About Us
Developing Young Leaders of Tomorrow, Today (DYLOTT) is an organization developed by Candies Kotchapaw, a visionary leader in the Black community. Candies, while completing her Master's of Social Work specializing in Policy Practice at York University, identified the precarious experience of Black Social Workers and the need for their inclusion in policy development. Coupled with her several years of experience facilitating grassroots youth work and Candies' identification of precariousness in several other employment areas, DYLOTT was formally founded in 2019.
What We Do
DYLOTT is a leadership incubator that delivers a variety of youth programs intentionally designed to ensure young Black leaders have the tools to excel in the current and emerging Canadian and International job market. Our programs are designed to address barriers to social inclusion in employment, education and the broader social context. Our culturally responsive supports and services provide: Mentoring and mentorship opportunities, Intensive training and skill development, and Innovative Sector-specific knowledge.
How We Do It
Community Engagement
Grassroots leadership
Self-Actualization
We provide mentorship and developmental opportunities to Black youth by fostering strong relationships with elders to support skill-building and collaborative community-based knowledge sharing.
We work within Black communities fostering collective action to create change at the local, regional, national, and international levels of policy and programming.
We harness the greatness of Black potential to work towards the realization of sustainability, interdependence and enhanced contribution to the successful growth of our economy and influence.
Systemic Advocacy
We advocate on behalf of Black communities to ensure that the systems we interact with are producing progressive changes to policies and practices.
Intersectionality
We amplify the diverse community voices to ensure we remain connected to the pulse of Black communities and remain focused on the issues that matter most.
OURPROGRAMS
Our programs are designed to address barriers to social inclusion in employment, education and the broader social context. We help participants of the program develop and maintain positive peer and professional mentoring relationships that will positively impact the career trajectory and social status of the participants of the program through....
MISSION
Developing Young Leaders of Tomorrow Today (DYLOTT) is a Black focused leadership incubation organization geared towards changing the socio-economic-political outlook for Black communities.
VISION
To create empowered Black communities where youth participate with elders in decision making building a collaborative and lasting legacy of intergenerational knowledge sharing and mentorship ensuring continued progress.
MEET THE FOUNDER
Candies Kotchapaw is a community builder and networker, holding Master and Bachelor degrees in Social Work from York University and a diploma in Child and Youth Work from George Brown College. While completing the Master program, Candies encountered systemic conditions that tried to prevent her from successfully completing the program. These forces included feelings of isolation in education, financial blocks, lack of mentorship and a sense that striving for greater was pointless. Candies found support in one faculty member who invested time and effort in developing her Major Research Project entitled, ‘The Politics of Social Work: Do Racialized Social Workers belong in the Practice Space of Public Policy Development?’....
Candies Kotchapaw
Founder & Executive Director
Meet The Board of Directors
Andrew Jackson
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