Our Mission

Kids Now is a proactive youth mental health program that builds self-esteem and leadership skills in grade 7 & 8 students to help them become confident, resilient youth who can transition successfully into high school and prepare for a brighter future.

Bullying, peer pressure, stress and anxiety are issues young teens face today.  Many lack the coping skills to deal with these situations and often need somewhere to go for support and guidance. Many teens, particularly those from lower income, higher risk neighbourhoods, come from homes that do not provide a consistent, supportive environment with positive role models. Kids Now aims to fill this gap by mentoring kids at this young and vulnerable age to believe in themselves, set goals and prepare for better success when they move into high school and beyond.

Kids Now is a free,after-school,12-week leadership program delivered in schools to grade 7 & 8 youth, to build five important life-success skills. As a proactive, preventive program, we help younger teens, before they get to high school, before problems may start to arise. With a small class size of 10 students, our trained and caring volunteer mentors lead group  discussions, engage students in interactive skill-based games and fun educational activities. Weekly sessions focus on what matters most to youth at this age: 

• Building self-confidence and self-esteem
• Developing communication & relationship skills
• Resolving conflicts, dealing with bullying and peer pressure
• Managing stress and improving mental well-being
• Goal setting

About Our Charity

Kids Now has been inspiring leadership, building self-confidence, and coaching kids to make positive choices through free after-school, youth mentoring programs. Created in 1999 by a Canadian educator who saw a need to complement the existing school curriculum with life skills development and proactive mental health, the Kids Now program has made a meaningful, lasting difference in the lives of over 25,000 Canadian kids. Led by volunteer mentors, the Kids Now 12 week program features an educator-endorsed curriculum, which includes educational games, activities and group discussions that teach leadership, anti-bullying, dealing with peer pressures and family issues, goal-setting, effective communication, conflict resolution and other valuable life-success skills. Find out more online: wwww.kidsnowcanada.org