Project Overview
JFBEE is a community-based initiative addressing barriers to meaningful employment for youth in the Jane-Finch community, with a focus on racialized and newcomer youth. DIA supported the project for two years, leading the Youth Researcher residency program and contributing to research and co-design.
Project Description & Outcomes
The project began as a youth-led participatory action research initiative and evolved into a platform for building skills, networks, and leadership pathways. Key structures include a Youth Leadership Table and Youth Research Fellowship, which create opportunities for young people to guide the project’s direction, contribute lived experience, and co-design strategies that reflect community realities. DIA’s contributions centred on the Youth Researcher residency program and the broader research and co-design of the initiative.
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What we Practiced
- Telling the Truth
- Weaving the Micro and the Macro
- Practicing Curiosity
What we Imagined
A future where youth in Jane-Finch — especially racialized and newcomer youth — are not just recipients of employment programs but designers of the pathways themselves, with their lived experience recognized as expertise and their leadership supported with real infrastructure.