About | Canadian Youth of East Africa

ABOUT US

Built by Youth. Powered by Community.

Founded in 2015 by two recent University of Toronto graduates of East African heritage, The Canadian Youth of East Africa (YEA) began with a simple goal: to bring together and mobilize young people of East African descent in Toronto. What started as a small initiative with a team of eight volunteers has grown into a thriving community built on connection, culture, and opportunity. Over the years, YEA has continued to evolve in response to the needs of youth expanding its programs, deepening its impact, and strengthening the spaces where young people can explore identity, build confidence, and access meaningful opportunities.

Today, YEA remains rooted in the same founding spirit, powered by a growing team and community committed to empowering the next generation of East African youth in Canada.

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Our NEW Team

YEA was started and continues to be built by people who care deeply about community, culture, and the next generation. This is a new chapter for our team, with new roles that reflect how far we’ve come and how much we’ve grown over time. Each person brings their own lived experiences, passions, and strengths, whether that’s building relationships, creating spaces of belonging, telling stories, designing experiences, or strengthening the systems behind the scenes.

These roles are a sign of our evolution into a more structured, thoughtful, and connected organization. What connects us is simple: we believe in young people, we believe in each other, and we’re committed to building something that feels like home for East African youth in Canada, while becoming a stronger, more intentional, and better-organized community along the way.