Our largest ever DE&I pro bono project: #BlackYouthCan

• August 15, 2023
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By Nicole Grant, Sr. Vice President

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Today we launch Publicis Groupe Canada’s largest ever pro bono campaign, #BlackYouthCan in support of the CEE Centre for Young Black Professionals (“CEE” stands for Careers, Education, Empowerment). I’m proud of this team, the cause and the work. And I hope this creates real and lasting change on many levels.

North Strategic, MSL Canada, MSL Studios and Notch Video are all part of Publicis Groupe, one of the world’s largest communications companies. Here in Canada, we share a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) mandate built on four pillars: Education, Outreach, Talent Management and Giving Back, each with its own partners and programs to foster growth, support and understanding within and outside the Groupe.

We recently launched a new initiative under our Giving Back pillar where we select one Canadian DE&I-focused non-profit organization each year and offer to create a pro bono campaign for them – harnessing the collective talents of all our team members in what we call the “Power of One” for good.

CEE is the first non-profit selected for this project. Over the last decade, CEE has provided education and advocacy to influence systems and policy and professional workforce skill training and development for Black youth. They also offer holistic support, such as access to social workers and therapists. To date, more than 1,000 at-risk Black youth have graduated from their programs, which aim to prepare alumni to build careers in meaningful industries where Canada needs talented professionals – from film and entertainment to tech, hospitality, trades, finance and beyond.

They are an incredible organization led by Executive Director Agapi Gessesse – who is herself a total force – with staff, students, alumni and partners who all exemplify and believe in the power and brilliance of Black youth.

DE&I pro bono PR services for Black youth employment

However, Canada continues to have a hiring bias problem. The unemployment rate among young Black people is almost double the national average for the same age group (Statistics Canada 2021). To combat this, we were inspired by CEE to bring this issue to the forefront and shine a light on talented Black CEE alumni.

Black Youth Can is a powerful declaration that young Black youth can accomplish anything they set their minds to and, with the support and backing of CEE, nothing can stop them from becoming who they want to be. The campaign, “Who I Really Am,” features the success stories of nine real CEE alumni and flips the narrative on Black youth stereotypes that are unfairly based on what they look like or what they wear. From Yonge Dundas Square to TTC stations, corporate elevators, and social and news media, this campaign is a call to action to employers: That Black youth talent is unignorable.

When our Groupe DE&I Executive Sponsor, Jessica Savage, asked if I’d like to help lead this project back in 2021, I could not have imagined the impact this would have. From strategy, creative, accounts, media, production, experience design, communications, influencer, social, digital and Diversity & Inclusion, a team of more than 40 people from every one of our Groupe agencies in Canada has brought Black Youth Can to life. In fact, many members have worked on this for two years. Personally, and for many others in the working group, this has been a transformative experience. This went beyond a day of volunteering or attending the odd training session. Over time, it has opened important conversations, forged new relationships, and given us all a shared experience that I believe will create opportunities, allies and workplace inclusivity across our agencies – and across the city.

Visit BlackYouthCan.ca to donate, hire a CEE alum, post a job position and more. Because we believe #BlackYouthCan.