Blueprint Pathways is a federally incorporated nonprofit organization established in 2014 to build on the work of BluePrintForLife and expand our programming into urban centres and youth correctional facilities across Canada. Governed by a Board of Directors and supported by audited financial statements, we have become a national leader in trauma-informed programming and research for incarcerated and marginalized youth.
Over the past 12 years, we have delivered more than 50 week-long intensive programs, followed by eight-week spoken word mentorship programs, in maximum-security youth facilities across Canada. Through this work, we have supported more than 1,200 young people on their healing journeys.
Research has been at the heart of every project we undertake. As our programming has grown, so has our commitment to understanding the complex issues facing vulnerable youth. Our earliest studies explored motivation to change, while more recent research has examined hope, trauma recovery, belonging, racism, and the power of community. Working alongside leading PhD researchers, we have also developed what is believed to be one of the world’s most comprehensive bodies of research on hip-hop as a therapeutic and youth engagement tool.
Our work has earned international recognition. In our early years, we were invited to present keynote addresses at international conferences on youth corrections sponsored by the Government of Canada. Those conversations ultimately led to the creation of Blueprint Pathways as an independent nonprofit organization, opening the door to significant national partnerships and research initiatives.
Justice Canada supported our first national project with a $500,000 grant, funding three years of programming in maximum-security youth facilities across Canada. This initiative is widely regarded as one of the largest therapeutic group programs in the history of Canada’s corrections system and produced what is believed to be the world’s largest study on the use of hip-hop and traditional culture as healing tools for incarcerated youth. This work has also contributed to several published books on hip-hop studies.
The Ontario Trillium Foundation funded a second three-year, $500,000 initiative serving marginalized youth in Ottawa. Working in partnership with local school boards, alternative education programs, Pathways to Education, and the Youth Services Bureau, this project explored how connection and belonging can provide meaningful alternatives to gang involvement.
More recently, Canadian Heritage supported our two-year national project, Community Heartbeat – Behind the Walls, examining the impacts of racism and lived experience among incarcerated youth.
Our latest three-year national initiative, funded by Public Safety Canada, continues to build on this work by exploring hope, healing, and resilience for youth across Canada.
Sharing What We’ve Learned
We believe that research should be practical and accessible. Below you’ll find our evaluation reports, research publications, and resources, including our illustrated workbook for incarcerated youth. Developed in partnership with correctional facilities across Canada, this 100-page resource addresses many of the challenges young people face while in custody. We encourage its use in supporting youth and ask that proper credit be given when sharing or adapting this material.
We are proud of the depth and quality of our research and invite you to explore the reports below to learn more about our work and its impact.
