1

Youth Making a DifferenceConference 2013

University of Toronto at MississaugaInstructional Centre Building

February 20, 2013World Day of Social Justice

accesscharity.caaccessymad.ca #YMAD2013

ymad.youth making a difference

2

accesscharity.caaccess

ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, Inc.

Educate, Empower, Inspire.

7700 Hurontario Street, Unit 601

Brampton, Ontario L6Y 4M3

Phone: 289-752-3381

accesscharity.ca | info@accesscharity.ca

Twitter: @accesscharity

3

Stay connected at YMAD!Don’t forget to follow a new friend from YMAD on twitter!

#Educate

#Inspire

#YMAD2013

#Empower

#PovertyProblems

#SocialGood

#MentalMatters

#RealReservations

#EarthEthos

#DestroyDiscrimination

ymad.youth making a difference

accesscharity.caaccess

Youth Making a Difference

ACCESS

youthmakingadifference.caymad@accesscharity.ca

accesscharity.caconnect@accesscharity.ca

facebook.com/accesscharityfollow @accesscharity

Speak Up for Changespeakupforchange.ca

facebook.com/speakupforchangefollow @sufcblog

4

Welcome from the Mayor

5

WelcomeWelcome to our fifth year of our Youth Making a

Difference Conference. This is a very special year for

ACCESS as we have made significant changes to YMAD

to give you a new and improved experience!

This year we have brought you a variety of speakers to inform and inspire you, but they are here to provide you with questions and not answers. Today, the answers are in your minds and the future is in your hands. Using your booklets and the people available to you today; we hope that you will take charge and come up with ways in which you want to change your communities for the better.

We hope that this experience will give you some practice attempting to confront some very important problems that surround us every day. We hope that being here today will help you to build new contacts, meet great local organizations and bring you one step closer to making your ideas a reality.

I would like to thank Daniel Francavilla (President & Founder), Aminah Haghighi (Director of Communications & Outreach) and Tanecha Lawrence (Marketing Executive) for their unwavering support, input and feedback over the past few months of developing the YMAD conference content and programming.

Finally, the biggest thank you of all goes to you, for coming here today and believing that you can make a difference in building a better future!

Damon PfaffYouth Making a Difference DirectorACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, Inc.

Programme Booklet Design: Amber Turner | Photography: Andrew Ly

6

Today’s Schedule8:00 Doors Open8:30 Registration Begins

9:00 Opening9:00 Get Pumped Blake Fly (Acoustic Opera)9:05 Official Welcome Ontario Trillium Foundation9:10 All About ACCESS Daniel Francavilla (ACCESS)9:15 YMAD Explanation Video + Damon Pfaff (ACCESS)9:20 Careers with Purpose James Temple (PwC Canada Foundation)9:30 From Ghana Peter Awin (AfriLEAD Institute)9:30 Get Pumped Blake Fly (Acoustic Opera)9:40 Creativity/Community Zahra Ebrahim (ArchiTEXT)

10:00 Topic Talks10:10 Topic Talks (1 Per Room x 5) Environmental Issues Room 200 Poverty Alleviation Room 210 Diversity & Inclusion Room 220 Mental Health Room 240 Aboriginal Issues Room 250

7

10:45 Community Challenge10:45 Work Period Idea Exchange – Mini Presentations12:30 Community Challenge Concludes

10:45 Educator Events10:45 Joann Lim Big Picture Fine Focus11:45 Ilana Ben-Ari Twenty One Toys

12:30 Organizational Fair12:35 Lunch Break

1:20 Closing1:20 Transit + Environment MiWay (Mississauga Transit)1:25 A Thank You Daniel Francavilla (ACCESS)1:35 Departure

ymad.youth making a difference

8

YMAD has grown into a results-based conference intended to directly engage students like you as active change-makers and not just passive listeners. Today you will have the opportunity to see a variety of speakers and attend a workshop with a real world expert on a particular social issue. Within your topic, you will work to discuss the issues, cooperate to receive feedback and develop ideas to change your communities. You and your fellow students are encouraged to have an open mind today. Listen, ask, share and use your creativity to develop concepts for: an awareness campaign, fundraiser, active volunteer initiative, or maybe something completely new that could exist right here in Ontario and contribute to change in your topic area.

Think outside the box today and look close to home for ways to contribute to social justice!

This year the YMAD Team has taken an unprecedented step forward and developed an innovative new vision for the conference. We are really excited to bring these changes to you, because nothing quite like this has been available for your community and age group until now!

About YMAD ymad.youth making a difference

9

About ACCESS

ACCESS is a youth-run, non-profit organization providing education opportunities to youth in developing countries, while inspiring youth locally to become leaders and take action.

Our VisionACCESS envisions the empowerment of generations of leaders through education in order to inspire meaningful development in their own communities.

Our MissionTo facilitate education and empathetic leadership development through initiatives that engage, inspire, and motivate youth to drive positive change, locally and globally.

James Temple | PwC Canada FoundationJames is the Director of Corporate Responsibility at PwC and has a leads the PwC Canada Foundation. He holds a degree in Geographic Analysis from Ryerson University, a Certificate in Advertising and Media from the Canadian Marketing Association and is a Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner. He’s one of Canada’s leading voice on corporate-community affairs and speaks about how businesses and communities

can work together to use their skills, voices and relationships become catalysts for change.

Speakers

Ilana Ben-Ari and Gonzalo Riva | Twenty One ToysTwenty One Toys is an award-winning social-purpose business that creates toys and workshops to bring 21st-century skills and thinking into the classroom (and anywhere else change needs a hand). They are re-imagining toys as tools to teach the skills that matter to the 21st Century, including Empathy, Creativity, Collaborative Learning, Innovation and Problem Solving.

Educators: Ilana and Gonzalo will be facilitating a workshop for educators.

Peter Awin | AfriLEAD InstitutePeter is visiting Canada this month before returning to his home in Ghana. He is the founder of AfriLEAD, which works to develop young leaders and entrepreneurs in Ghana and Burkina Faso. His vision is to build a hub for leadership, social-change, entrepreneurship, education and research. Peter’s work is developing practical opportunities for the next generation of African

changemakers to transform their communities. He works within schools to drive transformation in the way students learn, through a flagship program that provides a proven mix of leadership and social entrepreneurship training with long term investment on life coaching.

Zahra Ebrahim | ArchiTEXTZahra is the Founder and Principal of the design think tank and creative agency, archiTEXT. Born in Kenya, raised in Vancouver, and educated in Montreal at McGill University, she started archiTEXT at 22 years old as a place to bring together diverse groups to tackle the intersections of architecture and design with social change. Zahra’s work explores the impact of design and creativity on systems change and engages the public

in a discourse of design and design thinking as a mechanism for creative problem solving. At 24, she was invited to teach at the OCAD University in the Think Tank program. She is also the co-lead on the Community. Design. Initiative., a legacy project engaging some of Canada’s most marginalized youth in architecture and design in Toronto’s priority neighborhoods.

Joann Lim | Big Picture Fine FocusJoann Lim is a Connoisseur of Life, Making It Happen Specialist, internationally trained Professional Coach, and Thursday Night Soccer Player. She is a world traveller, a foodie, and a magnet for incredibleness. More than anything, Joann is a dream maker and a resident thrillionaire.

Educators: Joann will be facilitating a workshop for educators.

11

Ken Dryfhout | The Dam Youth Centre + True RebelKen’s job for the past 10 years has been to love, be a friend to and build community with the youth of Brampton and Mississauga. He has discovered what a truly rebellious act real friendship truly is! Ken has spoken to thousands of youth about being a True Rebel as well as maintaining a regular blog for youth. With his charisma and education (Masters of Divinity), Ken brings the philosophy of The Dam Youth Centre everywhere he goes.

Cat Criger | UTM + Peel Aboriginal NetworkCat is an Aboriginal Elder, Traditional Teacher and Mentor from the First Nations People. He is Cayuga (Guyohkohnyoh), Turtle Clan from the Six Nations Haudenosaunee or People of the Longhouse. Cat has been working as a Traditional Teacher and Healer for more than 16 years in the Native & multi-cultural community in Canada, the USA, England and Wales. He was taught in the old way, working for many years with the guidance of an

Aniishnawbe Elder (Zaawawagaabo) and other First Nations Elders, and was taught to do traditional ceremonies, teachings, circles, one to one work & to help all people to ‘walk in a good way’ though life.

Topic Speakers

Tammy Whelen | CMHA PeelTammy studied Fundraising & Volunteer Management certification and currently teaches Event Sponsorship and Promotion at Humber College. She works part time as the Mental Health Promotion Educator at CMHA/Peel. She battled cancer at age 25 which lead her to organize a gala to raise money and awareness for cancer research. Road2Recovery has raised over $250,000 for the Cancer Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

Jenn Davis | United Way of Peel Region Jennifer is the Manager of Stakeholder Engagement with United Way of Peel Region has been working with young people in Peel Region for several years, in a variety of capacities. She is responsible for providing leadership to the Volunteer Development, Youth Engagement and Donor Engagement programs, including the “Youth in Action” granting program which ACCESS has received in the past.

Rahul Mehta | PEYA + EcosourceRahul completed his BSc at U of T Mississauga. His final year was spent in the International Exchange Program in South Korea. Rahul is the Sustain Action Campaigns Facilitator for Peel Environmental Youth Alliance (EcoSource). His focus comes from his academic involvement at his university and former high school, as well as in a volunteering capacity with groups such as the Peel Environmental Youth Alliance (PEYA). Committed

to awareness, action, and innovation when it comes to the environment, Rahul strives to use every opportunity available to him. “It’s always a step forward, never back!”

12

Diminish Deprivation | Poverty Alleviation

Not many people know that 1 in 7 people and 1 in 5 children right

here in Peel Region are living in poverty. This statistic is even more

extreme if you account for “at risk” communities as well.

Students will learn about poverty in Peel region and confront

these issues through discussion and the development of possible

concepts for a resolution.

Earth Ethos | Environmental Issues

Now more than ever, the environment is an important focus of

discussion. Climate change and environmental degradation are

affecting communities worldwide. While awareness is growing,

grassroots action in our communities is lagging behind.

Students will question the possibilities for change and develop

concepts for practical local contributions.

Challenge Topics

13

Destroy Discrimination | Diversity & Inclusion

We live in one of the most diverse communities in the world.

Despite this, a variety of forms of discrimination and stigma exist

that challenge people in our society. The future of inclusion is in the

hands of youth who will be the policy makers of tomorrow.

Students will learn about inclusion and develop concepts to combat

stereotypes and accept all kinds of people in our community.

Mental Matters | Mental Health

Mental illnesses will be directly experienced by 20% of Canadians

in their lifetimes. Challenges from ranging from anxiety to bipolar

disorder can have a huge impact on individuals, families and

communities. However, many people who feel they are suffering

from mental health issues will

not seek help, in part due to

fear of public stigma.

Students will discuss mental

health issues in Peel. They will

create concepts to challenge

stigma and stereotypes

amongst their peers.

Real Reservations | Aboriginal Issues

Although indigenous communities have played a very important

role in the history of Peel Region, issues that affect Ontario

indigenous communities are surprisingly often absent from public

discussion. Many of the issues from the other YMAD topic areas are

compounded for indigenous populations.

Students will learn about indigenous issues in Ontario and be

challenged to question the possibilities of how they can

collaborate to affect change.

14

15

You heard about the issues.You started developing solutions.

Now share this experience and more online.

The Speak Up for Change Blog acceptssubmissions of all kinds – essay, poetry,

photography and more – about your views on social issues, activism and more.

It’s your chance to speak up, for change.

SpeakUpForChange.caFacebook.com/SpeakUpForChangeFollow @SUFCBlog on Twitter

16

Organizations

17

Sponsors

O R A N G E V I L L E

18

Fair TradeMore about Fair Trade and these products at accesscharity.ca/fairtrade/about

19

Connections + Notes

20

© ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, Inc.

Youth Making a Difference | Community Challenge 2013