About Us

Our Approach

We focus on prevention. And we start in Grade 6.

Grade 8 is too late to take a proactive role in preventing violence in young lives. By starting in elementary school, Yo Bro | Yo Girl Youth Initiative staff and volunteer mentors aim to develop strong, healthy community early, whether it’s in school, after school, or during school holidays.
Our approach is to reach at-risk children and youth, and support them in three specific ways:
1. Social Responsibility

Our aim is always to encourage and increase positive behaviors in children and youth where they are capable of building healthy connections to adults and peers, and grow into positively contributing members of society.

2. Graduation and Post-Secondary Success

Having YBYG youth complete high school and head down the path towards post‐secondary education or training for employment is considered a huge success for us. These opportunities open doors for our youth that otherwise would have been closed to them for good.

3. Youth Empowerment

Building the next generation of future leaders is a priority. In communities where violence, crime and risky behaviour starts young, empowering youth to share their learnings and personal success as role models and youth leaders is an invaluable way of preventing more kids from going down the wrong path.

We believe children and youth are inherently resilient. Regardless of background or upbringing, each young person has the capacity to tap into their inner strength and resiliency, if given the opportunity.

At Yo Bro | Yo Girl Youth Initiative, our programs are strategically designed to help youth find their inner strength and unleash their resiliency.

"For a young person to fully flourish, research strongly suggests they need a minimum of six healthy adults attached to them. The greater the number of role models in a young person’s life, the greater potential they have."
— Rob Rai, Director of School and Community Connections for the Surrey School District