Find your Voice

20 years of engaging the power of stories for youth mental health.

Speak. Inspire. Change.

For Youth By Youth

Promoting youth mental health and well-being to increase the resiliency of youth facing challenges. Through leadership, training, and sharing personal stories, YouthSpeak empowers youth to build resilience, hope, and coping strategies in challenging times such as now.

OUR

Impact

2003-2024

Students Reached

0 K+

Speaking events held

0 +

Youth Leaders Trained

0 +

Youth
Programs

Youth-led, interactive assemblies and workshops for primary grades to post-secondary.

Caring Adult
Workshops

Workshops for parents, educators and other caring adults on how to support youth.

Youth Training
& Employment

Employment opportunity for youth with lived experience related to mental health and other challenges.

Podcast, Videos
& Resources

Conversations with trained youth speakers and subject-matter experts on relevant topics for youth mental health & well-being.

Corporate
Workshops

Learning opportunity to improve Equity and Wellness strategies in the workplace.

Programs

Engage for Good.

Youth Mental Health; Inclusivity; Anti-Racism; Anti-Homophobia; Bullying Prevention; Substance Use; Online Overdrive; Empowering Minds; Empowering Young Women; Gender Inclusivity; Self-Care Toolkit; Public Speaking; Confident Me (Plan Canada)

Our Mission

To create important conversations promoting well-being, compassion and hope, by empowering youth to share personal stories and coping strategies through in-person and online presentations.

Our Vision

For all youth to be inspired and empowered to live resilient and meaningful lives.

Outcomes

Increase Self-Worth
Increase Empathy
Increase Resilience
Increase Awareness of Mental Health Resources

School Boards

York Region District School Board
Toronto District School Board
Simcoe County District School Board
York Catholic District School Board
Toronto Catholic District School Board

Program Feedback

“Youthspeak provides a deepened understanding of important topics through story telling. Speakers provide a firsthand glimpse into their world and the impact of positive and negative experiences. A safe space is created where students can ask questions publicly and privately. Students walk away with important information about respect, inclusion, and kindness along with resources. Thank you Youthspeak for making a difference for our students!”

I think that it flowed perfectly. I loved the speakers! Loved the poll and breathing exercise- such a great tool for engagement in the presentation. I was really impressed!

“YouthSpeak did a wonderful job at our parent engagement event at our school. The facilitators shared personal stories that were relevant and highlighted some of the pitfalls of social media and gaming apps and the importance of parents learning more about the functionality of apps that they are allowing their children to use. Other strategies that focused on healthy communication with children were also discussed. We would definitely consider YouthSpeak for another event.” –

The youth speakers on Understanding Mental Health were so brave. They each had their own story to tell which is not easy to speak about their life struggles. There were a lot references and feedback on Mental Health given that tells us there is hope. On behalf of the Emily Carr School Council, thank you for a presentation well done.

"What a positive experience this was as part of the overall day. The YouthSpeak team landed in our community and engaged young community members in a fun and informative way. Their energy, confidence and vulnerability were contagious in the room. I’m so glad that we connected and were able to make this happen! Your organization is doing extremely important work and I hope it will continue to grow and reach more young people.”

“Wow. Just wow. The presenters were phenomenal and the feedback from staff and students is overwhelmingly positive! Thank you for working so closely with us to facilitate this (and upcoming events!) We will be telling everyone who listens what a fabulous resource and opportunity this is!!”

Belly breathing, Squishy Squeezy, Worry Leaves…thank you Asma and Alex the fantastic YouthSpeak workshop facilitators for helping our younger students and their families build their Self-Care Toolkits during our virtual workshop.

My company organized a webinar in celebration of Black History Month. The theme was Creating a More Inclusive Environment. I found the webinar to be really informative covering topics like microaggressions, intent v. impact, allyship and equity v. equality. The speakers shared personal stories, and I was very impressed with their candor. I’d like to thank YouthSpeak for devoting their time to provide the session. I learned a lot and am very grateful.

Thank you so much Una for such a wonderful experience; it has been a true pleasure working with you. There have been nothing but positive responses from students and staff this morning after both presentations. I already have staff who are asking if I can order feelings wheels for their classrooms. Lolita and Shabnam were so professional, accommodating and certainly inspirational for our kids. I will certainly give amazing feedback to anyone else in our board who is wanting to book with your organization. Thanks again for what you do and for your team who make a true difference for youth.

We found the presentation very meaningful and age-appropriate. We believe the stories provided were very relatable for the young girls which made them very effective. Some quotes from the girls after the workshops: “Feeling amazing”, “To be honest I feel great”, “Amazing”, “Happy”, “Good” and “Feeling loved”. Some of the key takeaways was boosting their confidence and mood. They were able to learn ways to love themselves and know how they are beautiful on the inside. Thank you for working with us to help these young girls, they really benefited and loved the workshop

“The speakers were super engaging and the stories they shared were powerful and relevant for the students. The students participated actively and asked good questions. It was an awesome experience!”

Hearing another voice other than their teachers was very impactful and a great tool for teachers to anchor students back to. The resources shared will be helpful to give students visual reminders about strategies they can use or supports they can access. I’ve seen Youth Speak present in person and online. I felt that was extremely responsive to the current situation and to support student’s mental health. The resources shared pre- and post- presentation were excellent and easy to use. Keep doing what you’re doing and thank you for doing what you do

The information shared in the presentation was very useful. It was extremely engaging for our clients, and I really appreciated how easy it was to follow along/understand given the age and needs of our clients. I think what the client’s enjoyed the most is being able to relate to the speakers stories, a lot of them shared similar experiences in the chat. The short breathing exercise we did as a group was also a nice and engaging activity for the youth.

Tyanna and Garrett's presentation was educational and insightful for us as facilitators and program participants. The structure of the presentation told through the storytelling narrative kept the workshop engaging and relatable. In addition, the activities invited program participants to pause and reflect on the topics of body image and peer pressure. We would recommend the Online Overdrive workshop to all students within after-school programs!

We had the amazing facilitators with YouthSpeak presenting to our grade 1-3 students at Humbercrest this morning. The whole hour kept us active, engaged, and inspired. I loved it and I could see the gleeful and shining faces of my students throughout. With over 140 participants, it was a roaring success.

The Empowering Minds presentation was beautifully presented, with a clear structure and objective. The stories that the presenters shared were powerful and seemed to really resonate with the students. The room was silent when the stories were being shared! The students were raptured! I think there is such power in story and provides that little bit of extra weight to the strategies suggested because they have been tried and work. I think the presenters did an amazing job of pulling out the strategies they used and sharing them with the students.

ust wanted to send a warm thank you to Lolita, Garrett and Emma for that excellent presentation, and to Una for organizing. We are so consistently happy with the presentations put on by Youthspeak - you are doing such great work and you are helping so many of our students!

I have had the privilege of working with YouthSpeak for many years and in many capacities. Most recently, I am a member of the Canadian Federation of University Women and I am the chair of a new initiative - GEN NEXT. With this role, we hope to engage younger women, 18+, who are looking to learn, lead and achieve. YouthSpeak’s presentation on “Mental Health and Empowering Young Women” proved to be completely aligned with the GEN NEXT vision. Young women speaking to other young women is nothing short of relatable, relevant, engaging and empowering! Thank you YouthSpeak!

Members from the Youthspeak team spoke to our gr. 8 students in our Transition Program. Their presentation was well organized, thoughtful, and very informative. The students were engaged in online activities and heard heartfelt stories from the speakers. Thank you, Youthspeak for providing our students with strategies and tools to help with their mental health.

The presentation was excellent at providing our students an overview of Grade 9 and key strategies and advice that would be useful to any incoming Grade 9 student. The presenters were very welcoming and engaging. Our students listened attentively and had questions and positive comments that they were willing to share. The real-life stories that were shared by the speakers were so important for our students. Their messages of perseverance and determination resonated with our students and gave them hope for the future.

Thank you for sending us Lolita, Angelica, and Pratheep. Their message was powerful and their information and tips were very helpful. The students had wonderful feedback.

Life-changing
events.

Dec

Romeo Dallaire PS Maple

December 10

Dec

Reeser Park PS Markham

December 11

Dec

JVS Toronto

December 12

Dec

The York School, Toronto

December 17

Jan

Wendat Village PS IN-PERSON (99 Reeves Way Blvd., Stouffville)

January 7, 2025

Blogs & Resources

September 5, 2024

Why Music Unites People

April 29, 2024

Art Therapist Explains Art Therapy: A Guide

April 15, 2024

YouthSpeak is the Love Ethic – Open Letter by Social Work Placement Student

March 22, 2024

Social Worker Debunks Trauma Myths

Real People.
Real Talk.

One-on-one open and meaningful conversations with youth, caring adults and mental health professionals for insight into youth mental health to help youth find their voice.

Let's Talk

Contact Information

Diversity, Equity & Inclusivity

YouthSpeak acknowledges the importance of creating spaces that affirm the lived experiences and identities of people impacted by all forms of oppression. We understand the impact that oppression has on the everyday lives of Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, Women and 2SLGBTQIA+ and Neurodivergent populations. We aim to create a safer space for students to learn with us. In order to achieve this goal, we are committed to delivering presentations from an equitable and anti-oppressive lens. We will continue to reflect on what this means.

Find your Voice

Speak. Inspire. Change.

For Youth By Youth