The agency was created in 1914 by the Big Sister Association of Toronto. It began as a befriending service for teenage girls involved in the court system. The services initially delivered by volunteers were within a decade coordinated by a paid social worker who trained and supported the volunteers.
The early membership, all volunteers, gradually began to work together in groups, originally to sew clothes for the young women. This activity led to the formation of Circles which became the core group of volunteers and fundraisers. In 1964 the Circles consolidated their fundraising efforts and opened the Big Sister Thrift Shop on Avenue Road in Toronto. They are an important and unique part of YOUTHLINK.
Initially the sign on the lamppost at 34 Huntley Street read “ Big Sister Counselling Service”, a service which offered a range of programs for young women such as group homes, individual, family and group Counselling. In 1974 after the agency began offering support to both young women and men the name was changed to read “Huntley Youth Services”. In 1989 when the agency offered services from several locations across Metropolitan Toronto, the name changed again, this time to YOUTHLINK.
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YOUTHLINK
747 Warden Avenue | Toronto, ON | M1L 4A8
416-967-1773
