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Collective Impact in Ontario
What is Collective Impact?
Collective Impact is an approach to tackling complex social problems in communities. Its central philosophy is that no single policy, program, government ministry, sector or organization alone can solve these problems.
Collective Impact aims to support local groups working together in communities to improve how multiple systems and groups work together and rally around a shared vision of success in tackling common issues. A Collective Impact approach can be used to tackle issues across sectors, including economic development, child and youth wellbeing, the environment and housing instability.
The Ontario government has embraced the Collective Impact approach in a number of initiatives to support improving outcomes for youth.
What is Collective Impact for Disconnected Youth?
We know that some of Ontario’s youth face very complex issues and that they interact with many different systems (e.g. health, education, justice, employment) across government and in their community.
Collective Impact for Disconnected Youth (CIDY) is a made-in-Ontario approach to improving outcomes for youth who face multiple barriers to success.
The approach brings together a range of leaders, resources and investments to experiment with a new way of working together to move the needle on youth outcomes in selected demonstration communities across Ontario.
By bringing together government, local business, philanthropy and the non-profit sector, CIDY aims to promote solutions that are co-developed and better align systems to be more responsive to local youth issues.
What does it look like?
- better alignment of services and removing barriers to local collaboration.
- using data and local input to inform decisions.
- strengthen learning and employment opportunities for young people and meet the needs of the labour market and local employers.
- empower youth to participate in decision-making processes that affect them.
Who are Ontario’s NEET youth?
Recognizing that the majority of youth in Ontario are thriving, CIDY is committed to supporting youth who face multiple barriers to success in school and at work. In particular, CIDY is focused on reducing the number of youth who are Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET). In Ontario, there are approximately 160,000 (nearly 1 in 10) NEET youth.
Despite significant investment in Ontario’s youth sector, these young people have become disconnected from school and work. The rate of NEET youth in Ontario has not significantly changed in over a decade. This is because the systems are disconnected, not the young people. Recognizing that these investments have failed to reach this group of youth, by working across systems and engaging various levels of partners, CIDY will test a new way of working to improve the lives of these youth.
Provincial Partnership Table
CIDY is guided by a group of leaders from across sectors. Established in March 2016, this Provincial Partnership Table (PPT) is made up of leaders from the public, private, non-profit and philanthropic sectors. The PPT is working with communities and youth leaders to tailor their contributions to what is needed on the ground.
Provincial Partner Table members include:
| Public Sector | |
|---|---|
| Ministry of Children and Youth Service | Nancy Matthews |
| Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration | Alex Bezzina |
| Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development | Glenn Craney |
| Ministry of Municipal Affairs / Ministry of Housing | Laurie LeBlanc |
| Ministry of Education | Bruce Rodrigues |
| Private Sector | |
| Hospitality Workers Training Centre | Mandie Abrams |
| RBC | Noah Aiken-Klar |
| Starbucks Canada | Ross Anderson |
| Virgin Unite RE*Generation | Joanne Kviring |
| Non-Profit Sector | |
| United Way Toronto & York Region | Nation Cheong |
| Ontario Trillium Foundation | Jennifer Roynon |
| Philanthropic Sector | |
| Laidlaw Foundation (Youth CI) | Jehad Aliweiwi |
| J.W. McConnell Family Foundation | Stephen Huddart/Aaron Good |
| Social Capital Partners | Bill Young/Judy Doidge |
| Lyle S. Hallman Foundation | Laura Manning |
| Strategic Advisor | Suzanne Herbert |
Youth Collective Impact
Youth Collective Impact (CI) helps groups of community, government, and private sector organizations across Ontario learn about, develop and launch Collective Impact projects that generate change in local community settings, such as: increasing secondary school graduation rates or reducing the number of youth who experience homelessness.
Funded by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services and delivered by the Laidlaw Foundation in partnership with the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation’s Innoweave Initiative, Youth Collective Impact works to build the capacity of Ontario’s youth serving sector so that communities are able to work collaboratively and tackle complex community problems. Youth CI offers support to existing and potential community-based groups through information and engagement sessions, workshops, coaching and funding.
Information
Email CIDY@Ontario.ca to learn more about Collective Impact for Disconnected Youth in Ontario.
Resources
Here are some resources to help you learn more about the Collective Impact methodology.
NEET Youth
- Belfield et al. (2012). The Economic Value of Opportunity Youth. Washington, DC.: Civic Enterprises
- Hango, D. and de Brouker, Patrice. (2007). Education-to-Labour Market Pathways of Canadian Youth: Findings from the Youth in Transition Survey. Ottawa: Culture, Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics Division, Statistics Canada
- Mawn, L., Oliver, E., Akhter, N., Bambra, C., Torgerson, C., Bridle, C. and Stain, H. (2017). “Are We Failing Young People Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEETs)? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Re-Engagement Interventions”. Systematic Reviews, 6(16), 1–17
- Versnel, J., DeLuca, C., Hutchinson, N., Hill, A. and Chin, P. (2011). “International and National Factors Affecting School-To-Work Transition for At-Risk Youth in Canada: An Integrative Review”. The Canadian Journal of Career Development 10(1), pp. 21-31
Collective Impact
- Cabaj, M. and Weaver, L. (2016). Collective Impact 3.0: An Evolving Framework for Community Change. Waterloo, Ontario: Tamarack Institute
- Giloth, R., Hayes, G. and Libby, K. (2014). Laying the Groundwork for Collective Impact: A Working Paper - Early-Stage Advice for Multisector Collaborations. Baltimore, Maryland: Annie E. Casey Foundation
- Harwood, R. (2015). The Ripple Effect: How Change Spreads in Communities. Bethesda, Maryland: Harwood Institute and the Charles F. Kettering Foundation
- Jolin, M., Schmitz, P. and Seldon, W. (no date). Needle-Moving Community Collaboratives: A Promising Approach to Addressing America’s Biggest Challenges. New York, New York: The Bridgespan Group
- Kania, J. and Kramer, M. (2011). “Collective Impact”. Stanford Social Innovation Review. Winter, 2011