Midaynta Community Services: Empowering Youth, Strengthening Families, Building Safer Communities

In neighborhoods across Toronto, where systemic barriers often intersect with everyday challenges, Midaynta Community Services is quietly but powerfully reshaping what community care, safety, and youth leadership can look like. Rooted in community-led values and guided by culturally responsive and trauma-informed practices, Midaynta has become a trusted connector—bridging youth, families, institutions, and decision-makers to create safer, healthier, and more equitable communities.

At the heart of Midaynta’s work is a simple but transformative belief: when youth and families are supported, heard, and equipped with meaningful opportunities, entire communities thrive.

Elevating Youth Voice and Civic Leadership

Over the past year, Midaynta has placed youth leadership and civic engagement at the center of its programming. Youth were not only participants but active contributors—engaging directly with key decision-makers, including Councillor Frances Nunziata, Deputy Mayor Amber Morley, and members of the Toronto Police Services Board. These facilitated dialogues provided young people with rare and meaningful access to civic leadership, empowering them to share lived experiences related to community safety, violence prevention, and police–community relations.

Importantly, youth and community leaders also contributed to the Toronto Police Services Board’s first-ever strategic plan, ensuring that community perspectives helped shape policy at a systems level. These experiences strengthened youth confidence, advocacy skills, and sense of agency—demonstrating that their voices belong at decision-making tables.

Youth civic engagement was further supported through participation in grant development initiatives such as the Identify ’N Impact Grant, where young leaders developed the concept for a “Digital Healing Studio.” Through proposal development sessions, youth gained hands-on experience in project planning, funding processes, and community innovation. Additional engagement activities—including peace walks, asset-mapping sessions, and outreach events—fostered trust, collaboration, and shared responsibility for community well-being.

Creating Spaces of Belonging Through Youthful Connections

A cornerstone of Midaynta’s impact has been the Youthful Connections program, which transformed the Keele Community Hub into a vibrant, youth-centered space—particularly welcoming to youth of African descent. Aligned with the Toronto Youth Equity Strategy and the Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism, the program emphasized belonging, leadership, and skill-building through creative, cultural, wellness, digital, and employment-focused activities.

Trained Youth Ambassadors played a vital role in shaping the Hub’s success. By welcoming participants, co-facilitating programming, and connecting peers to resources, they helped establish the space as a trusted community anchor—one where youth felt ownership, confidence, and connection.

Advancing Community Safety and Violence Prevention

Community safety and violence prevention remained a critical focus of Midaynta’s work. The organization launched an Enhancing Youth Safety Workshop Series, addressing topics such as consent, personal safety, and community accountability. Staff actively participated in city-wide violence prevention networks, collaborating with local partners to align safety strategies across neighborhoods.

Midaynta also provided direct, immediate support to youth facing high-risk situations, including CAS-referred cases. This included safety planning, suicide prevention supports, crisis intervention, and referrals to mental health services—particularly in Lawrence Heights and surrounding communities. These efforts prioritized dignity, trust, and continuity of care at moments when support mattered most.

Opening Doors to Education, Employment, and Careers

Recognizing that long-term safety and stability are closely tied to opportunity, Midaynta delivered education and employment supports through both individualized and group-based approaches. Youth were connected to skilled trades and mechanics programs, employment drop-ins, and City-led initiatives. Staff provided hands-on support with resumes, cover letters, interviews, volunteer placements, reference checks, and ongoing follow-up.

In partnership with the City of Toronto, Toronto District School Board, Toronto Community Housing, and community agencies, Midaynta played an active role in planning and delivering career fairs, expanding youth access to employer networks and tangible pathways to employment.

Wellness, Recreation, and Leadership Through Sport

Recreation and sport played an important role in promoting youth well-being, confidence, and leadership. Midaynta supported soccer programming for Somali youth, coordinating permits, team formation, and engagement with the Toronto Soccer Association to expand participation opportunities. Youth also took part in a basketball clinic at the OVO Centre, accessing elite facilities and mentorship experiences that fostered teamwork, aspiration, and self-belief.

Ongoing collaboration with Toronto Community Housing ensured sustainable access to recreation spaces, supporting the long-term growth of youth programming.

Strengthening Families and Community Connections

Beyond youth programming, Midaynta led and supported large-scale community initiatives that addressed immediate family needs while strengthening community cohesion. A Back-to-School Drive at Elmbank Community Centre provided essential school supplies to families while creating a welcoming, volunteer-powered community event. Midaynta also supported community tables at MLSE Foundation events, participated in sector-wide launches, and engaged in retreats to deepen relationships with community leaders and service providers.

Strong partnerships with schools and community organizations were foundational to this work. Staff collaborated with principals and educators to deliver in-school workshops, lunchtime programs, gender-specific youth groups, parent engagement initiatives, and inclusive volunteer placements. Agreements with Toronto Community Housing and collaborations with agencies such as Horn of Africa ensured consistent access to space and resources for sustainable programming.

Wraparound Supports That Meet Families Where They Are

Midaynta’s commitment extends beyond programming into comprehensive wraparound support for youth and families navigating systemic barriers. Services included assistance with housing applications, Ontario Works and ODSP, child subsidies, electricity applications, medical exemption affidavits, and mental health referrals. Staff provided both phone-based and in-person support for families and CAS-referred youth, centering dignity, safety, and continuity of care.

Investing in People and Sustainability

To ensure high-quality, ethical, and sustainable service delivery, Midaynta invested in staff development and organizational capacity-building. Training in informed vicarious trauma, mental health first aid, wellness strategies, and culturally responsive practice strengthened the organization’s ability to care for both community members and the frontline workers supporting them.

Community Impact at a Glance

• 400+ youth engaged through leadership, safety, recreation, employment, and advocacy initiatives
• 50+ active partnerships with City divisions, police leadership, schools, and community organizations
• Delivery of youth safety workshops, violence prevention initiatives, sports programming, and employment supports
• Community-wide events including Back-to-School Drives, career fairs, peace walks, and civic engagement forums
• Comprehensive wraparound supports provided for mental health, housing, and system navigation

Looking Ahead

Midaynta Community Services continues to serve as a vital bridge between communities and institutions—ensuring that youth and family voices meaningfully inform programs, policies, and systems. Through collaboration, advocacy, and deep care, Midaynta remains committed to building safer, more equitable, and more resilient communities across Toronto.

• Community-led, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed support strengthens safety and belonging
• Youth voices are centered in leadership, civic engagement, and decision-making
• Wraparound supports address safety, wellness, education, and employment needs
• Strong partnerships drive lasting, community-wide impact across Toronto