the Agency employs and/or purchases services through service delivery partners, the Agency will establish and document (e.g., via memoranda of agreement) the roles and responsibilities of the parties (i.e., division of labour and respective accountability, etc.), and processes and procedures to address any issues that may arise.

Reporting requirements

The following service data will be collected during the fiscal/reporting year (from April 1to March 31) and reported reported through the Interim and Final Reports.

Service Data NameDefinition
# of Individuals Served: YMPUnique, or unduplicated, count of all individuals (i.e., mentors, mentees, youth without a mentor) who participated in the YMP Program in the reporting period.
# of YouthThe total number of individual youth who participated in the program during the reporting period. Note: This number should also include youth who participated in program activities but do not have a mentor.
# of MentorsThe total number of mentors who participated in the program during the reporting period.
# of MatchesThe number of individual youth participants (mentees) who were matched and had at least one meeting with a mentor during the reporting period. The total is cumulative and includes both ongoing and new matches that were active during the reporting period.
# of New Mentorship MatchesThe number of individual youth participants who were newly matched and had at least one meeting with a mentor during the reporting period.
# of Youth: Waitlisted: YMPThe number of youth who were not enrolled in YMP Program in the reporting period because the program was at capacity. This is a snapshot figure at the end of the reporting period.
# of Youth: Waitlisted mentor availability: YMPThe number of youth who could not participate because there were not enough mentors to be matched with during the reporting period. This is a snapshot figure at the end of the reporting period.
# of Mentees Who Describe Positive  Mentor/Mentee Relationship(s)The number of youth who participated in YMP program during the reporting period and identified their mentorship relationship(s) as positive. To ensure participants’ privacy, data should be collected through an anonymous survey.
# of Mentors Who Describe Positive Mentor/Mentee Relationship(s)The number of mentors who participated in YMP program during the reporting period and identified their mentee relationship(s) as positive. To ensure participants’ privacy, data should be collected through an anonymous survey.
# of Children: 6-11yrs The number of all individual child participants who are 6 to 11 years of age during the fiscal year. This category is based on child’s voluntary self-identification.
# of Youth: 12- 17yrsThe number of all individual youth participants who are 12 to 17 years of age during the fiscal year. This category is based on youth’s voluntary self-identification.
# of Youth: 18- 24yrsThe number of all individual youth participants who are 18 to 24 years of age during the fiscal year. This category is based on youth’s voluntary self-identification.
# of Youth: 25- 29yrsThe number of all individual youth participants who are 25 to 29 years of age during the fiscal year. This category is based on youth’s voluntary self-identification.
# of Youth:  Woman/Girl: YMPThe number of all individual youth participants during the fiscal year who identify as a woman/girl. This category is based on a youth’s voluntary self-identification.
# of Youth: Man/Boy: YMPThe number of all individual youth participants during the fiscal year who identify as a man/boy. This category is based on a youth’s voluntary self-identification.
# of Youth: Other Gender: YMPThe number of all individual youth participants during the fiscal year who do not identify as man/boy or woman/girl. This category is based on a youth’s voluntary self-identification.
# of Youth: LGBTQThe number of all individual youth participants during the fiscal year who identify as 2S2SLGBTQQIA+. This category is based on a youth’s voluntary self-identification.
# of Youth: First NationsThe number of all youth participants during the fiscal year who identify as First Nations. This category is based on a youth’s voluntary self-identification. Data collection should allow respondents to select more than one category.
# of Youth: MétisThe number of all youth participants during the fiscal year who identify as Métis. This category is based on a youth’s voluntary self-identification. Data collection should allow respondents to select more than one category.
# of Youth: InuitThe number of all youth participants during the fiscal year who identify as Inuit. This category is based on a youth’s voluntary self-identification. Data collection should allow respondents to select more than one category.
# of Youth: Urban IndigenousThe number of all youth participants during the fiscal year who identify as Urban Indigenous. This category is based on a youth’s voluntary self-identification. Data collection should allow respondents to select more than one category.
# of Youth: BlackThe number of all individual youth participants during the fiscal year who identify as Black (e.g., African, Afro-Caribbean, African-Canadian descent). This category is based on a youth’s voluntary self-identification. Data collection should allow respondents to select more than one category.
# of Youth: LatinxThe number of all individual youth participants during the fiscal year who identify as Latin American or Hispanic descent. This category is based on a youth’s voluntary self-identification. Data collection should allow respondents to select more than one category.
# of Youth: Canadian by naturalizationThe number of all individual youth participants during the fiscal year who are Canadian by naturalization. This category is based on a youth’s voluntary self-identification.
# of Youth: Not Canadian CitizenThe number of all individual youth participants during the fiscal year who do not hold Canadian citizenship. This category is based on a youth’s voluntary self-identification.
# of Youth: One or More Disabilities: YMPThe total number of individual youth participants during the fiscal year who identify as a person with one or more disabilities and may include: Seeing, Hearing, Mobility, Learning, Pain, Memory, Developmental, Mental/Psychological, Drug or alcohol dependence, Flexibility, Dexterity, Other.
Youth Mentorship Program: Ministry- funded Agency ExpendituresTotal ministry-funded expenses for the Transfer Payment Recipient to administer and/or deliver this program in the reporting year (cumulative).