Corporate in the Community

Doing our part, together

EcoFriendly, together

As part of our work to better engage our corporate supporters, our team developed three workshops that partnering companies and their employees can participate in to learn more about the work we do and our impact, along with the opportunity to pack Creativity Kits for distribution to families in need.  This year, we piloted a 90-minute with corporate supporter Citibank that offered participants an overview of the relationship between colonial settlers and Indigenous peoples in Canada, the intergenerational trauma and continued harm inflicted by the Indian Residential School system and ongoing systemic oppression toward Indigenous people, the importance of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 calls to action, and steps that settlers and non-Indigenous people can take to building a more just and inclusive future. The pilot was well-received by participants, and we are utilizing their feedback to further improve and expand on the workshop offerings. We greatly look forward to future corporate engagement opportunities to connect more deeply with the wonderful folks who support us. Through Citi, we delivered 100 kits to Indigenous youth in the community of Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, who were affected by the devastating discovery of unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Residential School site. Through Odlum Brown, we delivered 200 kits to youth affected by the fires that occurred in Lytton to support the community’s efforts in providing access to materials for families who were displaced.

With the continuation of online programming this year, our BC team developed and piloted a hybrid program model that combined our Creativity Kits with our Learn Create Explore Online programming, offering youth the opportunity to engage with unique materials that were curated in collaboration with a selection of local artist-educators. Students from two downtown eastside schools plus students from the Surrey Community Schools after-school cohorts were able to receive these custom kits and participate in workshops with the artist-educators. Through Aviva’s Vancouver location, 100 kits were distributed to children facing food insecurity via our community partner Backpack Buddies. 

Additionally, our Creativity Kits reached families in Toronto’s Moss Park and Regent Park neighbourhoods, as well as families north of the city in the Meaford and Collingwood area. Thanks to a partnership with Aviva’s Markham office, our team developed a special edition “eco-kit” version of our standard Creativity Kits, focusing on sustainable materials and eco-friendly activities. These kits were distributed to in-need families in the Moss Park area via our community partner, Building Roots. Through the support of the Toronto Ski Club, kits were also distributed at an annual holiday event for families facing economic hardship in the Meaford and Collingwood areas north of the GTA. 

Thrive Youth Development Canada
@ CSI Regent Park
585 Dundas Street East, 3rd Floor
Toronto, ON M5A 2B7

Email: info@thriveyouth.ca

Telephone: 1-866-229-3496