Markham, Ontario — Hyundai Canada is continuing on as a leader of social change in the Canadian auto industry, as the OEM just announced a $500,000 donation over the next two years to aid Kid’s Help Phone in developing programs for Black and Indigenous youth.
Hyundai Canada’s donation will support Kids Help Phone’s Indigenous Youth Action Plan, developed alongside an Indigenous Advisory Council, to provide Indigenous youth with training, tools and resources to support their well-being, as well as the RiseUp platform; a bilingual e-mental health support service for Black youth built in collaboration with Black community partners and people from across the Afro-diaspora, according to Hyundai’s press release.
“Driving the youth of today forward and championing equity to ensure a bright future for all is central to our mission at Hyundai,” said Kirk Merrett, director of human resources and administration at Hyundai Canada.
“We are proud to be making this contribution to Kids Help Phone and humbled to be supporting their innovative and inclusive initiatives, which deliver such a crucial impact to young people across the country.”
Of the young people who reached out to Kids Help Phone by text in 2021, 7.8 percent identify as Indigenous and 5.2 percent identify as Black. The organization says that they have recently seen a notable influx of youth calling in to share experiences of systemic racism in their daily lives.
