Toronto District School Board

Introduction: Empowering Students to be Leaders

In Summer 2025, more than a hundred Black student leaders gathered at George Brown College for the Toronto District School Board’s (TDSB) Black Student Summer Leadership Program (BSSLP).

“Our villages are full of visionaries – and those visionaries are our youth,” said Karen Murray, System Superintendent, Equity, Anti-Racism, and Anti-Oppression at the TDSB. “BSSLP affirms that Black students don’t need to be ‘saved’ – they need to be seen, supported, and celebrated.”

That vision is the genesis behind the BSSLP. The Program was founded in 2019 in partnership with the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora at York University. From the start, the BSSLP was designed as a summer program that would do more than teach – it would give Black students the chance to transform the world around them. 

Solution: Empowerment Through Hands-On Research and Mentorship

The Program nurtures leadership, strengthens community connections, and turns lived experience into lasting impact through paid internships, research projects, and mentorship programs.

Each summer, the Program lets students in Grades 10 to 12 step into paid internships, research projects, and mentorship programs that help them see themselves as innovators, creators, and leaders. This year, 140 participants explored post-secondary pathways, engaged in professional development, and took part in the Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) initiative.

YPAR is a model that empowers students to identify challenges in their lives and communities, investigate the root causes, and advocate for solutions. Every summer, participants present their findings at an academic-style symposium, where educators, policymakers, and families gather to listen and learn.

Working within research pods – Creative Arts & Musicology, Storytelling, Photovoice, Podcasting, and Video Essay – students use Afrocentric approaches to merge data with creativity.

This year they covered a range of topics, including mental health, academic achievement to anti-Black racism, differentiated instruction, and career pathways. For returning students, the Action Research Pod turns previous findings into pilot projects and policy recommendations.

“Students thrive when we remove barriers and create opportunities that promote excellence” said TDSB Interim Director of Education Stacey Zucker. “The Black Student Summer Leadership Program supports achievement, leadership, and pathways for Black students and all students.”

Results: Discovery, Empowerment, and Experience

From just 10 participants in its inaugural year to 140 this summer, the Black Student Summer Leadership Program has grown into a cornerstone of youth empowerment in Toronto. In 2025 alone, the program received 567 applications from 75 schools and interviewed nearly 300 candidates.

“I love the arts, and I’m pursuing that in post-secondary, but I don’t think I would have pursued it as passionately if I didn’t have this program,” said Sachiel Andre, a three-year participant and now peer mentor. “It showed me that I can do something.”

And for many students, the experience is profoundly transformative.

“I got to experience so many different things—working with the health justice hub, the legal clinic, hearing people’s stories,” said Uhunoma (Diamond) Okoro-Obaraye, who spent her summer placement at Toronto’s 519 Community Centre. “It was an experience I’ll never forget.”

Beyond the BSSLP, the TDSB’s annual YPAR Conference, held each fall for the past four years, draws nearly 300 attendees annually – students, educators, and policymakers who engage directly with youth-led findings and recommendations.

“The research we’re doing here is really different from high school,” said Xavier Jackson, another program alumnus. “You’re conducting it yourself – it’s serious and intense. It’s great preparation for university and for real-world work.”

The Future

The BSSLP and YPAR Conference have become catalysts for systemic change, influencing programming across the TDSB’s Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement and reinforcing a district-wide commitment to culturally relevant teaching and anti-racism in education.

Looking ahead to the seventh year of BSSLP, students will have the option to participate in two employment pathways within the program: the YPAR Pathway focuses on research, inquiry, critical thinking, and community-driven change through Youth Participatory Action Research; or the ElevatEd Pathway focuses on leadership, communication, advocacy, and real-world skill-building through paid experiential learning placements. The program continues to grow in response to student needs and system priorities.