TamarackCBYF2024-0265

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Youth Futures

A youth-led and youth-centered network of 20 communities across Turtle Island that supports the creation of new pathways from high school to post-secondary, training, employment and community leadership opportunities.

Summative Report

CBYF Impact Story

Summative Report

Communities Building Youth Futures (CBYF) initiative has been instrumental in fostering positive change and empowerment within 20 rural, remote and Indigenous communities across the country. We are excited to share our special summative report which reflects and uplifts the innovative work and impacts taking place across the CBYF network!

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Youth Service Navigation

CBYF Guide

Youth Service Navigation Guide

This guide is more than just a compilation of strategies; it's a result of the extensive research of Tamarack’s Communities Building Youth Futures team, and the communities we work with, as well as learnings from insightful interviews with folks with lived experience. We recognize that one-size-fits-all solutions don't work in the dynamic tapestry of diversity in Turtle Island (Canada). This guide is your compass to navigate youth services successfully. 

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Voice of Youth

CBYF Impact Report

From the Voices of Youth

In partnership with Evenings & Weekends Consulting, this comprehensive report provides valuable insights into how the Communities Building Youth Futures (CBYF) network alongside Tamarack partnered with leaders of all ages across the country to centre youth voice. 

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Diverse Credit Pathways

CBYF Toolkit

Diverse Credit Pathways Toolkit

This toolkit is a project of the Tamarack Institute for Community Engagement that draws on the wisdom of the Communities Building Youth Futures (CBYF) network which operates in twenty rural, remote, and Indigenous communities across the country to develop community-wide strategies to support youth (aged 15-29) to succeed in high school and beyond.

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Case Studies

CBYF Impact Report

CBYF Case Studies

These case studies explore the impacts and learnings from the first five years of Communities Building Youth Futures (CBYF), a multi-sectoral collaboration between the Tamarack Institute, youth leaders, and other community allies. CBYF’s ambitious goal is to support youth leaders aged 15-30 across Canada to revolutionize the future of youth education, employment, and wellness in their rural, remote and Indigenous communities. As these case studies show, this work is well underway, engaging almost 70,000 young people between 2019 and 2024.

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Tamarack continues to be a pivotal force in community change and systems change as demonstrated through its Communities Building Youth Futures initiative, which was launched almost five years ago through generous funding by the Government of Canada’s Supports for Student Learning Program. 

Stories

Youth leadership in Community Innovation
A Hidden Asset: The Power of Emerging Youth Leadership in Community Innovation
Community Innovation: Building Readiness
The Hidden Work of Community Innovation: Building Readiness
Youth Innovation
Supporting Youth Innovation in Canada's North
Rethinking Youth Workforce Development
Rethinking Youth Workforce Development: When “Job Readiness” Meets an Imperfect Labour Market
The Future is Collective: Case Studies of Collective Social Innovation - Tamarack
The Future is Collective: Case Studies of Collective Social Innovation - Tamarack
People sitting in the grass playing cards
CASE STUDY | Identity and Social Connection in CBYF – Yellowknife
Group of people laughing and smiling together
CASE STUDY | Youth Engagement and Leadership in CBYF – Oxford County
Friends embracing and smiling together
CASE STUDY | Service Navigation and Access to Supports in CBYF – Sudbury
A soccer team laughing and smiling together
CASE STUDY | Holistic Health and Wellbeing in CBYF – Alberni-Clayoquot
People laughing and talking together
CASE STUDY | Employment and Mentorship in CBYF – Grande Prairie
Accessible Education in CBYF – Portage la Prairie
CASE STUDY | Accessible Education in CBYF – Portage la Prairie
CASE STUDY | A Squad of Young Tech Tutors Responds to the Challenges of Pandemic Digital Learning.
CASE STUDY | A Squad of Young Tech Tutors Responds to the Challenges of Pandemic Digital Learning
Case Study | Digby's Youth-Led Initiative Creates a Space for Youth in Nova Scotia
CASE STUDY | Digby's Youth-led Initiative Creates a Space for Youth in Nova Scotia
CASE-STUDY | Corner Brook: Free Tutoring Builds Student Confidence
CASE STUDY | Corner Brook: Free Tutoring Builds Student Confidence
CASE STUDY | Sudbury Youth Co-design Digital Strategy to Improve Service Access
Building the Bridge to Youth Success: Overcoming the Digital Divide
Digital Divide
CASE STUDY | Prince Albert Bridges the Digital Divide with Local Youth
Student engagement
CASE STUDY | Portage la Prairie: Roving Campus Re-engages Students
mentorship
CASE STUDY | Yellowknife Youth Reach Their Dreams Through Technology and Mentorship

Centring Youth to Impact Change in Employment

A New Cohort for CBYF

The CBYF Journey: Celebrating Impact and Looking Ahead

YESS Evaluation Framework  Cadre d’évaluation

CBYF Cohort: An Evaluation Framework to Support Youth Employment

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cbyf experience

Tamarack supports the Communities Building Youth Futures network to connect and empower youth-centred, place-based partnerships that are multi-generational and multi-sectoral, making meaningful changes for youth who face the greatest barriers to prosperity. Collectively, the 20 collaboratives have made the following impacts since 2020:

  • 42,116 youth have advanced in their educational and employment journeys.

  • 5,000 youth have become co-designers and leaders in their personal and community success.

  • 7,000 system partners (employers, educational systems, municipal governments, youth, and community organizations) have collaborated on solutions to support young people.

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We are committed to: 

Center youth voice and leadership in collective action-planning and decision-making

Enable experimentation and development of new models which support youth in the community

Improve learning and employment outcomes for youth as they transition to adulthood

Address systemic inequities at the community level that create barriers for youth

Ensure that youth are involved in the design of community-based action


Relationships First: Carrying learning from Networks for Change into 2026
Relationships First: Carrying learning from Networks for Change into 2026
The CBYF Journey: Celebrating Impact and Looking Ahead
Tamarack Institute Membership 2026
Communities Building Youth Futures Community Stories
Communities Building Youth Futures Community Stories
ARTICLE | Building Authentic Connections for a More Equitable Future
Empowering youth through free transit
Empowering youth through free transit
Process and Outcome Evaluation: A Brief Overview
Process and Outcome Evaluation: A Brief Overview
The Importance of Program Evaluation in the Long-Term Care
The Importance of Program Evaluation in the Long-Term Care
Unleashing Youth Expression Through Arts-Based Evaluation
Unleashing Youth Expression Through Arts-Based Evaluation
ARTICLE | Collective Climate Action Funding
Youth Engagement in Health Spaces
ARTICLE | Making the Case for Arts-Based Engagement
ARTICLE | Making the Case for Arts-Based Engagement
The Unspoken Reality of Being Young and Involved in Spaces of Power
Announcing the 2021–22 CBYF Community Innovation Fund Recipients
Announcing the 2021/22 CBYF Community Innovation Fund Recipients
Blog post: Resources for Truth and Reconciliation
Resources for Truth and Reconciliation
10 Stories of Community Innovation for Youth
A Student’s Guide on Developing Evaluation Questions towards a Program Evaluation
A Young Student’s Guide to Partnering with Community-Based Organizations
Seven Generations
Seven Generations
A Gut Check on Youth Voice
youth guiding youth to virtual work

meet the team

Jorge-Garza-2024
Jorge Garza

Director

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Mike Des Jardins

Senior Community Animator

get in touch

We’re happy to answer questions, discuss community issues and direct you to trusted resources. Get in touch with a specific team member or submit a general inquiry.

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