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    • Home
    • ABOUT US
      • Mission, Vision, Values
      • Our Board
      • Our Team
      • Youth Advisory Committee
      • Join Us
    • PROGRAMS & SERVICES
      • DiscoverU
      • School Clubs
      • BeYou
      • First Aid Training
      • Rising Together
      • GoTheDistance
      • Storage Sort
    • DONATE
      • Donate
      • Get Involved
    • Contact Us
      • Contact Us
      • Email Subscription

  • Home
  • ABOUT US
    • Mission, Vision, Values
    • Our Board
    • Our Team
    • Youth Advisory Committee
    • Join Us
  • PROGRAMS & SERVICES
    • DiscoverU
    • School Clubs
    • BeYou
    • First Aid Training
    • Rising Together
    • GoTheDistance
    • Storage Sort
  • DONATE
    • Donate
    • Get Involved
  • Contact Us
    • Contact Us
    • Email Subscription

GoTheDistance Mentorship Program

GoTheDistance Mentorship Program

What is GoTheDistance?

Why Choose GoTheDistance?

Why Choose GoTheDistance?

 Our GoTheDistance (GTD) Mentorship Program is a 6-month, one-to-one mentoring program that offers opportunities to youth between the ages of 16 and 24, to receive thoughtful and authentic guidance in the areas of Career Development, Education, or Life Skills! 



Learn more

Why Choose GoTheDistance?

Why Choose GoTheDistance?

Why Choose GoTheDistance?

 You will be mentored by experts in Career Development, Education, or Life Skills, who are dedicated, empathetic and have your best interest in mind! What’s more is that you will also have the opportunity to partake in professional development and social engagement events, and receive program completion incentives!


Learn more

How do I get started?

Why Choose GoTheDistance?

How do I get started?

 Interested in moving forward with a positive life-impacting mentoring relationship? Read important information about the program and then click below to find out how to get started!







Register for our GoTheDistance program

Apply Today!

Become a Mentor Today!

Apply as a Mentee Today!

Apply as a Mentee Today!

For adults 22+ years old looking to mentor youth.

Apply as a mentor

Apply as a Mentee Today!

Apply as a Mentee Today!

Apply as a Mentee Today!

For youth 16-24 years old looking for mentorship.

Apply as a mentee

Important: Required Program Dates

Mentor Orientation: TBA

Mentor-Mentee Meet & Greet (for mentors & mentees): TBA

Mentorship Peer Huddles (for mentors): TBA

Professional Development Events (for mentees): TBA

Program Graduation (for mentors and mentees): TBA


Program Information

What is the GoTheDistance Mentorship Program?

What is the GoTheDistance Mentorship Program?

What is the GoTheDistance Mentorship Program?

 Youth Rising Above’s GoTheDistance Mentorship Program is a 6-month, one-to-one mentoring program that offers opportunities to youth ages of 16 and 24, to receive thoughtful and authentic guidance in the areas of Career Development, Education, or Life Skills! In keeping with Youth Rising Above’s mission to provide young people with the opportunity to live wholesome, successful and enriching lives, this program will propel mentees to set personal goals; network with dedicated mentors; and discuss ways in which they can maximize their growth, knowledge, and positive development; while leading to increased overall success and well-being. 

How will the program run?

What is the GoTheDistance Mentorship Program?

What is the GoTheDistance Mentorship Program?

 All mentors and mentees will begin by attending a meet-and-greet to connect with their mentors, learn more about the program, and start setting goals together. Following the c session, mentees will meet with their mentors for a minimum of 2 hours a month (for 6 months) to allow for regular communication and tracking of action plans or goals. Mentors and mentees will be encouraged to set their own meeting schedule, which can include video calls, in addition to in-person meetings in a public space, according to Public Health Guidelines, and when authorized by program staff. Some mentors may provide further opportunities to their mentees, after checking in with GTD staff. Mentees will attend two mandatory professional development events, and have the option to attend three drop-in social engagement events over the course of the program. Mentors will attend two mandatory orientation events at the beginning of the program, and mentorship peer huddles with program staff. Mentors and mentees will be required to inform GTD program staff of the times and dates of their meetings, and submit an initial, midpoint and final reflection journal. The GTD team will be available at your service to ensure a smooth mentoring relationship and to support you along the way. At the end of the program, a graduation ceremony will be held to celebrate the success of your mentoring relationships!

Who is the program for?

What is the GoTheDistance Mentorship Program?

How many participants are in the program?

 While the GoTheDistance Mentorship Program welcomes all young people, our organization’s primary mandate is to support marginalized youth populations (newcomers; youth with disabilities; youth experiencing homelessness; youth involved with the legal system; Indigenous youth; Black youth; youth of colour/racialized youth; youth identifying with the LGBTQ2S+ community; youth from low socio-economic environments; youth with little to no work experience; youth experiencing barriers to education and, youth exiting the child welfare system) between the ages of 16-24. This program is for youth who want to be mentored specifically in Career Development, Education, or Life Skills.


How many participants are in the program?

How many participants are in the program?

How many participants are in the program?

 Given that this is a one-to-one mentoring program with limited space, GoTheDistance is accepting 10 mentors and 10 youth per cohort. Mentors and youth must apply at the bottom of this page; spots are not guaranteed.  

Who are the GoTheDistance Mentors?

How many participants are in the program?

Completion Bonus & Extra Incentives

 GoTheDistance Mentors are experts in either Career Development, Education, or Life Skills, have experience in their respective fields, and are looking to contribute to the lives of Toronto youth and meaningful community development work. 


All GoTheDistance mentors will attend two mandatory orientation events, and will pass a thorough selection process including interviews and a vulnerable sector screening police check. Mentors will be matched with mentees based on youth’s indicated interest in either of the aforementioned scopes of mentorship, lived experience, interests, geographical location, and other applicable areas.

Completion Bonus & Extra Incentives

How many participants are in the program?

Completion Bonus & Extra Incentives

 In order to ensure the successful completion of our program for all mentees, transit tokens will be provided to mentees if meetings might occur in-person – it will be the mentor’s and mentee’s responsibility to confirm in-person meetings with GTD program staff well in advance. 


Mentees who complete the full 6-month mentorship program, attend two mandatory professional development events, and submit reflections every two months will also receive a $200 honorarium, certificate, and reference letter at the end of the program.  

Why Choose GoTheDistance?

 You will be mentored by experts in Career Development, Education, or Life Skills, who are dedicated, empathetic and have your best interest in mind! You will also have the opportunity to attend inspiring and skill-building professional development events, social engagement events to network with your fellow mentees, and also receive program completion incentives! Through the GoTheDistance mentorship program, you can be sure that: 

  1. You’ll become more resilient, and feel more confident in achieving your goals and conquering obstacles that you might be facing within either of the areas you wish to receive mentorship in; Career Development, Education, or Life Skills.
  2. You’ll have more knowledge of resources specific to your area of mentorship and to accessible inclusive community resources.
  3. Your safety and wellbeing is your mentor’s number one priority and ours too.
  4. You’ll form a bond with your mentor that will leave a positive impact on you for years to come.
  5. You’ll build communication skills, be more confident in taking initiative, and feel motivated by your mentor and our exciting professional development events.

Program Testimonials

We just completed our first cohort of GoTheDistance and bore witness to the incredible transformations that both youth and mentors experienced! Want to know more about the impact GoTheDistance had - and possibly be one those mentors or mentees in our upcoming cohort? Check out these testimonials from our mentors and mentees 

COMING SOON

An introductory guide for youth mentors

There is so much to know about mentoring relationships with youth! This introductory guide can serve to provide a basic explanation on some of the factors impacting youth mentoring relationships, and peak your interest to learn more. This guide is not intended to be an exhaustive resource. 

click here to check out our youth mentoring guide!

Program Flyer

Files coming soon.

Mentee Application

 As one of Youth Rising Above's (YRA) pilot programs, our GoTheDistance (GTD) Mentorship Program is a special initiative that has impacted both mentees and mentors positively. We appreciate the time and effort you are putting into this application, and are excited to learn more about you. Thank you for investing in yourself, working to achieve your goals, and taking a step to improve your well-being.

Note: We encourage you to use the space provided to elaborate on any of your responses. This information will be collected for the purposes of understanding you better and will be of great assistance in the matching process to a potential mentor. This information will only be accessible to YRA program staff. 

Copyright © 2025 Youth Rising Above - All Rights Reserved.

Charitable Registration Number: 72653 2914 RR0001


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