About Us

About us

BOTS was launched 11 years ago as a grassroots solution to meet needs we saw in our community, and to bring people together to celebrate and support people of African descent here in Canada. Through the support of the community we launched a Summer Camp program based on an African values system, then what has become our annual festival. This was followed by the Education program in schools and the Youth Leadership Program and finally a Mentorship program. Over the last 11 years we we have hosted numerous pop events across the region including plays, dance workshops, educational panels, Diversity cafes in rural communities and more. Black founded, Black led on both an organizational and governance level, our commitment is to support success for the Black community, with a special focus on youth. We have been operating for over 11 years, and are registered as a not for profit in Canada.

Our Values

"Umuntu ngubuntu ngabantu…."
I am because we are… A person is a person because of people

Spotlighted by Nelson Mandela, this African value statement means that we cannot exist in our humanity alone. We need each other to be fully human.

Our values include:

Ubuntu | Collaboration | Culture | Storytelling | Listening | Excellence | Respect

Our Mission

Join us in developing leaders and creating communities in an ecosystem of mutual respect.

We like to challenge stereotypes around Black identity, diversity in Africa and what “Africans” are about.

We like to use arts, projects and events to support and create positive change working towards eradicating the negative impacts of discrimination.

We LOVE to positively impact children and youth of African/Black descent by providing a creative and positive space to explore identity and heritage through the arts and community.