Youth Ottawa is launching an exciting new initiative called Trivia 4 Tomorrow, a digital trivia platform that merges entertainment with impact, giving community members in Ottawa a chance to support local youth programs just by answering trivia questions.
Youth Ottawa’s Executive Director Jesse Card, a proud Stittsville resident alongside his family, spoke with Stittsville Central to provide more insight about the project. “Trivia 4 Tomorrow was born out of necessity and optimism. As traditional grants and donations continue to decline across the nonprofit sector, we wanted to create something that didn’t just fill a funding gap — but reimagined how community support can happen.”
With the initiative officially launching on May 30th as part of Ottawa Innovation Week, Trivia 4 Tomorrow is designed to be easy to join and rewarding to play. Cash prizes, leaderboard recognition, and a chance to influence local community support all factor into the experience. Powered by AI tools, it delivers weekly and monthly games that are open to individuals, teams, schools, nonprofits, and businesses alike. The format includes:
- Weekly Solo Games: Held every Wednesday at 7 PM, these games offer cash prizes and points toward an annual leaderboard.
- Monthly Team Competitions: On the last Friday of each month from 12 PM – 12:45 PM, organizations compete in a friendly lunchtime showdown, with participants earning raffle ballots, individual prizes, and bragging rights.
- Ballots & Jackpots: Each trivia entry earns ballots for your team’s monthly prize draw, with bonuses for top teams.
- Annual Community Cup: Top scorers of the year receive cash awards.
“Rather than simply ask for more donations, we wanted to offer something fun, fast, and rewarding in return,” Jesse said. “Inspired by the popularity of virtual games, the power of micro-donations, and the urgency to support youth-led innovation, we developed Trivia 4 Tomorrow — a monthly, city-wide trivia experience that crowdsources community investment through play.”
This is not Youth Ottawa’s first time diving into mission-driven enterprises, and the organization is building on a proven track record.
“We’ve seen firsthand how successful social enterprises can be. In 2018, we launched Hot Shoe Productions, a video business that empowered youth and won the Best Ottawa Business award for outstanding social enterprise in 2023. We believe Trivia 4 Tomorrow is the next evolution in that spirit — gamified giving that’s scalable, inclusive, and built to last.”
Youth-Led & Community-Focused
One of the most exciting aspects of Trivia 4 Tomorrow is its emphasis on youth empowerment. Young people aren’t just the recipients of support, they’re behind the scenes, shaping every aspect of the experience.
“Youth are at the centre of Trivia 4 Tomorrow — not just as passive beneficiaries, but as active architects,” Jesse explained. “The platform is co-shaped by young people involved in our programming. They help with trivia question development, media production, and live stream hosting. More importantly, each monthly game spotlights several youth-led social enterprises, school projects, or community ideas, showing exactly where the funds raised are going.”
Uniting Ottawa’s Nonprofits, Schools, and Businesses
The platform is designed to bring nonprofits, schools, and businesses together under a shared purpose and goal.
“Trivia 4 Tomorrow is a bridge between sectors. It offers a fun, low-barrier way for businesses to engage their employees, show up as community leaders, and get visibility through cause marketing — all while supporting the next generation of changemakers.”
For nonprofits and schools, the platform provides a new kind of fundraising opportunity, one that doesn’t require the time and resources of a gala, auction or campaign. Simply just an entertaining monthly trivia match held over a lunch hour.
“We believe this platform can redefine how Ottawa builds relationships between its social and commercial ecosystems — where purpose, play, and partnerships intersect.”
A Glimpse Into The Future
In the short term, Youth Ottawa is focused on momentum and proving the concept.
“We want to show that even with a modest number of players and sponsors, this model can generate real community investment — whether that’s funding a student business, helping a school run a field trip, or covering the cost of a youth-led initiative.”
But the long-term vision is even bigger.
“We also want to see new relationships form: businesses supporting schools, schools partnering with nonprofits, and youth seeing that their city stands behind their ideas. If we can prove that community impact can be both fun and financially sustainable, we’ll be setting the stage for something much bigger — month by month, team by team.”
To get involved, view sponsorship options, or sign up to play, visit Youth Ottawa’s website.