Our Mission

At Elevate, our mission is to support Black youth from the Weston-Mount Dennis community to achieve their career aspirations and goals. We strive to introduce youth to sustainable career pathways supported by professional mentors, internship opportunities, financial literacy, and career development skills.

Founded in 2020, Elevate is a black-led grassroots organization that was inspired by the lived experiences and challenges of its founders. The Elevate team recognizes that the lack of generational wealth, education gaps, and the lack of social capital can promote cycles of poverty within low-income communities and households. Career mentorship is a life-changing tool our founders lacked as BIPOC youth growing up in low-income neighbourhoods. We are focused on breaking these cycles by fostering a community of support and guidance to empower youth to recognize and fulfill their potential.

Our Vision

Our vision is to increase the social capital of Black youth and see them reach their career goals. We believe that by empowering Black youth, we can inspire a new generation to work towards leveling the playing field and creating a more equitable society.

What we do

Our primary program is a 12-week career mentorship program that exposes youth to diverse career paths. The program includes one-on-one professional mentorship, career development workshops, financial literacy workshops, and experiential learning opportunities. Through this program, we equip Black youth with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their careers and achieve their goals.

Interested in joining Elevate? Fill out our Early Interest Form now, and we'll keep you updated on the next sign-up date!

Hear from our Past Participants

  • "This opportunity has allowed me to have a new perspective on what it takes to be an excellent and respected coach. I have learned what type of coach I am currently and I have many new ideas about what type of coach I would like to work to become in the future. I am really looking forward to using the skills and knowledge that . Doing this type of internship is a great opportunity for high school students who are beginning to think about and plan for their futures. "

    Peterson

  • "The first part of being successful is to start doing actions, that's when I decided to join the internship, I’ve learned a lot of skills they don’t teach in schools. i've learned the basics of resume, cover letter and interviews, I've made new goals, and one of them is to have a job by summer so I can save some money for university."

    Janelle

  • "It was so informative, we talked about the realness that you won’t get from your guidance councillor or from the internet. Overall the whole internship experience is something that I will hold dear to my heart, I got to be around people who want to do the same thing as me, everyone was just sharing their experience and it was all black women. I enjoyed everything about it, thank you Elevate for giving me that opportunity. "

    Anas