Youth Fusion/Fusion Jeunesse

About Youth Fusion/Fusion Jeunesse:

Youth Fusion Jeunesse (YFJ) began as a pilot project in two high schools in 2009, and was registered as a charity in 2010. Encouraged by the results from the pilot project, YFJ expanded across Quebec to over 20 schools in eight different school boards, with support from several universities and donors. The charity and its executive director won several awards for their work, such as Ernst & Young’s 2011 Social Entrepreneur of the Year for Quebec.

YFJ aims to increase attendance and high school graduation rates of at-risk youth through hands-on, extra-curricular and in-class activities, community engagement and academic support. The school boards help YFJ target at-risk schools in disadvantaged areas. YFJ partners with universities to hire Coordinators (university students and graduates) to work at the targeted schools. The Coordinators have expertise in multimedia, robotics, sports, creative arts, leadership, and business. Last year, YFJ’s over 105 university students worked 15 to 25 hours a week in designated high schools for the entire 36-week long school year.

YFJ currently works with over 50 schools across the province, including eight in Aboriginal communities.

Charity Intelligence has reviewed Youth Fusion since 2011 and found it to be a consistently high rated charity delivering high charity impact. Youth Fusion is included in Ci's Canadian Charity Impact Fund along with 10 high impact charities in the social service area. Youth Fusion is of particular interest to donors looking to support at-risk youth graduating from high school and education with Canada's First Nation youth.

Financial Review:

YFJ’s administrative and fundraising costs were 23% of total revenues. The funding reserves of $232k cover only 8% of current annual program costs.