Our Approach

The CEE Centre For Young Black Professionals is a Toronto based charity that is dedicated to addressing the economic and social barriers that affect Black youth ages 18 and over who are not in employment, education, or training (NEET). Our programs are aimed at improving careers, education, and empowerment (CEE) rooted in approaches that are holistic, person-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally relevant. To action this, we collaborate with Black youth, their families, employers, and the broader community. 

Our Mission

CEE’s mission is to radically transform access for Black youth to high-demand careers, propelling Canada’seconomy forward. Our distinctive approach nurtures those facing barriers to employment by unlocking their potential through a combination of skillstraining and identity-building. By empowering Black youth to envision new futures and thrive in areas where they have been historically and presently excluded, CEE drives inclusive innovation and positions Canada’s economy for global competitiveness

Our Vision

We envision a future where Black youth shape Canada’s economic and social fabric by leading and innovating in high-demand industries. Through asupportive ecosystem of government, businesses, educators, and community organizations, CEE nurtures talent, creates unique opportunities, buildsresilience, and paves the way for an equitable economy that secures long-term prosperity for all Canadians

How CEE is Contributing To The Development Of Canada?

CEE focuses its efforts in 4 areas:

Career Training to Address Canadian Labour Market Gaps: To support youth workforce development in Canada, CEE offers career training in 5 labour market gaps: Tech, Trades, Entertainment, Social Services, and Finance. 

Capacity Building: We work to strengthen the social service sector across Canada in three ways. First, we provide training to organizations and corporations through CEE Essentials, a suite of professionals development workshops that is focused on homing responsive versus restrictive programming for racialized youth. Second, CEE is the project lead for the Black To The Future Community of Practice which aims to strengthen leadership and scale of grassroots organizations that are Black-focused, Black-lead and Black-serving (B3). It is delivered in partnership with the City of Toronto Confronting Anti-Black Racism Unity. Third, CEE staff actively participates in civic engagement initiatives such as round tables, councils, and community initiatives.

Advocacy:

The three advocacy priorities for CEE are (1) Anti-racism and anti-black racism; (2) responsive versus restrictive programming and (3) diversity in leadership, praxis, and organizational representation in the social service sector. 

Social Enterprise:  We are expanding the CEE Essentials (both the career training and sector professional development suites) for licensing.