Four Projects Funded to Support Youth of African Descent

Youth of African descent in Victoria will benefit from four new projects receiving a total of $25,000 in funding through the City of Victoria’s inaugural International Decade of People of African Descent (IDPAD) Youth Grant.  
 
The four successful projects include: a safe and inclusive hub for youth arts and leadership activities, a community celebration to honour significant milestones of K-12 and post-secondary students of African descent, a project to encourage entrepreneurial, interpersonal and artistic endeavours and a series of workshops on inclusion and civic engagement. A total of 11 project ideas were submitted. 

The City introduced the IDPAD Youth Grants to support and empower Black youth in Victoria through leadership opportunities. Individuals of African descent, informal community groups and non-profit organizations were invited to apply for up to $8,000 of funding for programs.  

The new grant program was designed by the City’s International Decade for People of African Descent (IDPAD) Advisory Committee with input from the community. Funding comes from the City of Victoria. The Advisory Committee oversaw the grant program, evaluated applications and selected the projects to receiving funding.  

To address anti-black racism and make Victoria a more welcoming and safe city for all residents, City Council adopted the International Decade for People of African Descent 2015-2024 and established the City’s IDPAD Advisory Committee in 2021. 

 Check out the grant recipients and learn about their projects at: victoria.ca/IDPAD.