Candies Kotchapaw
Founder and Executive Director, Developing Young Leaders of Tomorrow, Today (DYLOTT)
Candies Kotchapaw is a passionate change maker focused on amplifying the excellence within Black communities in Canada and beyond. She holds a Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in social work from York University, and a Diploma in Child and Youth Work from George Brown College.
Candies’ work centers around education, training, and mentorship in careers where Black talents are stereotypically under-represented. Over the course of the last 3 years, she has successfully spearheaded the development of two community-based leadership development programs. #LeadLikeAGirl is a program for Black girls ages 8-17. Young girls in this program are mentored by Black women and allied women to disrupt the gender wage disparity in professional careers. From her own lived experience of lack of access to the diplomatic education and training space, she developed the Black Diplomats Academy for young professionals interested in careers in diplomacy and negotiation.
Developing Young Leaders of Tomorrow, Today
Website: Developing Young Leaders of Tomorrow, Today (DYLOTT)
Developing Young Leaders of Tomorrow, Today (DYLOTT) is an organization developed by Candies Kotchapaw, a visionary leader in the Black community. Candies, while completing her Master’s of Social Work specializing in Policy Practice at York University, identified the precarious experience of Black Social Workers and the need for their inclusion in policy development. Coupled with her several years of experience facilitating grassroots youth work and Candies’ identification of precariousness in several other employment areas, DYLOTT was formally founded in 2019.