The Being, Belonging, Becoming (BBB) program is a dynamic learning toolkit for students in Grades 9 – 10, designed to build confidence, resilience, and leadership while fostering civic engagement. Through 10 interactive lessons, students explore how to find their voice, understand their rights and responsibilities, navigate governance structures, and take meaningful action to create change in their communities.
Fully aligned with existing curricula, these lessons are flexible and customizable to meet the unique needs of today’s classrooms. Each module emphasizes hands-on, inquiry-based learning, giving students real opportunities to collaborate, problem-solve, and engage in social impact projects.
By participating in BBB, students won’t just learn—they’ll experience the power of youth voice, develop a sense of belonging, and gain the tools to make a tangible difference in their community and the world around them.
BBB addresses a critical need for the development of leadership, resilience, and civic-mindedness in youth, while also promoting positive mental health and wellbeing. Students who participate in BBB often report greater confidence in their ability to make change with their voices, alongside improved student engagement as a result of their experience in the program.
The mental health and civic engagement of young people are key areas for intervention. Recent research highlights the urgency of upstream approaches that both strengthen youth capacity to thrive as engaged members of society and support improved mental health outcomes. For example:
BBB responds to these challenges by providing an upstream, evidence-based intervention that develops key competencies linked to resilience, leadership, and lifelong civic participation. The program aims to “catch youth before they fall” by equipping them with the skills and resources they need to become rugged and resourced—empowered to care for their own wellbeing, contribute to their communities, and strengthen society as a whole.
Central to BBB are three interconnected areas of growth:
Being, Belonging, Becoming is now in its 5th year of programming, enabling delivery both inside and outside schools in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. We have also partnered with community-based organizations to host Social Impact Labs to bring students’ social impact projects to life. By leveraging a new digital platform for BBB, the program aims to ensure a broader and more impactful reach.
The program has an exponential reach through a social ripple effect with each youth impacting their peers in their community.
Key Impact Metrics
Even better, the word is spreading, and Children First Canada is receiving requests from additional communities to expand our programming. The Being, Belonging, Becoming program is meeting an urgent need and is in high demand!
We need your support to help expand this program and ensure that youth develop a strong sense of belonging and learn the skills needed to participate in society fully.
If you are an educator and would like to bring the BBB program to your class, we would love to hear from you! We are always looking to expand our reach to classrooms across Canada, and hope your classroom will be next.
Furthermore, the BBB program is intended to seamlessly integrate with existing social studies or civics curriculum, easily creating opportunities for project-based learning. By signing up for the BBB program, you will receive access to pre-developed video lessons, worksheets, and more!
Educators who have used the BBB program in their classrooms report wide-ranging positive outcomes for their students in areas such as civic-mindedness, empathy, confidence, and leadership.
Hear directly from an educator about why the BBB program is integral in her classroom:
To learn more about the program, sign up for a discovery call with Hannah or send an email to Hannah at hruuth@childrenfirstcanada.com
If you are a student or youth and would like to see the BBB program brought to your school, we would love to hear from you!
BBB can provide an opportunity for you to learn more about your rights and responsibilities and gives you an opportunity to practice using your voice to effect change. The BBB program integrates a youth-led project-based learning component where you and your peers can work together to develop a solution to a social issue you have identified.
Your voice matters and the BBB program can help you develop the skills and confidence to use it to effect change.
Hear directly from a student who participated in the BBB program to learn more:
You can share this website with your teacher or connect your teacher with Hannah at hruuth@childrenfirstcanada.com
Being, Belonging, Becoming is made possible by the Telus Future Family Foundation and TD.
Feedback from youth, teachers, and school board administrators has been enormously positive.
Staff and students say that the program includes some of the most relevant, engaging, and motivating lessons students have experienced.
"What makes this program revolutionary is that instead of treating kids as though they’re broken, it respects kids for their tenacity and resourcefulness. We can’t keep throwing money at mental health services. We need to work upstream and catch kids before they fall, building them up with a sense of empowerment and agency.”
