History of UrbanPromise Toronto

The death of a young man due to a drug overdose, who attended a local basketball drop-in program led by youth pastor Colin McCartney, sparked the vision to reach children before they get involved in the negative peer pressures of their community.

Reverend Colin McCartney founded UrbanPromise Toronto in 1998 with the vision to see a change in Toronto Community Housing neighbourhoods by reaching children at an early age, providing them with a safe place to learn, play, and grow.  Beginning with one small after-school program for children caring for their spiritual, social, and academic needs, grew to provide meaningful employment and leadership development for high school youth empowered to restore their community.  UrbanPromise Toronto has since grown into an organization that has reached over 5,000 children and raised over 1,500 young leaders who have made a difference across the city.

The original vision for UrbanPromise was created in 1985 in the city of Camden, New Jersey. Dr. Anthony Campolo (Professor of Sociology, Eastern College) was invited to set up a program for children using a church basement as the location, to address the needs of the city’s many underprivileged and marginalized citizens. He recruited Bruce Main to work with children and youth in Camden. Bruce Main founded the ministry and established a solid presence in Camden. UrbanPromise has been replicated and grown to serve unresourced communities globally. Currently, UrbanPromise has programs in various parts of Africa, the United States, Central America, the United Kingdom, and Canada.