Blakes-Level Partnership Announcement
Level is excited to announce our funding partnership with Canada’s top business law firm, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (Blakes). This partnership will support Level’s mission to provide Indigenous youth with innovative justice education that promotes positive interactions with the legal sector, builds confidence in academic achievement, advances reconciliation, and celebrates Indigenous legal systems and identity. For 2022-2023, Blakes has committed financial and volunteer support to Level’s Indigenous Youth Outreach Program (IYOP), a justice education program developed in consultation with Indigenous elders, youth, and legal advisors across Canada. The program increases Indigenous students’ knowledge about the justice system, critical thinking, and leadership skills. The program also enhances volunteer lawyer cultural humility through sustained training, relationship building, and mentorship with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit youth aged 11 - 18.
Kyle Elliott, Diversity and Inclusion Counsel at Blakes and a key supporter of this partnership, stated: “In combining justice education and mentorship, Level’s Indigenous Youth Outreach Program has a transformative impact on its participants. Blakes values this opportunity to share knowledge with Indigenous youth and help break down barriers to the profession. We look forward to contributing to IYOP’s continued stories of success.”
With support from Blakes, the Level Team is excited to continue expanding IYOP across Canada and engage Blakes volunteer lawyers in experiential learning activities with Indigenous youth and mentorship opportunities with Indigenous law students and lawyers across Canada. We are incredibly grateful for the Firm’s generous support!
About Blakes
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (Blakes) serves a diverse national and international client base. Its integrated network of offices provides clients with access to the Firm’s full spectrum of capabilities in virtually every area of business law.
More About IYOP
IYOP launched in 2012 in Toronto with 25 students and 10 volunteers. Today, Level delivers the program to over 650 youth with over 200 volunteers, in 25 locations across Canada, including:
1. Alberta
2. British Columbia
3. Manitoba
4. Ontario
5. Saskatchewan
6. Northwest Territories
7. Nunavut
8. Yukon
IYOP uniquely benefits Indigenous youth by gaining access to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous mentors and role models in legal and business communities. The program breaks down barriers to justice and equips students with skills and knowledge about their rights and opportunities in the legal profession. The program also benefits Indigenous and non-Indigenous volunteers involved by improving their competency in Indigenous ways of knowing and Indigenous law.
