Criteria 11 – Youth Activism And Advocacy For Play Is Nurtured · 2016-01-21 · Criteria 11 –...
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Criteria 11 – Youth Activism And Advocacy For Play Is Nurtured “Obviously these are some exceptional young people, but what they have in common is that they were ordinary people who cared. They wanted to act, to do something, to make life better for other people— and they have.” ― Morgan Carroll The Gore Street Flowerbomb, a project of Taking Back Downtown, in collaboration with the community of Gore Street, had the cooperative goal of shutting down traffic and transforming this “seen better days” neighbourhood through semi-spontaneous beautification activities, such as: painting neglected storefronts, designing and hanging flower planters, removing weeds and picking up garbage. Below is a quote from a news release describing the upcoming event and requesting donations: "Continually perpetuating a negative image on areas like Gore Street can negatively impact the residents and businesses in the area and can prevent them from improvement," said Bolduc. "These kinds of events are important because it brings people to these areas that might not otherwise visit them. They can see potential, and neighbourhoods and communities come together for a common purpose. It fosters positive energy in the space." The Gore Street Flowerbomb was made possible because of the dedication of several dedicated youth champions, but what made this event exceptional was the opportunity for youth to demonstrate their capacity to effect change in concrete and innovative ways. Along with the straightforward goal of beautifying this marginalized neighbourhood, youth voices are also needed to drive the broader conversation about the potential of tactical urbanism to increase livability and safety, create some visual appeal, support local businesses, foster neighbourhood pride and send positive vibes to this challenged area. Community Living Algoma invited students and school communities to participate in their 2nd annual National Inclusive Education event. The event was organized to promote CLA’s organizational value that all children should have the choice to attend neighbourhood schools with their friends. Students were asked to submit a creative piece that celebrated inclusion in school, and nearly 130 entries were received from 27 schools across the district. Six awards were presented to participants during a special ceremony, one of which was local high school student Quinn Pleau –MacWilliam. As described in a “Local 2” article, “In his winning video entry Quinn shares how his experience in a ‘regular’ classroom has allowed him to develop as an individual and to rise up to his full potential. Today he is a confident young
Transcript of Criteria 11 – Youth Activism And Advocacy For Play Is Nurtured · 2016-01-21 · Criteria 11 –...
Criteria 11 – Youth Activism And Advocacy For Play Is Nurtured
“Obviously these are some exceptional young people, but what they have in common is that they were ordinary people who cared. They wanted to act, to do something, to make life better for other people—and they have.”
― Morgan Carroll
The Gore Street Flowerbomb, a project of Taking Back Downtown, in collaboration with the community
of Gore Street, had the cooperative goal of shutting down traffic and transforming this “seen better
days” neighbourhood through semi-spontaneous beautification activities, such as: painting neglected
storefronts, designing and hanging flower planters, removing weeds and picking up garbage.
Below is a quote from a news release describing the upcoming event and requesting donations:
"Continually perpetuating a negative image on areas like Gore Street can negatively impact the residents
and businesses in the area and can prevent them from improvement," said Bolduc. "These kinds of events
are important because it brings people to these areas that might not otherwise visit them. They can see
potential, and neighbourhoods and communities come together for a common purpose. It fosters
positive energy in the space."
The Gore Street Flowerbomb was made possible because of the dedication of several dedicated youth
champions, but what made this event exceptional was the opportunity for youth to demonstrate their
capacity to effect change in concrete and innovative ways. Along with the straightforward goal of
beautifying this marginalized neighbourhood, youth voices are also needed to drive the broader
conversation about the potential of tactical urbanism to increase livability and safety, create some visual
appeal, support local businesses, foster neighbourhood pride and send positive vibes to this challenged
area.
Community Living Algoma invited students and school communities to participate in their 2nd annual
National Inclusive Education event. The event was organized to promote CLA’s organizational value that
all children should have the choice to attend neighbourhood schools with their friends. Students were
asked to submit a creative piece that celebrated inclusion in school, and nearly 130 entries were
received from 27 schools across the district. Six awards were presented to participants during a special
ceremony, one of which was local high school student Quinn Pleau –MacWilliam. As described in a
“Local 2” article, “In his winning video entry Quinn shares how his experience in a ‘regular’ classroom has
allowed him to develop as an individual and to rise up to his full potential. Today he is a confident young
man that has participated fully in the academic and social aspects of education. He has developed a rich
social network that expands beyond the school system and extends into the community. This positive
engagement is evidenced by Quinn’s active membership in the Algoma Family Services’ YOUnion and
was an attendee at the Mayor’s Youth Summit.
A very innovative organization that has been matured in Northern Ontario is Thinking Rock Community
Arts, “a youth-led non-profit social enterprise based in Sault Ste. Marie that practices the art of building
community in the Algoma District by: facilitating arts projects to tell local stories; supporting young
people to act as agents of change; and consulting for businesses and communities.” One of the exciting
outgrowths of Thinking Rock is the Youth Social Infrastructure - Algoma Nest. The Youth Social
Infrastructure (YSI) Collaborative is a network and community of practice that accelerates and amplifies
the conditions for youth-led organizing and engagement in Ontario, Canada. Our Vision is to create a
strong, resilient and equitable youth organizing field through Convening; Connecting; Cultivating; and
Supporting. The YSI Algoma Gathering, “Let’s Build A Fire” at Chiblow Lake Lodge on Mississaugi First
Nation, had over 40 youth and adult ally participants from all over the Algoma Region in attendance.
The guiding question for this convergence was: “What would it look like to build a community of support
for young people in Algoma?” This rich process of identifying challenges and proposing solutions to
support youth to become “good fire-keepers” can be summarized by the words of a youth who
contributed at the conference:
“There has been a lot of push to build these kinds of youth councils, and youth development, and it’s
really hard to get these things off the ground. I think starting it off by building a retreat like this really
helps push it forward even quicker because you are in a concentrated environment, where you are
learning about each other and building new things and relationships.”
The “fire” is constantly being stroked by the YSI Algoma “Let’s Make it Happen” Facebook Group, which
was a direct result of all the energy generated at gathering. This group provides a platform for YSI
members to propose ideas and help each other make them happen. This type of energy certainly
radiates in other corners around the local social media-scape, as there are plenty examples of cyber
activism to behold. A number youth initiated, skill building workshops also took advantage of social
media to get the word out. Youth voices are also being increasingly considered in special projects
initiated by adult allies, to ensure that both youth and adults assume the dual roles of teacher and
learner. The “Graffiti Reframed” project (see Criteria 8) and Youth Social Infrastructure both employ
this innovative dialog method of the “World Café” to collect youth input.
Idle No More has quickly become one of the largest Indigenous mass movements in Canadian history –
sparking hundreds of teach-ins, rallies, and protests across Turtle Island and beyond. Youth have always
been integral to the call to join in this peaceful revolution based on honouring indigenous sovereignty
and protecting the land and water. The local day of solidarity attracted many youth voices.
It is essential for youth causes, originating from community groups, to have the support of the local
school boards in order to promote participation. Jessica Roberts, Youth Engagement Intern at Algoma
Family Services and mentor for the local New Mentality Group had this to say:
“Many of the YOUNION projects have used the schools to make presentations about mental health to
their peers. The mental health leads in both the public and catholic school boards have been very
supportive to our group of youth in making these arrangements possible.” Blue Monday, which falls on
what is considered the most depressing day of year, is an awareness campaign to emphasize the
importance of maintaining positive mental health. This small, but mighty group, was certainly capable of
breaking down the Stigma of Mental Illness, as evidenced by the words of one of the members named
Rachel, “It’s important to remember the we ALL have mental health to support.”
The Huron Superior Catholic District School Board has been the host to several awareness and advocacy
campaigns, ranging from board-wide/school-wide programs with active youth contribution, to student
initiated campaigns with adult support. For the Inclusion Contest mentioned above, there were many
entries that were both classroom projects, and put together by individual students. The Annual Walk for
Justice is a great opportunity for students to educate themselves on current issues effecting the global
South, as well as the current crises facing Syria and Ukraine, and raise awareness in the community by
creating message signs for the march. The medium of video has been used extensively by the HSCDSB
to enhance the impact of these messages. (Video links are on a USB Key)
Video Links for USB key
Below are some examples of videos created by both individual students, as classroom projects, and school board wide initiatives.
Justice Walk 2014 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMZsIMOGV6A&index=6&list=UUpVyCroRphruDiCcrr_57Aw
Justice Walk 2013 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M5XjcQIZ80&index=30&list=UUpVyCroRphruDiCcrr_57Aw
- "The Bucket Shuffle" was made by the Grade 8 class at St. John Catholic School to get the student body excited about "filling each other's buckets" by performing acts of kindness throughout the school. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC0IWfUBsXg “
The intermediate grade students led the school in their effort to reach out to women and children in Nicaragua. They sang and performed with cups to a French song 'L'amitie". The students who wore red and paid a toonie to chew gum raised over $435 which will be used to provide medical supplies and other personal care items for women and children the in the Central American country. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CofIU2VlUv0&list=UUpVyCroRphruDiCcrr_57Aw
Criteria #11 ‐ Table of Contents
The Gore Street Flowerbomb
Community Living Algoma Inclusion Contest
Youth Social Infrastructure—Thinking Rock
Youth Social Infrastructure—Let’s Build A Fire
Let’s Make It Happen
Social Media Advocacy and Ac vism
Youth Ini ated Workshops
Youth Social Infrastructure & Graffi Reframed—World Cafe
Idle No More—Day of Solidarity
Algoma Family Services—YOUnion
Algoma Family Services—Blue Monday
Page 1
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
Criteria #11 1
Local News
(Flower) Bombing on Gore Street
Monday, July 14, 2014 by: Donna Hopper
About 150 volunteers took part in Saturday's Gore Street Flower Bomb, a Taking Back Downtown community beautification project. Throughout the afternoon, volunteers were busy picking up trash, sweeping the street, pulling weeds, cleaning windows, painting storefronts and flower boxes, and planting donated greenery and flowers in order to breathe new life into an otherwise neglected area of the city's downtown. While the concept of flower bombing is not new, this is only the second time such an event has been organized in Sault Ste. Marie. The first, which took place last summer with approximately 50 volunteers in the Jamestown area, was met with nothing but positive feedback, Jessica Bolduc told SooToday.com. She, along with Dana Chalifoux, artist Cameron Dutchak, and Constable Darin Rosseto and Calna McGoldrick from the Neighbourhood Resource Centre were responsible for making the Gore Street Flower Bomb a reality. "Continually perpetuating a negative image on areas like Gore Street can negatively impact the residents and businesses in the area and can prevent them from improvement," said Bolduc. "These kinds of events are important because it brings people to these areas that might not otherwise visit them. They can see potential, and neighbourhoods and communities come together
for a common purpose. It fosters positive energy in the space." She told us that residents and business owners from the Gore Street area were excited to see the event take place in their neighbourhood, and a number of them came out to take part in the beautification project. "We hope that these types of gestures on behalf of the community will ensure that spaces like Jamestown and Gore Street are taken care of by our city because there are tax payers in these areas as well. I think sometimes we forget that and they get less attention than other places," Bolduc said. In addition to the beautification aspect, the four-hour event included live entertainment from Ryan Seabrook, Vaughn Alexander, and Kylie Precepa; a volunteer BBQ; prizes and give aways; and a kids art area, the final products from which are earmarked for display at the new community garden located in Esposito Park. The taking Back Downtown Gore Street Flower Bomb would not have been possible without the support of the Neighbourhood Resource Centre, The Group Health Centre, Green Grass Yard Care, Prime Cuts, Sault Ste. Marie Buskerfest, Case's Music, New North Green Houses, 180 Projects, Island Inkjet, the City of Sault Ste. Marie, Lyons Timber Mart, Capco Construction, the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, Premium Landscaping, Rotaract, Sault Ste. Marie Police Service, the United Steelworkers, and numerous individual and private donations.
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The Gore Street Flowerbomb
Criteria #11 2
The Gore Street Flowerbomb
Criteria #11 3
Gore Street Flowerbomb
Criteria #11 4
Gore Street Flowerbomb
Criteria #11 5
Gore Street Flowerbomb
Criteria #11 6
Community Living Algoma Inclusion Contest
CLA Inclusion Contest Winner Videos
Quinn Pleau-MacWilliam, Grade 12
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFdoFqBf1Ew
The grade 7/8 class at St. Francis French Immer-sion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4j8EPyEW0Y
St. Pius X Grade 7 student Gabbe Zagordo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aomkV7dHBXo&index=13&list=UUpVyCroRphruDiCcrr_57Aw
(Video links also on USB)
Criteria #11 7
Youth Social Infrastructure—Thinking Rock
Criteria #11 8
Youth Social Infrastructure—Let’s Build A Fire
http:/com/watch?v=/www.youtube.wqp9pzSFsR0#t=134 (Video links also on USB)
Criteria #11 9
Let’s Make It Happen—Facebook Page
Criteria #11 10
Social Media Advocacy and Activism
Criteria #11 11
Youth Initiated Workshops
Criteria #11 12
Youth Social Infrastructure & Graffiti Reframed— World Café
Criteria #11 13
Idle No More—Day of Solidarity
Criteria #11 14
Algoma Family Services –YOUnion
Criteria #11 15
Algoma Family Services –YOUnion
Criteria #11 16
Algoma Family Services –YOUnion
Criteria #11 17
Do you know what today is? Monday, January 20, 2014 by: Donna Hopper
Jessica Roberts, Jaymie Frech, Rachel Woods, and Victoria Corbett (pictured above) are members of YOUnion, part of the Algoma Family Services Youth Engagement Team. Last Friday, the group presented important information regarding stress, depression and general mental health to students at St. Basil Secondary School in anticipation of Blue Monday. Today, the third Monday of January, is historically considered the most depressing day of the year. The purpose of the presentation was to dispel myths about mental health issues and inform stu-dents that help is available should it be needed. St. Basil's Chaplaincy Leader, Stephanie Parniak, told SooToday.com that she's shocked by the number of students that have come forward with issues. "Often, I see them come to me when they're in crisis," she explained. "We want to make sure we can support students before they get to the point where they're in crisis. This would hopefully prevent hospital stays and such." Fore more information about Algoma Family Services and its initiatives, please click here.
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Algoma Family Services –YOUnion
Criteria #11 18
Algoma Family Services –YOUnion
