The Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement invites Black-identifying TDSB students in Grades 10 to 12 to apply to the fifth annual Black Student Summer Leadership Program (BSSLP). This 7-week (July 4th – August 18th) leadership program will provide Black-identifying students with paid experiential learning opportunities to explore academic and career fields traditionally underrepresented by Black professionals.

Experiential Learning: Graduation Coaches for Black Students will support students with skill development through mentorship, training and connecting students with career programming organizations. This will enable students to develop transferrable skills valued by employers as they are placed with experiential learning agencies. Experiential learning fields include but are not limited to: Business (Entrepreneurship), Community Development, Information Technology, Public Health, Skills Trade and Construction Technology.

Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR): As part of BSSLP, students will engage in Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR). YPAR is an opportunity for students to work alongside researchers to develop additional skills throughout the program. Students will engage in research design, methods, and analyses and present their findings in the last week of the BSSLP.

CO-OP: Students may choose to enroll in the BSSLP Co-op as an additional option while they participate in BSSLP & YPAR. The Co-op program provides students with the opportunity to earn 2 summer co-op credits. Students will be supported by a TDSB Cooperative Education teacher and Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement staff.

BSSLP Eligibility for Students :
* Black-identifying TDSB student (current or graduating);
* Must be 16 years as of July 1st, 2023;

* Willing to travel to placements within the City of Toronto (incl. Centre of Excellence for Black Student 

   Achievement);
* Must have a Social Insurance Number;
* Must be available for YPAR paid training on Tuesdays 5:30 - 7 PM (April 18 - June 6, 2023);
* Must be available to work full-time (Mon - Fri, 9:00 AM -5:00 PM) July 4 - Aug 18, 2023;