Across the GTA, not-for-profit organizations are already providing these supports. The challenge is scale. Most are chronically underfunded, relying on short-term project grants and overstretched staff to meet growing needs. Meanwhile, incarceration in Canada costs more than C$100,000 per youth per year. Redirecting even a fraction of those funds into preventative community programming would reduce crime, lower costs, and save lives.

Local back-to-school drives, mutual aid networks and community-led programs show that solidarity, not charity, is the key to lasting change.In Scarborough, generosity isn’t just seasonal. It’s woven into the calendar.It’s the small grassroots organizations in Scarborough that run local back-to-school drives where kids leave not only with backpacks and notebooks but also fresh haircuts or braids so they can walk into class feeling confident. It’s the Christmas grocery and toy drives that turn com...

A youth mentorship program opens the door for a quiet teenager to discover confidence, leadership, and a place where he truly belongs.

A young mother’s journey from isolation to hope, and how one community program gave her the support to not just survive; but thrive.