Growing Opportunity: Cultivating the Next Generation of Agri-Tech Leaders 

Across Canada, Black youth who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET) face intersecting barriers that can make opportunity feel out of reach. Racism, economic exclusion, and limited access to culturally relevant learning environments often mean that ambition alone isn’t enough. 

Future S.E.T., a Black youth-led organization rooted in lived experience, is working to change that through its Youth Agri-Tech Hub – a bold initiative that blends science, sustainability, and cultural connection to create pathways into the growing agri-tech industry. 

With support from the Rideau Hall Foundation’s Catapult Canada initiative, the program is scaling from Windsor-Essex to the GTA, with a goal to equip young people with hands-on skills in STEM and hydroponic farming, and to prepare them for careers in food security, sustainability, and innovation. 

Where Culture Meets Innovation 

At the Youth Agri-Tech Hub, learning starts with growing. Participants build and operate hydroponic systems, track plant health, and manage digital growing environments while cultivating culturally significant crops such as callaloo, okra, and Scotch bonnet peppers. This blend of culture and technology grounds newcomer and refugee youth through familiar foods that foster healing and belonging and empowers Canadian-born youth who have faced systemic exclusion to see themselves as innovators and leaders.  

“This grant will go a long way towards our core mission of giving underserved youth the power to create and jumpstart meaningful careers in Agri-Tech and STEM. In the current climate crisis, food insecurity continues to be an ongoing problem, further exacerbated by economic difficulties youth are facing in starting their careers. With the Catapult grant, we will be able to provide underserved youth with real-world training to develop their STEM skills and enter the Agri-Tech and STEM career landscape with confidence.” Say the team. 

Tackling Food Insecurity Through Empowerment 

Food insecurity disproportionately affects Black communities in Canada, with nearly 29% of Black households reporting limited access to affordable food. For youth, this crisis impacts mental health, concentration, and academic success. 

Most programs addressing food insecurity are charity-based and short-term. The Youth Agri-Tech Hub takes a different approach by turning food production into a tool for empowerment. Participants learn to grow their own produce using sustainable, soil-free methods and donate part of their harvests to local food banks and families. In doing so, they gain practical skills and also become community leaders tackling food insecurity. 

Scaling Impact with support from the RHF 

Support from the Rideau Hall Foundation’s Catapult Canada initiative is helping Future S.E.T. strengthen its infrastructure and scale its programming to reach more youth across Ontario. Catapult funding supports the development of the Youth Agri-Tech Hub curriculum, community partnerships, and a new Toolkit that will allow other Black youth-led groups to replicate the model in their own regions. 

Catapult’s collaborative learning network also connects Future S.E.T. with other youth-serving organizations across Canada – a community focused on shared learning, leadership, and sector sustainability. By investing in organizations like Future S.E.T., the Rideau Hall Foundation is helping build a future where young people can see themselves as innovators, changemakers, and leaders.