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Building the Foundations for Successful Living

Education – Health – Community

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to our Nationwide Multicultural Helpline & Services for Children, Youth, Families, School Boards & other youth serving organizations. First established by volunteers in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1992, since 2003 in Ontario and now Canada-wide! Black Youth Helpline (BYH) has been grounded in a spirit of service to others.

The key lesson learned from our experience is that a focus on primary prevention (upstream interventions) is needed in order to help youth grow into productive adults. Primary prevention aims to prevent disease or injury before it ever occurs. This is the Mission of the Black Youth Helpline!

It is in this spirit of purpose and a passionate commitment to community wellbeing that our organization has thrived into a National Helpline for Canadian Youth and families.

About BYH

Black Youth Helpline serves all youth and specifically responds to the need for a Black youth specific service, positioned and resourced to promote access to professional, culturally appropriate support for youth, families and schools.

Services are driven by the voices of participants who contact the “Helpline.” How can I help you? Are therefore not simply spoken words. We are passionate about making a difference.

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Our Objectives

To help prevent social, emotional and psychological breakdown and ultimately violence and crime in the youth population.

To ensure access to needed professional assessment, intervention, services and supports for youth and families. BYH focuses on understanding and addressing the root causes of problems.

To help maintain youth in the regular school system or to guide youth in other development education activities.

To provide a culturally appropriate and relevant nucleus of professional and social support for youth, families and schools.

In service to our communities, BYH focuses on three (3) key strategic pillars

Education

Stay in school and get an education. With an education all goals are attainable.

Health

Our greatest wealth! Nurturing a healthy mind, body and spirit is a core foundation for success.

Community

Sharing and caring about others impacts lives and is the greatest gift to humanity and society.

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Testimonials

“We live in a world that is not always kind, just or fair particularly towards our black children because of stereotypes and racism. Thank you Black Youth Helpline for what you have done to support my son and myself through these most difficult times regarding his education. It was a blessing to receive this kind of support. The burden imposed on myself as a parent to advocate on my son’s behalf was most difficult…the Black Youth Helpline made much needed progress at the school board level by communicating in an effective way which allowed us to move forward.” Mother (2018-2019)

“As a young boy I was expelled from school in Manitoba and stayed at home for months. However, because of the Black Youth Helpline (BYH) instead of being at home doing nothing, I was able to participate in BYH home tutoring and Saturday School Program and the organization mediated with the school district on my behalf. BYH mentors helped me stay out of gangs and I graduated high school on time. I do not think I would be alive right now if Black Youth Helpline did not enter my life when they did. This organization is needed internationally, not only in Canada. I am now a father, able to assist my own children with the knowledge I gained and now working on my Master’s in Architectural Design.” From a youth (now young adult who benefitted from BYH 22 years ago).

“I did my student placement years ago with the Black Youth Helpline and what an insightful experience for a budding social service worker! The BYH team brought a lens that today when I look back, helped shape and mold the person I am today. In fact, I completed my Social Services Worker diploma and went on to complete my social work degree. During placement I was able to attend community group sessions, learn the intake and referral process, be involved with networking and meetings as well as get a chance to see operational functioning of the Helpline. BYH provided me with a safe space, I learned about spiritual health and wellness and how vital this is not only as a woman of colour but as a child of God. I am currently now working in the social work field to this day.” Past Social Services Worker placement student from Seneca College.

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International Inquiries

Together, we can promote primary prevention approaches that help address the root causes of social breakdown at the local level.

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