About the Youth Impact Project

The Youth Impact Project (YIP) is a collaboration between the Children and Youth Planning Table of Waterloo Region (CYPT) and Smart Waterloo Region Innovation Lab (SWRIL).

On June 8, over 100 youth from 15 local organisations pitched their ideas to a panel of nine youth. The Youth Decision-Making Panel (“The Dragons”) decided which projects would receive funding to make their idea a reality. The Youth Impact Project looks to fund youth who are addressing local challenges which are identified through the 2023 Youth Impact Survey results. The funded projects include a focus onsupporting youth mental and physical health, increasing feelings of belonging,and responding to climate change and food insecurity.

Youth will be working on their projects untilDecember. We're featuring each of the 12 projects!

Soccer, Snacks, and Shirts

Who pitched the project?

Youth from the YTCYC group

Supported by Langs

What problem are you addressing in Waterloo Region?

• Many children face food insecurity and are not able to afford to be part of physical activities. 
• The group also recognises that a number of youth in the community faces a lack of sense of belonging and community.  
• The group has collected data stating that many children in the region do not participate in enough physical activity to keep them healthy and most have no one to play with.

What are you going to do with the money?

Soccer, snacks and shirts will be a free event for grades 1-5 in Cambridge at the Langs Gym that will include a free soccer tournament that will include 20 kids (4 teams of 5)! The group would like to provide the kids with a free lunch, fruit smoothies and a free shirt! The event is planned to be run in the fall, when kids are in school. The goal is to encourage connectivity and physical activity.

The soccer tournament will take place on Saturday, November 1, which is a PD day for students.

More about the Youth Impact Project

The Youth Impact Project is a collaboration between Smart Waterloo Region Innovation Lab (SWRIL) and the Children and Youth Planning Table of Waterloo Region (CYPT).

Learn more about the Youth Impact Project

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