DROP-IN SESSIONS

These monthly sessions will focus on encouraging the engagement of Black youth in various session formats that pertain to a variety of students’ interests and identities. These sessions will aim to empower and inspire Black youth to pursue their most authentic passions, while fostering confidence and inspiring them to create strong pathways whole being strong advocates for themselves and their communities.

These sessions, facilitated by Black organizers within our community, including mental health specialists, artists, community leaders, and other professionals, will work to support students and grow their skills in different subject areas. During these sessions, youth will be free to discuss various challenges they may be facing, such as racism, Islamophobia, homophobia, ableism, and other forms of oppression they may experience. Facilitators will be able to provide guidance, support, skills, resources and strategies to address a variety of challenges. Core topics and themes include:

• Mental Health safe-spaces and support
• Arts and Culture
• Queer Support, Advocacy and Safe-Spaces
• STEM programming (coding, etc)
• Mentorship
• Civic Engagement / Leadership
• Building a strong cultural identity

ONE-ON-ONE

The Black Youth Mentorship Programs One-on-One mentorship stream pairs professionals and community leaders directly with students. Youth aged 13 to 18 are matched with mentors whose background, experience, interests offer significant learning opportunities. The pair will connect on a weekly basis, with group mentorship events occurring monthly, in person or virtually. The nature of the relationship and advice is unique for each student. This ensures that the individual time, consideration, and attention that best fits their life, opportunities, and challenges.

If interested in being either a mentee or a mentor, click the respective link below

• Mentee Application Form
• Mentor Application Form

If you have any questions, comments or suggests, please feel free to contact HCCI’s Black Youth Mentorship Coordinators at bymp@hcci.ca.

BYMP Youth Council

The BYMP Youth Council is a dynamic and collaborative group that empowers Black youth to actively shape BYMP programming while building valuable skills. Council members have the opportunity to:

• Contribute to Program Development – Share ideas and help design impactful BYMP initiatives.
• Provide Program Feedback – Offer insights to improve our programs and services.
• Coordinate Events & Workshops – Plan and execute engaging activities for Black youth.
• Collaborate on Social Media – Generate creative content to enhance our online presence.

Members can earn volunteer hours while working in a supportive environment that fosters leadership, teamwork, and creativity. The Youth Council plays an important role in keeping our programming innovative, meaningful, and responsive to the needs of Black youth.

We’re always welcoming new participants—join our community!

Let’s Connect!  

We are always open to more suggestions for programming to incorporate, and would love to hear feedback from youth that have not yet connected with us on what types of resources and programming they would like to see; feel free to connect with us and reach out if you would like to be a part of this growing program on our instagram @bymphamilton and keep in touch with new events and updates coming up!  

If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback about our programming please email us at info@hcci.ca.