By-Youth For-Youth Symposium

1 day. 4 Communities. Panels, presentations and more!

By-Youth for-Youth engagement is not a new concept, however the way it has been applied to youth experiencing homelessness is a promising practice for deepening and diversifying our participatory approaches. This event will explore best practices and strategies to optimize your knowledge around youth engagement methodologies, by elevating the voices of youth with lived experience and hearing from populations with unique needs in a variety of formats including panels, talks and immersive workshops!

This is work that began in 2015, growing out of lived experience and the need for better, more participatory and action-oriented approaches in this space. It is work that has been published and implemented in a range of settings - with Indigenous youth leaders in Thunder Bay, around resilience tools, housing rights, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ engagement in Toronto, and with children and youth experiencing homelessness in Nicaragua. Partners to date include 360 Kids, Dilico Anishinabek Family Care, Casa Allianza Nicaragua, CAMH, Covenant House, LOFT Community Services, and the Wellesley Institute.

By attending this event, you will:

• Gain an understanding of by-youth for-youth engagement principles
• Hear from an array of lived experience voices
• Be able to apply equity, diversity and inclusion principles to your engagement strategies
• Experience BYFY in action!

This event is open to students, program staff, researchers, policy makers and young leaders!

You should attend this event if:

• You're a student (any level) interested in youth homeless and/or participatory action research
• You work in programs / projects that seek to engage youth with lived/living experience of homelessness
• You're interested in developing better policies and practices around lived experience engagement
• You want to network with others!

Morning vs. Full Day Options

We are offering a "morning only" (10am-1pm) option for attendees who may have other commitments during the day. These tickets are all general admission and open to anyone who is interested.

The morning session will focus on the guiding principles and history of the BYFY initiative including a showcase of the projects done to-date while the afternoon will be a deeper diver into strategies for engagement, demonstrations and workshops led by our youth leaders.

Featured Projects Include:

• HOP-C Toronto - MY Guide
• 360 Kids - Queer Agenda
• Casa Alianza Nicaragua - various projects (Vivencias, graffiti art)
• Dilico Anishinabek Family Care - BYFY North Indigenous Guide
• York Region’s Youth Strategy - Youth Breaking Barriers Tenancy Rights Series

To learn more about the BYFY initiative projects, please visit www.homelesshub.ca/by-youth-for-youth-initiative

**Please note that the event is taking place in a theatre and we will not be able to guarantee social distancing. The first floor is fully accessible, however please reach out if you have any concerns/questions about the venue. Masking is recommended, but not mandatory.

This event was made possible by funding from The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada & the CAMH Foundation

Host or Publisher BYFY