Volunteers are the giving individuals who dedicate their time to helping our organization run and today we are asking them why they do what they do and what inspires them to share their time with us at BridgeTO.

This international women's day, we want to break the bias at BridgeTO Youth. In addition to celebrating all the women who empower us, we at BridgeTO are also bringing attention to those who need our help.

At BridgeTO Youth we wanted to shed light on a local activist, Charline Grant, and her family's personal experience with racism in the York Region District School Board. Her journey led her to co-found an advocacy group for Parents of Black Children.

She is truly bridging the gap to success for youth. Charline is a vital figure in the fight for fair education and equitable resources for racialized youth.

We had the opportunity to connect with Charline to discuss her work and experiences, as well as the current state of anti-Black prejudice.

"It’s all on me now"

Even just 5 minutes into conversation with Rauha Ahmed, it’s hard not to be blown away by her accomplishments.

“Have faith in yourself.”

These four words mean the world to Yasmine Ahmed, and why shouldn’t they? Even with all the odds against her, this BridgeTO Superstar used her ambition and drive to land some of the most prestigious scholarships in Canada…

Our youth attended this event exploring career options, where they met professionals from a variety of different backgrounds.

We are excited to introduce our new blog series “Scholarship Hacks” where each month we will be providing you the tips and tricks to finding and securing scholarships. Furthermore, we will also be showing you volunteer opportunities and internships that can go a long way in helping your peers. Previous BridgeTO Youth Students have already secured enough money to go to University for FREE, so if you would like to know tips from those who have secured the bags, read on!

Sofya, one of BridgeTO’s graduating students, has recently accepted her offer to York University's Commerce program with aspirations of starting her own business. She hopes to specialize in Management to develop her leadership and collaboration skills, both essential to her career path. With dreams of being a CEO so delicately planned out, many would assume Sofya has planned years in advance with intricate steps to achieve success - yet, this was not always the case.

Nastaxa, BridgeTO's exclusive in-house comedian, has accepted her offer to York University’s Science program where she aspires to obtain a career in the Biomedical field to nurture her passion for community service and science education. But finding the pathway to a successful future wasn’t smooth sailing for Natasxa and required immense perseverance and self-evaluation, both of which were developed through her endearing time with BridgeTO.

BridgeTO's co-president, Abubakary Drame lovingly titled Buba, has accepted his offer to the University of Guelph-Humber’s Journalism program where he hopes to pursue a 4-year co-op degree to explore the options available in this diverse field. Buba aspires to use his passion for media to work for the people and change the perception of the masses. He desires to use his platform to amplify those without the stage or oppurtunity to share their stories. But this advocate-nature wasn’t always prevalent for Buba.

We are excited to introduce snapshots of some of our remarkable students from the BridgeTO graduating class of 2020. True to her passion, Enas is one of BridgeTOs’ first students to be accepted to university. She has accepted her offer to the science program at the University of Waterloo.

We are excited to introduce snapshots of some of our remarkable students from the BridgeTO graduating class of 2020. Ilhan, co-president of BridgeTO Youth, has successfully been admitted to the very competitive program at the University of Waterloo of Accounting and Financial Management program, a dream that was formed two years ago when Ilhan first met Sammer, from BridgeTO Youth.

We are excited to introduce snapshots of some of our remarkable students from the BridgeTO graduating class of 2020. Abdirizak’s 5-year plan includes enrolling full-time in the very competitive 4-year journalism program at Ryerson University. Motivated by the recommendation of BridgeTO tutors he also plans to seek out co-ops in order to better expand his experience and network. In his own words, “Journalism is a field where you have to put yourself out there, stand out, do things outside of the box, and work hard.”

On December 12, 2019, BridgeTO Youth had the honour to be invited Roche Canada’s head office in Mississauga for the launch of their STEM initiative. This was a full day event filled with activities, workshops and challenges exclusively planned for our youth.

A big thank you to all of the sponsors that have helped make 2019 a success!

One of our own youth, Deonte Powell, graduates from a rigorous career-driven program. We are proud to share his story!