Young people today are growing up in a complex and uncertain world. In Canada, youth face a unique set of challenges: rising mental health concerns, barriers to education and employment, systemic racism, intergenerational poverty, and a climate crisis that weighs heavily on their future. For marginalized and underserved communities, these challenges are compounded by a lack of access to support systems, mentors, and safe spaces.
According to Statistics Canada, nearly 800,000 youth aged 15 to 24 are not in education, employment, or training (NEET), and youth unemployment rates remain almost double the national average. At the same time, mental health concerns have soared, with more than 1 in 4 Canadian youth reporting symptoms of anxiety or depression. These are not just statistics—they represent real lives at risk of being left behind.
But this generation is also one of the most vocal, creative, and justice-oriented in Canadian history. They’re demanding change, and they’re ready to lead it. Across the country, a growing network of charities is stepping up to meet youth where they are—offering mentorship, leadership training, education access, and emotional support that creates real and lasting impact.
The six organizations featured below are empowering youth to thrive on their own terms, with dignity, agency, and hope.
Pathways to Education: Breaking the Cycle of Poverty Through Education
Pathways to Education is one of Canada’s most recognized and effective nonprofits working to close the opportunity gap for low-income youth. Their award-winning program supports high school students living in communities where dropout rates are high and access to post-secondary education is limited. Pathways’ holistic model offers a combination of academic tutoring, financial support (like transit and lunch vouchers), and one-on-one mentorship throughout a student’s high school journey.
The results speak volumes. In Pathways communities, high school graduation rates have increased by up to 85%, and students are nearly twice as likely to pursue post-secondary education. Active in more than 30 communities from Halifax to Winnipeg to Vancouver, Pathways is helping break intergenerational cycles of poverty—one diploma at a time.
Donating to Pathways helps fund direct supports like school supplies, mentorship training, and career-readiness workshops. It’s not just about getting youth through school—it’s about helping them believe they belong there.
Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada (BGC): Safe Spaces to Grow and Belong
BGC Canada (formerly Boys and Girls Clubs) is one of the longest-standing and most trusted youth organizations in the country. With over 700 locations serving 200,000 children and teens annually, BGC offers after-school programming, summer camps, meal programs, mental health support, and leadership training—especially in communities with limited resources.
BGC’s model is grounded in the belief that every child deserves a safe place to belong. Their programs are low- or no-cost and focus on inclusion, accessibility, and empowerment. From homework help and sports to youth councils and employment training, BGC nurtures the whole child—body, mind, and spirit.
Many alumni of BGC credit the clubs with changing their lives, providing their first mentors, and helping them envision a different future. Donations help maintain these safe, welcoming spaces and support thousands of trained staff who guide youth toward their full potential.
Youth Climate Lab: Equipping the Next Generation of Climate Leaders
The climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges facing today’s youth—and Youth Climate Lab exists to ensure they’re not just reacting to it, but leading the response. Based in Ottawa and operating globally, this youth-led organization supports young people in designing, launching, and scaling climate solutions through policy advocacy, storytelling, and social innovation.
Youth Climate Lab prioritizes the inclusion of racialized, Indigenous, and underserved youth in climate work. Their programs range from fellowships and creative labs to policy boot camps and international collaborations. In 2022 alone, they supported over 4,000 young people through their digital and in-person initiatives.
A donation to Youth Climate Lab helps train the climate leaders of tomorrow, fund youth-led innovation projects, and support a just transition to a greener future. Supporting this organization means putting real power behind youth-driven environmental action.
Eva’s Initiatives for Homeless Youth: Shelter and Support for Youth in Crisis
For many young people, empowerment begins with having a safe place to sleep. Eva’s Initiatives for Homeless Youth operates emergency shelters, transitional housing, and support programs for youth aged 16 to 24 who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Toronto.
Eva’s offers far more than just beds. Their wraparound services include mental health support, job training, harm reduction programs, and life skills workshops. They also provide support for LGBTQ2S+ youth, newcomer youth, and those exiting the foster care or juvenile justice systems—groups disproportionately represented among homeless populations.
Every night, more than 6,000 youth in Canada experience homelessness. Eva’s helps change that reality by offering stability, opportunity, and belonging. A donation can fund everything from hygiene kits and winter gear to counseling and rent subsidies. It’s a tangible way to say: we see you, we care, and we believe in your future.
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The Students Commission of Canada: Youth Voices Leading the Way
The Students Commission of Canada (SCC) is a national organization that places young people at the center of decision-making. Through research, dialogue, and partnership, SCC creates spaces for youth to speak up about the issues that matter to them—from mental health and education to reconciliation and public policy.
Founded on the principle of “youth-adult partnerships,” SCC works with schools, nonprofits, and governments to ensure youth are not just consulted, but genuinely empowered to lead. Their approach is grounded in the Four Pillars of Meaningful Youth Engagement: Respect, Listen, Understand, and Communicate. From national youth summits to community action projects, SCC enables young leaders to influence policy, challenge inequality, and co-create programs that reflect lived experience.
SCC also runs a national network called the Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement, which evaluates what works in youth programs and amplifies youth-driven solutions. A donation to SCC supports research, event coordination, and the participation of youth from underserved communities across the country. This is what youth leadership looks like in action—authentic, informed, and powerful.
YWCA Canada: Empowering Girls, Women, and Gender-Diverse Youth
As one of Canada’s oldest and most influential women’s organizations, YWCA Canada is at the forefront of empowering young women and gender-diverse youth through a combination of advocacy, programming, and support services. With over 30 member associations across the country, YWCA reaches more than 330,000 people annually through leadership development, housing, employment training, and violence prevention programs.
YWCA’s work with youth includes initiatives like GirlSpace—safe, inclusive after-school programs for girls aged 12 to 17—and the Think Big! Lead Now! leadership institute, which provides training and mentorship for young feminists and social change-makers. Their programming often centers the voices of racialized, newcomer, Indigenous, and LGBTQ2S+ youth, recognizing the layered barriers these groups face.
Importantly, YWCA doesn’t just offer individual support—it also advocates for structural change, pushing for policies that protect young people’s rights to safety, dignity, and equal opportunity. Your donation helps fund frontline youth services, support crisis response teams, and sustain the advocacy work that ensures no young person is left behind because of who they are or where they come from.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Empowering youth is more than an ideal—it’s an investment in Canada’s future. When young people have access to education, shelter, mental health care, mentorship, and leadership opportunities, entire communities thrive. But this kind of empowerment doesn’t happen by accident. It requires consistent, thoughtful action at every level—individual, organizational, and governmental.
Start by donating to one of the charities listed in this article. Your support could fund a teen’s school supplies, provide a safe shelter for a homeless youth, or offer the mentorship that sparks a young leader’s lifelong journey. These organizations rely on recurring donations to maintain stability and grow their impact over time.
Consider volunteering your time or skills. Many youth charities welcome adult allies to help run programs, mentor students, fundraise, or support operations. Even a few hours a month can make a difference in a young person’s life.
Share the work of these organizations on social media, within your school or workplace, and among your community. Awareness fuels visibility—and visibility fuels support. Let others know that youth empowerment isn’t just an issue for politicians or professionals—it’s something we all can champion.
Stay informed about the issues facing youth today: learn about the impacts of poverty, racism, climate anxiety, and housing insecurity. When you understand these systems, you’re better equipped to challenge them.
Finally, vote with youth in mind. Advocate for policies that fund youth mental health, equitable education, Indigenous self-determination, and climate justice. Young people are often excluded from the policy decisions that shape their lives. You can help shift that power dynamic by using your vote and your voice to back equitable, youth-driven change.
Final Thoughts
Young people are not the leaders of tomorrow—they are leaders right now. Every day, across Canada, they are challenging injustice, building community, caring for their peers, and imagining new futures. What they need is not pity or paternalism. They need trust. They need support. And they need a society that sees their potential and helps them unlock it.
Thanks to organizations like Pathways to Education, BGC Canada, Youth Climate Lab, Eva’s Initiatives, the Students Commission of Canada, and YWCA Canada, this work is already underway. These charities are offering young people more than just programs—they are offering platforms, power, and purpose. They are helping young people feel seen, heard, and valued in a world that too often pushes them to the margins.
When you support these organizations, you’re investing in futures that might otherwise be cut short. You’re making it possible for a student to graduate, for a teen to find safety, for a young person to speak out and be believed. You’re helping build a world where more young people get to dream big—and have the tools to follow through.
And that support doesn’t have to be grand to be meaningful. It might look like a monthly donation, a volunteer shift, a shared social media post, or a conversation that changes someone’s perspective. It might be showing up—not just once, but again and again—so that young people know they are not alone in their struggle or their ambition.
In a time when the world can feel fractured, investing in youth is one of the most hopeful, practical, and powerful things we can do. Because when young people are empowered to lead, they don’t just transform their own lives. They transform their schools, their cities, their communities—and, ultimately, the country we all share.
The next generation isn’t waiting. They’re already moving forward. Let’s make sure they don’t have to do it alone.
