The Malton Youth Hub: Jonathan Davis Centre
The Malton Youth Hub: Jonathan Davis Centre is the first space of its kind in all of Mississauga, offering a wide array of free resources to the community’s youth. The space has a commercial kitchen, youth-dedicated game space, study spots, a recording studio, a dance studio, multi-purpose rooms, and community anchor partners.
MYH: JDC offers free meal programs, music classes, community engagement events, and mentorship opportunities, and our anchor partners offer housing services, legal services, newcomer resources, and employment resources, among others. Not only does the MYH: JDC serve youth, but it employs youth too, and the staff is as representative of the community as the hub’s members are.
Jonathan Davis and Space Dedication
The Malton Youth Hub is named after Jonathan Davis, a young, innocent bystander who was sadly killed in Malton as the result of gun violence.
In the words of Mayor Carolyn Parrish, “Jonathan Davis was an innocent victim, and it is so sad for any child or young person to be killed in the way he was, but it’s also as an inspiration to the rest of the students in the area, the young people, to say ‘we have a centre now, we have a place to go.’”
For Mayor Parrish and the MYH Development Team, it was incredibly important to advocate the building be dedicated to a Malton youth whose life was ended much too soon. Mayor Parrish cites the incident as “a trigger” that the community was in desperate need of safe, protected, accepting youth spaces. As Mayor Parrish explained in an interview with the youth hub’s media team, “it’s just so important that [Jonathan] not be forgotten, and that people associate something really good and positive with what happened to him.”
The youth-dedicated space also displays the names of Adrian Ducas, Tyler Sewdat-Shamma, and Taffash Riley, other youth that Malton has mourned after their unfortunate, undeserved deaths. The dedication prompts youth to remember their friends and the lives lost too soon, but also reminds them that there is now a space dedicated to them, and that there are safe spaces to go in their community, with trusting adults, if they ever find themselves in a difficult or unsafe situation.
Anchor Partners
The Malton Youth Hub features four anchor partners, providing free services to Malton’s youth and the area’s underserved communities.
The Malton Black Development Association is a local non-profit that highlights the talents and needs of Malton’s Black and minority communities. The MBDA have flexible, on-going programs for Malton’s youth, and generously contributed to the hub’s incredibly well-visited dance studio. The MBDA often have free events to engage the community, and offer university scholarships for young Black scholars each year. Visit the MDBA’s Facebook page for more information about their programming.
Malton Neighbourhood Services: Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (YWHO): Malton Neighbourhood Services has been a long-standing community staple, and now, their new space in the MYH: JDC, offers programming and support solely for youth. Youth Wellness Ontario plans to offer youth wellness workshops, academic support, and mentorship opportunities to the community through the hub. They have also introduced some wellness courses, such as anger management and mindfulness demonstrations, to the youth at MYH: JDC. Check out their website for a comprehensive list of their services and partners.
ResQ Youth International: ResQ is a new service provider in Malton, one that plans to help educate and support Malton’s youth on navigating the legal system and the importance of pursuing an education. ResQ plans to provide information sessions and accessible information to young people in Malton, to ensure that they can succeed no matter the obstacle. ResQ takes an individualized approach to every community it services, and plans to specifically address the holes in Malton’s youth support systems, and address them directly. Take a look at their website to see their other locations and community opportunities.
Punjabi Community Health Services: is a well-established non-profit organization that provides community resources to Malton and Brampton. The branch of the organization present at the hub is, however, a first of its kind for the organization, the only branch of the organization solely dedicated to servicing community newcomers. PCHS provide services in Syrian, Ukranian, Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, Ukranian, Farsi, and Dari, and provide services from youth academic support to housing and everything in between. Visit their website for a more comprehensive list of their services, or visit their new location at the MYH: JDC.
Can’t find what you need? If you need help beyond the scope of MYH: JDC’s anchor partners, please give them, or the MYH: JDC a call, and we can provide community connections beyond those offered in the hub.
Free Meal Programs
As of January 2024, the Malton Youth Hub: Jonathan Davis Centre has been serving hot lunches to, on average, 300 students each day, with snacks and drinks available after school as well.
As of October 2024, the MYH: JDC also serves hot and ready-to-go breakfasts.
Want to donate and help our free meal program continue? Contact maltonhub@mississauga.ca for more information.
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