Today Unity has created an impact in the lives of over a 500,000 people across Canada, building resilience and contributing to the creation of healthier communities. Unity continues to provide multi-art form based programming at various developmental life stages for youth using our national network of multi-sector partners to focus on holistic and accessible support.
Check out our latest Annual Report for more info!
Our Story


Mission
.webp)
Vision

Our Values
Youth
Youth are at the centre of Unity. We exist as an organization to serve young people in need of ways to express themselves positively, in need of community, encouragement and support, in need of representation and platforms so that they may be heard and seen. We prioritize youth by including them in the conversation, by listening to them, and by guiding and mentoring them.
Hip Hop
To Unity, the Hip Hop elements are languages through which we’re able to connect, teach, inspire, and engage with youth. The history of Hip Hop, and the foundational values of the culture--social justice, peace, respect, self-worth, and community--are values and stories we strive to embody and share, so that youth may find inspiration, motivation and lessons of resilience within them.
Community
To Unity, community represents places and spaces where people feel seen and connected. Community means sharing, support and safety. In our work, community is foundational - it is at the centre of all we do. Helping others to find and experience belonging in community, and finding it ourselves, motivates us and moves us all closer to success and wellness.
Respect
To Unity, respect means treating every person with dignity, consideration and honour. In our work, respect is important because it allows us to build lasting relationships and create spaces where people feel dignified and safe to grow, learn and work. Respect is also important to Unity as a foundational value of Hip Hop.
Integrity
Youth are at the centre of Unity. We exist as an organization to serve young people in need of ways to express themselves positively, in need of community, encouragement and support, in need of representation and platforms so that they may be heard and seen. We prioritize youth by including them in the conversation, by listening to them, and by guiding and mentoring them.
Passion
To Unity, passion is the fire within, loving what you do and who you are. Passion is recognizing what moves the spirit, and honouring that need. In our work, passion is essential because it breathes life into our collective efforts, and keeps us hungry for change and growth.
team








Board of Directors

Close

Beth S. Horowitz
Board Member
Beth is Former President & CEO, Amex Bank of Canada, and Former President & General Manager, Amex Canada, Inc In 2009, Beth was appointed to the HSBC Bank Canada Board, and in late 2012, she was appointed to the board of Aimia, a global leader in loyalty management and customer analytics. Beth has 14 years of non-profit and for-profit board experience. In addition to her corporate boards, Beth’s current board and advisory board memberships are: Art Gallery of Ontario; Schulich School of Business; Catalyst Canada; the Harvard Business School Club of Toronto; the Women’s Venture Capital Fund; the Harvard Business School (Global) Alumni Board; and UNITY Charity. Beth is also a member of the International Women’s Forum, and sits on the President’s Council of Cornell Women. In 2013, Beth was named one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, in the Corporate Board category. Beth received a B.A. degree in Medieval and Renaissance European History from Cornell University, and an M.B.A. degree from Harvard Business School. She, her husband Pat, and their dog Picasso enjoy travel, hiking, and art.

Close

Yasmin Wright
Board Member
Yasmin Wright, born Shaniqua is a Toronto (born and raised) artist. She started writing poetry, spoken word and music at the age of 12 and now considers herself a self-taught artist. Unsatisfied with the adjective “rapper”, Yasmin prefers to be called an artist as she considers herself a creative being. Yasmin started off performing in her high school and got her first outside-of-school performance at the 2018 Unity Festival. Since then she has performed at the HER Creative showcase and Unity’s 15th annual Breaking The Cycle Event. Yasmin has been a dedicated and prominent member of Unity’s after school program and is excited to take her experience from a student to a teacher. She aspires to create better communities as she has already started doing so by volunteering with Malvern Family Resource Centre (MFRC) and the Jr. NBA as an assistant coach. Unity has changed Yasmin’s life in positive ways only and she is excited to use her experience, knowledge and love for hip-hop to benefit youths the way it has benefited her.

Close

Leslie Rivers
Treasurer
Leslie is an HR Director at Sagard Holdings and brings a dynamic blend of passion and a desire for positive change to her role. With a solid educational foundation in Accounting and Finance from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) and having completed the Executive Program in Strategic Human Resources Management at the Rotman School of Management, Leslie is a formidable strategic partner. Her extensive background, including 15 years of experience at Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. where she served as Manager, Corporate Accounting for 6 years and Senior Manager, Employee Relations for 4 years, has provided her with valuable knowledge. Leslie also spent 3 years as Director of Finance for the Sickle Cell Association of Ontario. In her leisure time, Leslie indulges in her lifelong love for music and dance.

Close

Sarah Kwan
Board Member
With over a decade of progressive experience in the retail industry, I build and execute holistic business strategies, merging an understanding of merchandising, finance, marketing, and product to drive sales and profit, and deliver great customer value. I’ve owned the P&L for complex business portfolios worth up to $250M annually. As a people leader, I’m passionate about empowering those around me with the resources, tools and information they need to succeed. Equally comfortable talking data analytics and customer behaviour, I have built and fostered the adoption of data-driven tools and processes that improve the efficiency, accuracy and consistency of operations, planning, and analysis activities, and enabled merchant teams to make better strategic decisions. Innovative companies with a vision for the future and intelligent people building great things together get me excited about new opportunities. There’s a lot of fun to be had in serious business – how can I help you? Specialties: strategic planning, data analytics, category management, merchandising, content marketing, assortment building, competitive & marketplace analysis, budgeting & forecasting, process development, social media marketing, product development, brand development, mentorship & coaching, e-commerce, omni-channel, inventory management, PR & communications, public speaking.

Close

Del Cowie
Board Member
Del Cowie is a Toronto-based music journalist and editor who worked as a writer for the Peabody and International Emmy Award-winning Netflix series Hip Hop Evolution. He has also worked as a producer for CBC Music and as an editor at Exclaim! for over a decade. Del has written for Complex, NOISEY and XXL among others. Del sits on the Polaris Music Prize jury since its 2006 and is currently the series editor for Invisible Publishing's Bibliophonic imprint, which focuses on the history of contemporary Canadian music and musicians.

Close

Keysha Freshh
Board Member
Dubbed “Hip Hops kid sister”, Keysha Freshh blends everything you love about the 90’s with everything you appreciate about Hip Hop. Born in Toronto, Keysha found a love for hip hop spending summers in NYC. She was exposed to the culture at an early age, listening to mixtapes her cousins would have. Keysha had her first song published when she was 5 years old, the song was titled “Summers coming” and she has been performing ever since. Keysha performed her first written rap, at the age of 12 while she was a member of the Toronto Children Concert Choir. After expressing her desire to record music to hit maker and super-producer T-Miuns (credits: Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj) he referred Keysha to a local studio and she recorded her first song “Pardon my swag”. In 2009, Keysha then went on to record her very first official single “Hollywood Fresh”, which received rave reviews and radio play across North America. Keysha was the youngest female Hip Hop artist to have 3 songs in rotation on 93.5FM (then Flow 93.5) which, at the time was Canadas leading urban radio station. The remix to “Hollywood Freshh” soon followed featuring Gunna (who also produced the beat) and Hip Hop artist MIMS (This is why I’m hot). MIMS along with Hip Hop legend Doug E Fresh also appear in the music video for “Hollywood Fresh”. After the success of her first single, she has recorded 1 demo project, 2 mixtapes, 4 EP’s 1 collab album (All The Wrong Places; Pearls and bones) and one group album (Pledge; The Sorority). Keysha has shared stages with artist such as; Joey Bad a$$, Miguel, Drake, Snoop Dogg, Jidenna, The Internet, DVSN, Main Source, Dan Hill, MC Lyte, Smif-N-Wessun, A TRAK, Cassidy, Ghostface and many more. Keysha has since worked with artists such as Ray Robinson, MIMS, Doug E Fresh, Diamond D, Geechi Suede of Camp Lo and more.
Our Partners
