You Do You Mentorship Program

You Do You is a hands-on Mentorship Program for young 2SLGBTQIA+ and QBIPOC music artists. We help our mentees build social, emotional, and leadership skills by supporting them in the creation of their own original music. 

Many queer youth face struggles with mental health and discrimination. The mentorship program, currently in its third year, provides vulnerable youth with the vital skills they need to not only thrive, but give back to future generations. Sixty per cent of our graduates return as mentors, proof we are helping to foster the careers of queer leaders in this field.

In our program, each mentee creates music of their own with hands-on support from professional songwriters, musicians, producers and industry experts who have faced similar struggles. Currently we mentor six musicians per year with the goal of growing and expanding the program elements to help more black and indigenous queer youth

We are called You Do You because we believe in helping young artists to fiercely and proudly get in touch with who they are and what they want to say, so that their music flows from a place of emotional authenticity. Coursework (workshops and one-on-one mentorship) so far has been aimed at helping mentees develop social skills, emotional literacy and the confidence they need to be industry leaders including classes on topics like: Songwriting; Life Skills and Communication; and Social Media Marketing. Each mentee also received one-on-one guidance from industry mentors with shared lived experience. 

In November of 2025 our program culminated in each mentee recording a song that mentors helped them to produce, mix and master. 

You Do You creates future leaders in the music industry by pairing young musicians with industry mentors who have shared lived experience. Our mentees also collaborated on an additional song about trans health awareness, since 2SLGBTQIA+ rights have been at risk in Canada and the US. All recording, programming, production and marketing costs for our current six mentees were included in our program. 

The program just completed its third year (thanks to the support of TD Bank), with many graduates becoming community leaders, who give back in tangible ways. Sydney Sarayeva, a trans artist who graduated in 2025, is just one recent example. She went from experiencing homelessness at the beginning of our program to performing at electronic music festivals last year. Sarayeva had this to say during an appearance on Global News this past June: “I’m so grateful for this program and the opportunity it provided for me. What held me back before I was a mentee at You Do You was the lack of mentorship for trans people who were like me.”

Our program has a track record of delivering social, emotional and leadership skills that allow our graduates to thrive.