Publicis Groupe Canada is teaming with Toronto-based non-profit The Center For Young Black Professionals to tackle Canada’s hiring bias problem with a new pro bono brand platform called #BlackYouthCan. It will be linked to the Center’s first major marketing campaign called Who I really Am.  

The groups cite stats showing that the unemployment rate in Canada among young Black people (aged 15 to 24) was a staggering 30.6% in January 2021, almost double the national average for the same age group. And a recent survey revealed that 76% of Black Torontonians experience racial discrimination at least a few times a month.  

The campaign follows a decade of support for the Center from partners like BMO, TD, Deloitte, Cisco, Hudson’s Bay, the MLSE Foundation, the NBA Foundation, TikTok and Publicis Groupe Canada to provide professional workforce skill training and development for Black youth, with related support like access to social workers and therapists, education and advocacy to influence systems and policy.   

“Who I Really Am” features the success stories of nine of the Center’s alumni, each wearing a custom designed “Who I Really Am” hoodie. The clothing is designed to showcase their individual stories, passions and successes. By flipping the narrative of what Black youth are presumed to be because of what they look like, and what they wear, this campaign shines a light on their brilliance, “one hoodie at a time,” according to the Center. The hoodies were produced by Grandslammer$, an apparel brand founded by Jason Blackwood, one of the alumni featured in the campaign.    

The Center “changed the course of my career and life and armed with me the skills, support and confidence to boldly show employers what I can bring to the table,” said Mike Regis, a director and producer, and graduate of the Center’s Production Accounting program. “Being part of Who I Really Am and seeing my story shared on such a big stage across the city has given me a whole new level of pride. I want Toronto to see what we have to offer.”  

The Who I Really Am campaign is part of a broader DE&I initiative by Publicis Groupe Canada under which the agency plans to create a pro bono campaign annually for a Canadian non-profit in the space. The new campaign includes a hero digital video, social and influencer content, as well as out-of-home placements in Toronto. It’s designed to give the Center “strategic creative territory from which future campaigns could unfold,” said Scott Pinkney, Senior Vice President and Executive Creative Director at Publicis Hawkeye. “We needed a powerful way to take the Black Youth Can platform to the streets of Toronto.”    

The campaign has also been supported by the Groupe’s media partners, including Branded Cities, Pattison, Outfront, Vertical Impression, Allvision, and Astral, which have collectively donated over $500,000 in primarily Out-of-Home advertising space.