Explore Our Work

Community Integration

Community & Personal Integration at OII empowers youth, families, and cultural groups to grow, belong, and lead together. Through Youth & Family Connections and Cultures of Connection, we nurture leadership, strengthen family supports, and celebrate cultural…

Stream Overview

Why Community & Personal Integration Matters

  • Youth mental health distress rising. More than half of Ontario students now report symptoms of depression and anxiety; about one in six (~18%) had serious suicidal thoughts in the past year. (CAMH 2024). Also, 38% of students rate their ability to cope as fair or poor. (CAMH 2024)
  • Prevalence of mental health conditions
    Based on Ontario CHSCY data, ~15.0% of youth aged 12-17 years had a diagnosed mental health condition; overall for children & youth (1–17 years), the prevalence was ~9.8%(PHO 2025).
  • Social isolation and disconnection. Ontario communities are more diverse than ever, yet many people, youth, elders, newcomers, and racialized groups, report feeling disconnected.
    Programs that build belonging, cultural expression, and intergenerational connection are essential to counter this.
  • Racialized youth represent over 40% of all youth in the GTA. Yet racialized and newcomer youth are significantly more likely to experience Higher rates of discrimination in school and community settings A major Ontario study found that newcomer youth report far higher levels of social isolation, especially in the first 5 years after arrival.

Programs

Programs within this stream.

These program pages organize the work happening under this stream and connect projects, activities, evidence, and community stories.

Projects

Projects moving through this stream.

Featured Project

Paths to Belonging: Land, Culture & Community

Paths to Belonging: Land, Culture & Community is a community-based cultural engagement project that brings together people of diverse backgrounds to celebrate multiculturalism, explore shared experiences, and strengthen connections across communities. Through cultural activities, artistic expression,…

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Evidence from the Field

Recent activity connected to this stream.

Cultures of Connections: Intercultural Ministry for Newcomers

Stories of Arrival: Session one Report

The Stories of Arrival & Welcome session successfully brought newcomers and long-time residents together to reflect on migration experiences, build trust, and identify support needs. Despite short preparation time, attendance…

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Stream Gallery

Images from programs and activities in this stream.

Resources

Tools connected to this stream.