The Institute for Youth Health and Development (IYHD) is a youth and young professional led non- profit organization that strives to improve the health and well-being of racialized, immigrant, and newcomer/refugee youth in the city of Toronto and beyond. We seek to do this through innovative, evidence-based projects, programs, and advocacy efforts that aim to:

  1.  Increase the presence of youth voice in policy and service design/delivery,

  2. Bridge the gap in communication and foster collaboration between the youth serving sectors (settlement, health, and cultural sectors)

  3. Increase the civic engagement and capacity of vulnerable population youth.

The Institute for Youth Health and Development operates on the belief that in order to effectively target and serve a population, the population absolutely must be a part of the conversation. We strongly advocate for the recognition of ‘youth’ as a competency

 

 

Our Values

 
 

 

Our Focus

We hope to bridge the gap in communication between the health, settlement, and youth sectors, working to highlight the inequitable experiences of these youth in the Canadian healthcare system, eradicating barriers to access, and creating effective allyship within the diverse Toronto youth community. Intersectionality minded & culturally-informed design will be at the forefront of all of our work, as well as peer to peer mentorship.