Ottawa, February 10 – Last night, the City of Ottawa, Ottawa Community Housing Foundation (OCH Foundation) and BGC Ottawa were proud to welcome the Youth Futures 2026 cohort. 155 promising young people will be beginning this six-month journey of growth and learning. The evening was made even more meaningful by the presence of the program’s community partners and post-secondary partners, who joined us to welcome the 2026 cohort and reaffirm their shared commitment to youth success.
With this newest cohort, Youth Futures has reached an incredible milestone. Since the program began 18 years ago, more than 1,500 youth have successfully graduated. Youth Futures started in 2008 with just five students and a simple but powerful idea: that every young person deserves the chance to dream big. Today, it has grown into a vibrant, city-wide program supporting over 150 youth each year.
One of the most heartening signs of Youth Futures’ continued success is the level of engagement its alumni maintain with the program. At the 2026 launch event, several alumni returned to meet and encourage the new cohort, offering both reassurance and inspiration. Alumni speakers Zane Youness and Maeva Violette shared heartfelt reflections on their own journeys through Youth Futures. Zane spoke candidly about how intimidating his first day in the program felt; the uncertainty, the self-doubt, and the fear of not knowing what lay ahead. He shared how pushing through those feelings helped him grow, and how Youth Futures played a key role in preparing him to face the world with confidence. Their presence was a powerful reminder of the program’s transformative impact.
Youth Futures is more than a work placement or a series of workshops. It’s a six-month bilingual program designed to support youth as they prepare for post-secondary education and the world beyond. Through mentorship, leadership development, job skills training, and paid work placements, participants gain practical tools while building confidence and a sense of community.
As Traci Spour-Lafrance, Executive Director of the OCH Foundation, shared in her welcoming remarks, “Youth Futures exists because we believe in your potential. This program is not just about the skills you’ll gain, but about confidence, connection, and community. And as you begin this journey, remember this: you deserve to be here. Your voice matters. Your ideas matter. Your future matters.”
As one of the partners delivering this program alongside the City of Ottawa and BGC Ottawa, the OCH Foundation is committed to supporting youth participating in Youth Futures. As the 2026 cohort begins this next chapter, we believe in their potential to imagine futures that feel bold, exciting, and possible. Because the future is not something that simply happens. It is something you build as a community, step by step.
Welcome to Youth Futures 2026.
