Friends In Trouble

Our Journey

FIT started in the heart of a young man, Antonius Clarke, living in Jane and Finch. Faced with the poverty and marginalization of his experience and existence, he brought together a group of youth who collectively shared the experience of being marginalized and living in poverty, to address the multiple problems that existed in their community, by becoming leaders, challenging and creating solutions to alleviate the impacts of poverty. Friends In Trouble Youth Initiative was subsequently formed with the mission to bridge the gap between those who have and those who do not, by addressing the ills that stem from poverty, while serving as a vehicle to ensure residents have a voice, power and opinion in the decisions that are directly affecting them.

FIT has grown and developed over the past six years. Membership has expanded over the years. As a response to the changing needs and interest in our community, we have been asked to expand our scope of work. While we were originally focused on arts for social change to address issues related to poverty, youth engagement and gang exit strategies, clients and participants required projects addressing immigration, civic engagement, and female specific programs. We have strengthened our facilitating trainings on anti-oppression and community building strategies.

FIT has been incredibly successful in grassroots mobilization and building community capacity through advocacy, skill and leadership development, to increase indigenous representation on issues connected to redevelopment, education, poverty/unemployment, crime, and oppression. FIT has also been a strong and visible leader in community efforts to respond to the issue of civil rights and responsibilities by promoting voter registration and civic engagement classes.