Drawing on its partnership with the Toronto Raptors, Gillette is helping boys in Toronto access positive role models through sport by expanding training for Lay-Up’s youth coaches.
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 3, 2026--
Gillette, the world’s leading expert in men’s grooming, announced the second year of its partnership with Lay-Up Youth Basketball (Lay-Up), a Toronto-based charity that harnesses the power of basketball to develop skills and confidence in young people from Toronto’s Neighbourhood Improvement Areas. Together, Gillette and Lay-Up are focused on helping more boys access positive role models and mentorship opportunities, with Lay-Up’s youth coaches helping make that possible. In this next phase, the partnership adds new coach development elements to further support youth coaches.
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Toronto Raptors player and Gillette ambassador Gradey Dick joins Lay-Up Youth Basketball for a Gillette hosted session in Toronto.
The partnership responds to a broader need across Canada for positive role models for boys, a need that coaches are uniquely positioned to help meet. Across Canada, nearly 40% of people said boys lack access to positive role models, and 91% agree that having a role model has a long-term impact on boys1. In fact, 80% of Canadians agree that local sports coaches can serve as positive role models for boys1.
“Coaches can be some of the most important role models in a young person’s life, not just for sport skills, but for confidence, connection, and belonging,” said Jennifer Seiler, Senior Vice President, Grooming Canada at P&G. “At Gillette, we’re committed to helping the men of today and tomorrow look, feel, and be their best. As we continue our work with Lay-Up, we’re deepening our support around the practical skills coaches say they need most, from communication and leadership to confidence building and youth engagement, so more coaches feel equipped to lead on and off the court.”
EXPANDING YOUTH COACH DEVELOPMENT
Gillette’s support powers Lay-Up’s Crossover Pathway, a paid workforce development program that prepares young leaders through training, certifications, and employment. Coaches in Crossover are developed to educate, empower, and inspire the next generation on and off the court.
The partnership is enabling Lay-Up to add skills-building sessions and on-court learning experiences, focused on the areas coaches most want to strengthen. The skills-building sessions featured an expert-led workshop focused on communication and leadership skills, plus practical strategies to keep youth engaged and support boys’ development on and off the court. On-court learning experiences drew on Gillette’s partnership with the Toronto Raptors with a skills and leadership session led by the team’s Assistant Coach, Jama Mahlalela, and a conversation with Toronto Raptors player Gradey Dick on leadership, mindset, and the role of coaches as role models.
“Coaches tell us they want practical, real-world tools to coach the whole person, not only the technical side of basketball,” said Micaella Riche, Executive Director, Lay-Up Youth Basketball. “While our programming serves an even split of boys and girls, this partnership with Gillette allows us to intentionally address the often-overlooked needs of boys. By building on our Crossover Pathway, this collaboration adds targeted training and experiences that equip our coaches with tools to support all young people, on and off the court.”
“As a coach, you can be someone young people look up to, and that’s a big responsibility,” said Prince Dankyi, Regional Manager at Lay-Up. “Thank you to Gillette for supporting training that helps us strengthen our skills, so we can grow as coaches and show up as positive role models for the boys we work with.”
GILLETTE IS THE OFFICIAL SHAVE AND BEARD CARE PARTNER OF THE NBA IN CANADA AND THE TORONTO RAPTORS
Gillette continues to highlight role models with its most recent campaign, The Best Your Game Can Get, which celebrates Gillette’s designation as the official shave and beard care partner of the NBA in Canada and the Toronto Raptors.
“The Best Your Game Can Get” illustrates the younger generation taking the lead with GilletteLabs, showing the world that the best a man can get keeps getting better. This message is brought to life with Gillette ambassador and Toronto Raptors player, Gradey Dick, who shares Gillette’s belief in the power of role models to inspire the next generation of men.
“Role models matter, especially in sport,” said Gradey Dick. “That’s why I’m proud to work with Gillette to help develop the coaches who show up for young people every day. With the right support and guidance, you build confidence and consistency. Being your best isn’t only about performance, it’s also about how you show up, how you treat people, and how you help lift others.”
For more than 120 years, Gillette has been committed to helping men look, feel, and be their best. Please visit Gillette.ca for more information about Gillette and its products.
1 These are the findings of a study/survey conducted by Gillette Canada from February 5th to February 7th, 2025, among a representative sample of 1501 online Canadians who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. The survey was conducted in English and French. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
About Gillette
For more than 120 years, Gillette has delivered precision technology and product performance, serving millions of consumers worldwide across shaving and grooming categories. For more information, visit Gillette.ca.
About Procter & Gamble
P&G serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks®, and Whisper®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Please visit https://www.pg.com for the latest news and information about P&G and its brands. For other P&G news, visit us at https://www.pg.com/news.
About Lay-Up Youth Basketball
Lay-Up is a charitable organization delivering cost-free, community-based basketball programming in Toronto's Neighbourhood Improvement Areas. Using an evidence-based development program, basketball coaches implement a culture-forward approach to support children and youth. On-court and off-court experiences are designed to build skills and confidence.
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Media Contacts
Gillette:
Julia LaFeldt
Communications Director, Gillette North America
lafeldt.j@pg.com
Porter Novelli:
Mishka Jaiswal
Senior Account Executive
mishka.jaiswal@omc.com
Lay-Up Youth Basketball:
Talya Macedo
tm@sentialstudio.com
Source: Procter & Gamble
