Vision
Creating communities where individuals are empowered as leaders, breaking the cycle of poverty through education, empowerment and community engagement.
Mission
To inspire and empower people to break the cycle of
Mandate:
Our Mandate includes:
- Community development & Capacity-building
- Community safety & Healing
- To provide educational, cultural, recreational, and social development programming for children, youth, adults and families affected by poverty
- To provide opportunities for youth empowerment and civic engagement
Our Values:
Possibility: We believe in the capacity of people to overcome life’s challenges.
Diversity: We respond to diversity in the community through our commitment to provide services that recognize and respect our identities.
Accountability: We uphold the public’s trust through responsible management of our resources and a commitment to social justice.
Quality: We are committed to excellence in all our programs and services.
Respect: We deal with all individuals in a fair, honest, and respectful manner.
Who We Are Friends In Toronto (FIT) Community Service is a nonprofit, community-based, charitable organization with a mission to break the cycle of poverty by inspiring and empowering communities.
We provide crucial services to children, youth, women and families across Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). We do this through a combination of Arts, Education, Leadership, Sports & Recreation, professional counselling and Training services.
We offer support, inspire change, and present opportunities—helping people realize and create possibilities for themselves.
Our services range from Afterschool & Educational programs, Community Training & Development, Family & Parenting services; Youth Justice & Empowerment; Employment services and Advocacy.
The foundation of our work is about creating Focused, Involved and Transformed communities.
“Canada’s overall poverty rate was estimated at 7.4% in 2021, up from 6.4% in 2020 and down from 14.5% in 2015. The poverty rate for persons designated as visible minorities was 9.5% in 2021, compared to 6.5% for the non-visible minority population.” Employment and Social Development Canada
The World Health Organization has unequivocally declared poverty as the most substantial determinant of health. The pervasive consequences of poverty transcend all strata of society. Compelling evidence reveals that the ripple effects of poverty and inequality lead to adverse social and health outcomes for all members of our community, not just those situated at the socioeconomic margins.
This sobering reality signifies that as a society, we bear the financial burden of poverty, both in concrete numbers and in terms of the overall well-being of our entire community.