Learn more programs, supports, and services dedicated to fostering community healing and addressing trauma, which are crucial in tackling the root causes of youth violence and gang involvement.
Community Healing supports youth aged 12-29 who have been exposed to community violence through mental health literacy and peer support. Youth participants are trained through trauma-informed community workshops, certified in peer support and share what they learn with other youth in their communities.
To review reports on the Community Healing Project please see below:
For more information, please contact:
Brandon Hay, Community Development Officer
Cell: 437-288-7194
The Community Healing Project Counselling Support Pilot Project provides:
Participants can receive up to six counselling (group or individual) sessions at no cost. Youth and family participants must live in Toronto and frontline workers must live or work in Toronto.
The Counselling Support Pilot is now accepting applications and intake.
If you live east of Yonge Street, please contact:
Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities (SCHC)
Community Violence Well-Being and Recovery Case Worker; cvwrp@schcontario.ca
If you live West of Yonge Street, please contact:
Unison Health and Community Services; Nurta.Mahdi@unisonhcs.org
In the City of Toronto, we are in an era marked by increasing mental health challenges, especially exacerbated by global crises, and local community-based violence, frontline workers and young people face unique pressures that require targeted support. This workshop series aims to address these needs through a series of engaging virtual sessions designed to foster resilience, provide practical coping strategies, and promote mental well-being.
Target Audience: Frontline workers—including parks and recreation staff, non-profit staff, social workers, educators, etc. —often experience high levels of stress and burnout. Young people, navigating the complexities of adolescence and early adulthood amidst societal changes, also face significant mental health challenges. This series seeks to create a safe, inclusive space for both groups to share experiences and learn from one another.
Objectives:
Format: Each workshop will include expert-led discussions, interactive activities, and breakout sessions that encourage collaboration and sharing. The online format allows for flexibility and accessibility, ensuring that participants can engage from anywhere.
By prioritizing mental health education and support, this workshop series not only aims to improve individual well-being but also fosters a culture of care within communities, ultimately leading to more resilient frontline workers and empowered young people.
Chris Leonard
June 24, 2025
6 to 7 p.m.
Grief and loss are a natural human experience that many of us struggle to process when it shows up in our lives. In this interactive session, participants will increase basic understanding of grief and acquire language to name and make meaning of their loss experience. The session will also provide an opportunity to reflect on the impact of community loss on individual and collective wellbeing, and explore tools for coping and supporting ourselves and each other.
Community PEERS is a community-based, peer initiative that provides a variety of youth services to address the growing youth service needs and impacts as a result of community violence and community violence exposure.
Community PEERS brings a peer approach to community violence prevention and engages communities, youth, frontline workers of youth serving agencies, and/or connects young people to long-term supports. Community PEERS was developed in response to youth violence prevention supports requested from community stakeholders and frontline workers across Toronto.
All Peer Support Workers in Community PEERS have received a certified, 12-week Peer Support Training through The Community Healing Project, have lived experiences of community violence exposure, and practical experiences of working with youth vulnerable to involvement in serious violence and crime.
As a response to emerging healing opportunities for communities, training requests for frontline workers, and mental health/safety needs of communities and young people vulnerable to involvement in violence and/or crime, Community PEERS engages Peer Support Workers to offer violence prevention services to communities.
Peer Support Workers continue to develop their skills and expertise through ongoing coaching, training, job placements, and community of practice sessions while engaged in Community PEERS.
To access services through Community PEERS, please contact Asmaa Mohamed at Asmaa.Mohamed@toronto.ca
The Community Healing Project (CHP) will be facilitating a 10-week mental health literacy workshop at these high schools in Scarborough starting in March 2025:
CHP will also be holding workshops in three Scarborough communities from June to August 2025. Please visit this page the coming months for more details.