Youth REX

On May 7, 2026, YouthREX commemorated with a special online event featuring special guest Dr. Bianca Baldridge, Precarity and Promise: Youth Work as the Process of Futuring. The event continued a 10-year tradition of co-creating spaces for the Ontario youth sector to learn and reflect together on the possibilities and limitations of youth work.

✨ The event featured a specially commissioned spoken-word performance by award-winning poet, creative, and author Eddie Lartey.

In An Opus to Youth Workers, Eddie draws on metaphors and imagery about music to paint a picture of what youth workers do and what their work is really like.

📖 Read the full piece on the REX blog: https://youthrex.com/blog/an-opus-to-youth-workers/

To commemorate , we’re hosting a FREE online event continuing YouthREX’s 10-year tradition of co-creating spaces for the Ontario youth sector to learn, reflect, and imagine together the possibilities and limitations of youth work.

We’re honoured to welcome special guest Dr. Bianca Baldridge, Associate Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and co-founder of the Critical Youth Work Collective. Drawing from her new book Laboring in the Shadows: Precarity and Promise in Black Youth Work, Bianca’s presentation Precarity and Promise: Youth Work as the Process of Futuring will explore the significance, fragility, precarity, and power of youth work—and the essential role youth workers play in shaping possibilities for young people. She will also highlight the structural conditions shaping youth work today and ask what it means to sustain space for “futuring” amid precarity and pressure.

The event will also feature:

💬 A live Q&A and community dialogue with Bianca, where participants can share their experiences and explore transformative youth work practices grounded in structural realities.

🎤 A specially commissioned spoken-word performance by Eddie Lartey, award-winning poet, creative, and author, who uses musical metaphors and imagery to bring the realities of youth work vividly to life.

🗓️ Thursday, May 7 | 12 PM–2 PM (EDT)

Join us as we reflect, learn, and reimagine youth work together.

👉 Register for free: https://bit.ly/4tMmIgZ

🤖✨ Curious about AI and youth work?

Join us for a free interactive Ask Me Anything (AMA) session where you can ask questions, share your thoughts, and explore real-world applications of AI in youth work.

💭 We’ll be diving into questions like:
• How can we collect and use data responsibly while supporting young people?
• How do we maintain confidentiality when using AI-powered tools?
• How can AI be used in ways that centre equity and the unique needs of youth?
• Can AI help with admin tasks so we can focus more on building meaningful relationships?
• How might AI impact trust, empathy, and rapport?

🎤 Facilitated by Meena Das (she/her) —CEO, consultant, and facilitator of two practices: NamasteData and Data Is For Everyone.

👥 Guests from the following organizations will join the conversation to share their experiences and insights:

• Beat the Streets
• First Work
• Logical Outcomes
• University of Minnesota Extension’s Department of Youth Development

💬 Have a perspective to share? We’d love to hear from you — drop your thoughts below or connect with us!

🚀 Don’t miss out — register for free today! https://bit.ly/4lOZCmv

Today marks in Ontario.

Black youth mental health is a critical topic, as the emotional wellbeing of Black youth is both a response to and an outcome of structural inequities, systemic racism, and oppressive practices in the mental health sector.

The mental health of Black youth is disproportionately impacted by experiences of anti-Black racism, including stigma and marginalization, and by the lack of accessible, affordable, and culturally responsive supports that centre their lived experiences.

For Black youth to thrive, mental health care must:

➡️ Centre their lived experiences and be culturally affirming

➡️ Address systemic barriers and inequities

➡️ Create spaces that are safe, supportive, and celebrate all Black youth identities

➡️ Incorporate an anti-Black racism framework into mental health supports to transform oppressive practices and policies at the personal, professional, and organizational levels

Explore our Call-in-Cards for Anti-Black Racism in Action on Black Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing. Learn more about resources and actionable practices that integrate mental health literacy with an intersectional, healing-centred approach for Black youth to thrive.

Learn More: https://bit.ly/4u7mEsy

✨ We're excited to launch New Leaf Foundation’s Mindfulness Toolkit on Learn by YouthREX!

From 2007–2025, New Leaf supported youth mental, emotional, and physical health—addressing stress and its root causes.

Through YouthREX, these resources remain publicly accessible, including the Mindfulness Toolkit and other New Leaf resources on our Knowledge Hub.

YouthREX is proud to support the legacy of the New Leaf Foundation so that their resources can continue to have an impact on youth wellbeing.

Register to Access the Toolkit Today! https://bit.ly/3Obmi3B

🎶 Music as a Vehicle for Community Development 🎶

Music has long been a powerful tool for connection, expression, and social change — and community music programs play a key role in removing barriers and creating meaningful opportunities for young people.

Join us for a webinar featuring Richard Marsella, Executive Director of Community Music Schools of Toronto (CMST), as he explores transformative models in community music — from noise parades to musical playgrounds — and how music can foster creativity, inclusion, healing, and belonging.

Founded in 1999, Community Music Schools of Toronto has grown from 71 students in its first year to supporting 800 youth annually across the Regent Park and Jane Finch communities in Toronto. CMST goes beyond music education by offering mentorship, workshops, volunteer opportunities, artistic collaborations, and spaces where young people can build identity and community.

✨ Date: Wednesday, February 25�
🕙 Time: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM (EST)�📍 Online webinar
🔗 Register now https://bit.ly/3Zwio7R

Happy Holidays from YouthREX!

As the year comes to a close, we’re taking a moment to celebrate connection, community, and impact. For 10 years, YouthREX has worked alongside youth programs and youth workers across Ontario to support the wellbeing of young people—and this season, we’re grateful for all the shared learning, collaboration, and growth.

This holiday season, may you rest, recharge, and find joy in the work you do and the communities you nurture. Here’s to a new year full of possibility, solidarity, and impact!

This month’s update to the introduces more than 25 new resources that support learning, research, and action related to youth wellbeing, digital practice, and equitable youth work! Featured additions include:

• Webinar: Centering Black Youth Wellbeing: Resources for Learning, Action, and Community Engagement
• Factsheet: Generative AI for Nonprofits: Practical Tips and Considerations
• Report: Voices Unheard: Canada’s First National Health Survey of Black Women and Girls
• Evidence Brief: The Equity Model for Youth Mentoring: Strategies for Supporting Youth Experiencing Marginalization

✨ Explore the full collection via the link in bio

"For many youth living with disabilities or complex needs, the school day provides essential structure: visual schedules, consistent staff, and predictable routines. But when the school bell rings, that structure often ends, and what happens next is often unclear."

In our latest REX Blog article, Kenneth Ajila — youth worker, Education Assistant, and YouthREX Research Assistant — highlights three practical solutions to foster stronger connections between schools, after-school programs, and caregivers, including group home staff. With collaborative planning, engaged caregivers, and inclusive after-school programming, we can strive to create real continuity and safety for young people.

Read the full article on REX Blog: https://youthrex.com/blog/when-the-school-bell-ends-so-does-the-support-three-solutions-to-build-bridges/