Our Story

Unity was founded in 2007 by Michael Prosserman, aka Bboy Piecez, and was born out of his wish to share with other youth the transformational power of Hip Hop and community that he experienced in his own life.

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!

Hear from our Founder and ED

Mission

Unity is a national charity that helps underserved youth develop resilience through Hip Hop

Vision

Unity improves young people’s lives and contributes to healthier communities.

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

Rebecca Harrison
Executive Director
Clinton Ghosh
Program Director
Bob Veruela Jr.
National Program Director
Catherine Turcotte
Ontario Programs Manager
Olasunkanmi Adebero
Financial Controller
Mahad Shoaib
Development & Evaluations Manager
Adrian Chan
Program Coordinator
Arjun Raj
Marketing and Communications Manager

Board Of Directors

Chantal Brine
Board Member
Yasmin Wright
Board Member
Sarah Kwan
Board Member
Antoinette R. Tummillo
Board Member
Samer Abhughannam
Chair
Miri Hadas Koller
Secretary

Our Partners

TD Ready Commitment
RBC Foundation
Ontario Trillium Foundation
Canada Council for the Arts
City of Toronto
Sun Life
Canada Life
Mackenzie Investments
Toronto Arts Council
Government of Canada
Amazon Music Canada
Catapult Canada

Get Involved

Want to build resilience in under-served youth and contribute towards building healthier communities?

Find out how