Building a Kinder & Braver World, Together
At Beat the Streets, we believe that youth mental health is built not only through services but through community, belonging and care. When young people feel safe, supported and valued, and experience kindness in action, they are better equipped to navigate challenges, stress and change.
It is with deep gratitude that we share that Beat the Streets has been selected as a 2025–2026 Kindness in Community Fund grantee, a global initiative led by the Born This Way Foundation to support the mental health and well-being of young people worldwide.
About the Kindness in Community Fund
The Kindness in Community Fund is a youth-informed, youth-nominated grantmaking program that invests in grassroots organizations young people already trust. Guided by youth voices at every stage (from nominations to final selection), the Fund supports organizations working at the intersection of mental health, inclusion, equity and community care.
In 2025–2026, the Fund is supporting 55 organizations across 11 countries, mobilizing resources to help communities respond to the evolving mental health needs of young people. Beat the Streets is honoured to be part of this global cohort, united by a shared commitment to building a kinder, braver world.
Movement, Belonging and Mental Well-being
For more than a decade, Beat the Streets has worked alongside young people facing systemic barriers, using movement, mentorship, and community-based programming to strengthen confidence, resilience, and connection. Our programs are grounded in a simple truth: mental well-being grows when young people feel they belong.
Through sport-inspired movement and social-emotional learning, we create spaces where youth can:
build confidence and self-trust
strengthen peer connection
develop tools to manage stress and emotions
experience encouragement, safety, and care
This holistic, prevention-focused approach aligns deeply with the values of the Kindness in Community Fund, centring kindness not as an abstract idea, but as a daily, lived practice.
Deepening Community Roots in Northwestern Ontario
Thunder Bay, Ontario
As part of our ongoing commitment to meeting young people where they are, Beat the Streets is deepening its presence in Northwestern Ontario, including Thunder Bay and surrounding communities. This work responds to urgent local mental health needs and is shaped in close partnership with Indigenous leaders, youth and community members.
In this region, we are adapting our evidence-based You Grow Girl program to reflect Indigenous approaches to wellness, connecting movement with social-emotional learning, cultural grounding, and community care. Over the grant period, this work will reach hundreds of Indigenous girls, prioritizing those who face the greatest barriers to accessing mental health supports.
Through this programming, participants are expected to build:
greater confidence in discussing mental health
stronger coping and emotional regulation skills
increased connection to peers, trusted adults, and local supports
The program is designed to be free, accessible, and preventative, creating safe, affirming spaces where girls can strengthen resilience before they reach crisis.
This is not about expansion for expansion’s sake. It is about responsibility. It is about listening to community-identified needs and responding with care, humility and long-term commitment.
With Gratitude
We extend our heartfelt thanks to Born This Way Foundation and the Kindness in Community Fund for investing in community-led solutions and for trusting organizations like Beat the Streets to carry this work forward with integrity.
We are honoured to stand alongside fellow grantees across the globe, and deeply grateful to the young people whose voices and nominations shaped this cohort. Your belief in community, kindness and care makes this work possible.
Together, we are building spaces where young people are seen, supported and not left to carry things alone.
About Born This Way Foundation
Born This Way Foundation is a global nonprofit organization co-founded by Lady Gaga and Cynthia Germanotta that empowers young people to build a kinder, braver world that supports mental health and well-being. Guided by youth voices and informed by research, the Foundation invests in community-based solutions that prioritize kindness, connection, and care.
