What is UforChange?

UforChange is a registered charity based in Toronto that provides young people, ages 16-29, with a supportive and collaborative environment where they learn a combination of creative, practical and soft skills that will help them obtain confidence and develop career paths.

What population does UforChange serve?

UforChange serves youth, ages 16-29, from the Greater Toronto Area. The vast majority of the young people we serve are from visible minority groups as well as racialized, underserved and newcomer communities. Unfortunately, visible minorities face multiple challenges such as poverty, exposure to violence and crime, high risk of substance abuse, family breakdown, social isolation, culture shock and language barriers. These issues are coupled with limited economic and educational opportunities, intercultural tensions, limited social support, and racism/discrimination. UforChange works to avoid these barriers from stopping young people achieve their goals and build a career.

What does Uforchange’s Core Arts Program offer?

UforChange’s Core Arts Program offers young people, ages 16-29, 4 key aspects:

• Our Core Arts Program offers 2-8 month courses in Fashion Design, Photography, DJ, Fashion Illustration, Graphic Design and Web Development that teach young people the fundamentals in these subjects and the key skills necessary to pursue higher education, volunteering, employment and entrepreneurship in the subject they choose.
• During these 2-8 months, our youth also have the opportunity to develop a mentor-mentee relationship with their program artist mentors and UforChange staff that will provide them with advice on industry-related subjects, post-secondary education support and access to a variety of paid and unpaid opportunities that will help them advance their careers.
• UforChange provides young people with a supportive and collaborative space, as well as a community of creative individuals, which will help young people develop a sense of community.

Overall, our Core Arts Program offers youth with skills in the subject area they select, basic entrepreneurial and business knowledge, a mentor-mentee relationship that leads to a variety of opportunities and a sense of community.

Are there other opportunities provided by Uforchange besides the Core Arts Program?

Besides our Core Arts Program, we offer a variety of workshops throughout the year (U Atelier) in order not only to impact a larger community but also to teach us how to improve our Core Arts Program. These workshops are open to all young people, ages 16-29, and are focused on a variety of subjects such as business in the arts, theatre, dance, marketing, social media branding, and graphic design, among others. For further inquiries on these opportunities email us at info@uforchange.org.

Does UforChange provide their participants with internships and/or employment opportunities?

Although UforChange does not have an employment, internship or co-op program, as our organization seeks to provide young people with opportunities we offer volunteer, internship and employment opportunities to our program participants based on what is available through our community and industry networks.

How does UforChange quantify its program impact?

We quantify our impact by counting the number of young people served annually, in the categories below, and comparing these numbers to our annual targets:

• Number of youth served through programs, projects and workshops (2022-2023 Target: 350 young people).
• Number of youth receiving ongoing support and services (2022-2023 Target: 120).
• Number of youth graduated from Core Arts program (2022-2023 Target: 60).
• Number of volunteer opportunities created (2022-2023 Target: 60).
• Number of paid and unpaid employment/internships created (2022-2023 Target: 15).
• Number of industry mentors available to youth (2022-2023 Target: 23).
• Number of youth receiving support for entering post-secondary education, applying for grants, etc (2022-2023 Target: 19).

To see our yearly actual numbers please download our Annual Reports located in the ‘Impact’ section.

What is the success rate of UforChange’s Programs?

We measure our success based on the number of youth we serve a year, in comparison to our internal targets, and the impact our programs have on them. According to our third party evaluators, Veritas Foundation, UforChange is extremely successful at providing youth with professionally applicable skills and in fostering mentor-mentee relations as well as fostering personal and professional growth through both our Core Arts Programs and workshops. For more information on our achievements, please download our Annual Reports located on the ‘Impact page’.

How are program participants/beneficiaries selected by UforChange for the Core Arts Program and workshops?

Our intake process is unique in that unlike many programs in the GTA, we do not enroll young people based on their experience, raw talent or skills, but on their determination to be active, contributing, and healthy – mentally, socially, financially – young people who want to change the world. In this way, young people who have circumstances that may hinder their success but want to progress have an opportunity to obtain skills, mentorships, volunteer and work opportunities.

How can I join UforChange’s creative movement?

You may join UforChange by applying to our Core Arts Program, participating in our workshops or volunteering. Applications for our Core Arts Program are open once a year during the summer and you may apply through our website under the ‘Apply Now’ section. Workshops and volunteer opportunities are posted on our social media sites as they arise. If interested please check @UforChange on Instagram and www.facebook.com/UforChange.Toronto/ on Facebook. For further inquiries on how to join UforChange, email us at info@uforchange.org.

What are the requirements to apply for Uforchange’s Core Arts Program?

• Age 16-29
• Interest in the arts particularly: Fashion Design, Fashion Illustration, DJ, Photography or Graphic Design and Web Development.
• No experience or previous skills required. However, any previous knowledge, skills or experience are preferred.
• Ability to attend Core classes for a period of 2 – 8 months and commitment to volunteering 20 hours throughout the cycle at UforChange or other community organizations.

How much is tuition for the Core Arts Program?

UforChange does not charge tuition. Our organization provides participants with skill building workshops, mentorship, volunteer and internship opportunities, network connections, among other benefits on a pay it forward basis. This means that in order to obtain access to these resources participants have to contribute back to UforChange by volunteering 20 hours during the 2 – 8 month cycle. We have chosen this system as a means to integrate youth not only to our UforChange family, as it provides a support system for youth, but also to the Greater Toronto Area community in order to achieve greater community development.

How do I volunteer at UforChange?

Year round, we have multiple events not only open to our youth but also the Regent Park community where you may volunteer. However, we would like to invite people to engage and volunteer at our largest event, Vivacity, which is our annual multimedia showcase where our youth have the opportunity to show the artistic skills they have acquired during the 8-month cycle to an audience of 200 people. This event is held at the end of the Cycle in the month of May. Additionally, UforChange is transitioning towards becoming an organization ran by volunteers. That being said, you may volunteer at our organization in a variety of roles such as: administrative support, event planning, graphic design, etc. If you are interested in volunteering at our space or in any of our events please email us at info@uforchange.org.