“Black Excellence Doesn’t Stop at Talent, It Stops at Opportunity”!

This was a statement made recently by a five year tenure staff at the Organization for Economic Development and Diplomacy (OEDD) who started as an intern at the Black Diplomats Academy in 2021; and this is the pipeline infrastructure from education to high impact employment that we have been building since 2019.

The federal government has placed significant emphasis on “Building Canada Strong by investing in Canadian-made infrastructure, however, the economic and social infrastructure for Black Canadian children, youth and young professionals is yet to be built.

The budget announcement on November 5th must include dedicated investments that target Black-youth serving organizations who have proven capacity to deliver social and economic impact for Black youth across Canada and on the global stage. These investments must be multi-year in nature to build sustainable workforces and a resilient youth economy just as building an energy pipeline is a multi-year infrastructure project. Further, this budget must address the issue of entry point barriers to equal opportunities and inclusive economic growth.

Sustainable Employment
OEDD was created as a legacy institution for amplifying the excellence in children and youth of African descent while simultaneously dismantling entry-point and access barriers to positions of economic and social influence that were not intentionally built for our communities’ participation or inclusion.

In our seven year history, we moved from a tiny team of 2 young people learning how to advocate for positive policy change in our local communities to now almost 15 staff, primarily youth influencing policies at the United Nations, CARICOM, Commonwealth and the African Union levels.

OEDD is calling on the federal government to commit in this budget cycle to provide predictable and sustainable long-term funding through Global Affairs Canada, Employment and Social Development Canada, Canadian Heritage and Innovation, Science and Economic Development to address the statistical reality that 26.7% of Black youth aged 15 to 24 and 33.0% of Black children aged 0 to 14 live in low-income households.

The Black Canadian youth population aged 15–24 unemployment rate sits at 22.6%. That is almost three times the national average.

OEDD has been handing Canada wins on the global stage since 2022; bringing the largest delegation of Black youth to the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, opening access to closed door rooms of influence; leading advocacy on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals at the High-Level Political Forum on the Sustainable Development Goals and shaping Youth Development in the Caribbean region.

It’s time for the Soft Power development work of Black youth serving organizations to be recognized, intentionally and sustainably included in economic policymaking starting with this budget cycle.