Learn to Create with Cipher's Circles: Free Coding Community
Cipher presents Circles. Create, together.
Circles will be a launching pad into the world of code for high schoolers. Applications are open to this free program, presented by local youth-led grassroots group, Cipher (apply now).
The goal is to have just enough knowledge to hack something magnificent and incredibly rewarding together because once you get that first taste of how much power you have to create, it’s an itch that needs to be scratched consistently.
Hackers will work in tandem weekly in a 8-month season to "move fast and break things" with various technologies, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, frameworks, Python, Ruby, C, through project-based, peer-to-peer learning.
These free sessions will take place at Redwood Studio, a studio space in Brampton for registered participants.
Circles adopts the element of community from school, but breaks the student-teacher hierarchy, opting for peer-to-peer learning. Consequently, the community offers a more effective model of learning, while maintaining the crucial element of collaboration.
The community is not bound to a specific curriculum. Teachers are afraid to experiment what they aren’t comfortable with. Programming is uncomfortable and scary constantly — that’s the fun part.
Speak Up Conference helps students get their voices heard
The buzz of idle chatter among more than 700 adolescents filled the gymnasium at Brampton’s Cardinal Ambrozic Catholic Secondary School as the young crowd waited for start of the Speak Up Student Conference, organized to inspire students to use their voices to make a difference in local communities and around the world.
About 750 Grade 7 students from 19 schools at northeast Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board schools attended the January 28 event designed to help youth find issues they are passionate about and spur them to action on those issues.
The event opened with lyrical inspiration from country singer/songwriter Sacha, who was followed by presentations by ACCESS founder Daniel Francavilla, school board student trustees Izabella Balcerak and Meghana Benoy and members of Cardinal Ambrozic’s student-led anti-bullying and leadership group.
After the presentations, students moved into workshops to discuss ideas on local and global issues, education and learning, student well-being and Catholic education.
“I think it’s important to be heard,” said Rheana Isaac, a Grade 8 student at St Agnes Catholic School, who was helping present the conference. When youth speak up they can help themselves and others, insisted 13-year-old schoolmate Therese Perucho.
Speakers and presenters were in chorus in telling students they have a powerful role to play in their communities.
“There’s no better time to speak up than now”
Francavilla, 24, told the elementary school students.
A graduate of St. Marguerite d’Youville Secondary School, Francavilla recounted how he started a charity, now supporting projects locally and abroad, when he was in Grade 10.
He signed up for a school trip to the Dominican Republic. What he saw opened his eyes to the reality that most of the world lives in poverty.
“It was very different than seeing it on TV,” Francavilla said.
He recalled returning home and sharing his experience with the congregation at his church and launching a fundraiser to buy school uniforms for children in the Dominican Republic. He collected over $8,000 that weekend and essentially started ACCESS.
The youth-led non-profit, originally founded to help students in developing countries access education, has evolved to also empower youth who want to make positive social change.
“If you come together as a group and you focus on an issue, you can come up with a solution right on the spot,” he said, and suggested change doesn’t always have to take years.
Conference activities culminated with a “call to action” by St. Patrick’s parish pastor Father Vito Marziliano.
Originally published by Roger Belgrave in The Brampton Guardian on January 25, 2015. Photos by Rob Beintema.
YMAD wins Social Good Design Award
TORONTO – ACCESS has received a Social Good Design Award for YMAD6, the latest edition of its annual Youth Making a Difference Conference. RGD's So(cial) Good Design Awards gives voice to the important work designers are doing and can do to change the way society thinks and acts. Annually, RGD reviews projects which use communication design for social good – working with the power to incite action and make meaningful change in the way people live:
Today’s designers have an ever greater responsibility to visualize the significant issues facing our society and find new ways to incite change in the way we behave. When we approach these issues creatively, we can make a real difference in the world.
YMAD was awarded with projects that focused on solutions to societal challenges, raising awareness, and developing communications-based solutions to change behaviour.
The goal was to affect social change in Peel Region while focusing conference programming on the skills students require to bring their passion for social justice to life. YMAD6 focused on a dedicated group of students in a design charette format. It received very positive feedback from students and educators alike.
The conference was led by ACCESS' YMAD Director Damon Pfaff, with Executive Director Daniel Francavilla, Prov RGD.
ACCESS is honoured to have been recognized for YMAD, and thanks the RGD, the judges of the Social Good Design Award, and the YMAD conference team.
An exhibit of all winning projects will be on display at Toronto Pearson International Airport's Terminal 1 from November 4 to January 9. The 2014 So Good Catalogue will be available at the DesignThinkers Conference.
About ACCESS ACCESS is a youth-led, non-profit organization that educates, empowers, and inspires youth to drive positive change. ACCESS focuses on social innovation and youth social entrepreneurship, to educate, empower and inspire youth to create change locally and globally. accesscharity.ca | speakupforchange.ca
Bringing together youth-led organizations in Peel Region through Regional Youth Roundtable
MISSISSAUGA, ON – ACCESS is pleased to be supporting the Regional Youth Roundtable, a grassroots initiative bringing together youth-led organizations, alleviating pressures facing minority groups, sharing experiences and advice, and collectively taking action on issues in the community. The Regional Youth Roundtable (RYR) is funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation's Youth Opportunities Fund with the Organizational Mentorship of ACCESS.
Formally launched in Fall 2014, the the group hopes to offer support towards all youth-led organizations in Peel Region, helping them grow and reach their full potential thanks to collaboration, events and community consultations.
ACCESS is providing the RYR team with organizational development and ongoing mentorship, supporting the young leaders in creating change in their community.
Daniel Francavilla, who founded ACCESS in 2006 as a high school student, is pleased to be supporting the initiative:
"Connecting the Peel non-profit community has always been a goal for ACCESS, where we have promoted collaboration over competition. ACCESS is proud to support the Regional Youth Roundtable in uniting the region's many youth-led organizations. It is an honour to be working with such dedicated, talented youth, working towards key issues affecting youth in the community."
The RYR Team was thrilled to have hosted a successful launch event at Mississauga City Hall's C Cafe on September 20, where over 30 executive members of youth-led organizations across Peel Region came together to celebrate the launch of RYR.
Emilia Nowicki, Communications Officer of RYR was very moved by the turnout:
Seeing so many passionate members from different organizations come together and find their common interest in simply wanting to help others and make a change in the world was so inspiring. It made our team believe that the Roundtable is on the right path towards improving our community, and that this is only the beginning.
Trevor Sookraj, a high-school student from Mississauga, is the Founder and Executive Director of the Regional Youth Roundtable and is excited to see his concept coming to life:
It started as an idea and now it's a reality. The support over the past few months has been incredible. The dynamics of having so many organizations in the same room was incredible for the launch, and we can only expect more from our Roundtable meetings with a solid focus.
The Regional Youth Roundtable team has begun work on planning and executing their goals for the 2014-2015 year. The team hopes to create strong relationships among their member organizations, helping to increase their members' awareness and outreach. The RYR hopes to serve as a platform for the sharing of best practices and useful resources, networking, and representing leadership initiatives and activities in Peel Region.
The organization will also help to raise awareness about several issues concerning youth through different media campaigns, consultations, and events. Groups such as LGBTQ+ youth, disabled youth, and newcomer youth have been identified by RYR and the Youth Opportunities Fund as a focus. Member organizations will meet once a month with the Roundtable Team to discuss goals, aspirations, and future plans, based on their collaborative efforts.
The Regional Youth Roundtable is providing youth of Peel Region with a brand-new perspective on how to make a difference in the community, through working together. The RYR hopes to prove that although the region's many initiatives are valuable individually, they can grow to become significantly stronger and drive greater change by collaborating and inspiring one another.
For more about the program, visit YouthRoundtable.ca, and connect on Twitter and Facebook.
Media Inquires Emilia Nowicki | Communications Officer, Regional Youth Roundtable | peelcomm@youthroundtable.ca Daniel Francavilla | Founder and Executive Director, ACCESS | daniel@accesscharity.ca
ACCESS offering RHYTHM for youth to learn through breakdancing
This Spring, ACCESS has added a new format to Speak Up for Change Workshops: Breakdancing. Working with RHYTHM, ACCESS will be helping to teach youth how to express themselves through breakdance, through a 12-week dance program.
Not only is RHYTHM about learning how to dance, it is about giving youth accessibility to foster their interests and professionally develop — not only as artists, but also as people.
The program is designed to promote creativity, confidence, self-esteem and healthy-active-living.
"Youth learn about dance as a positive outlet for emotions (both negative and positive), as a method of conflict resolution and as a framework to express and understand their own cultures and the cultures of others," says Damon Pfaff, Program Manager.
Rather than teaching a few dance moves, the RHYTHM program engages youth in various activities to develop them physically and emotionally, and to make them more culturally sensitive.
"This program is really about bringing youth together through a shared passion for the arts. Students learn to unite and create as a community. We discuss media, social issues, self awareness and really dig into what role art and dance play in social change. We want to see these youth become leaders through creativity and collaboration."
There are two classes a week with two dance teachers per class, local volunteers and important special guests from the arts community. There will be guest performances, rare videos and giveaways. Students enjoy a variety of activities that focus on technique, personal and interpersonal skill building. As their skills develop, they will also participate in discussions and get the chance to view hard to find media related to b-boy/b-girl culture. As a culminating activity, the RHYTHM classes will conclude with a public final performance.
Programming is open to all youth (12-24 years old). The lessons start from the basics so beginners are welcome.
Registration and Program Dates will be available at SUFC.ca/workshops in late May. For more information on the program, please email damon@accesscharity.ca.
Supporting education and youth leadership in rural Guatemala through innovative conferences
Similar to the goals of our local Youth Making a Difference Conferences, ACCESS funded 4 conferences this year through Alianza, a small nonprofit organization which has been working for 10 years in a rural village in Guatemala's Northwestern San Marcos Department. Three members of the local community Guatemala, speaking the Mayan language of Mam, are employed to run the programs.
The vocational aptitude conferences help junior high school students to become inspired and interested in a variety of careers outside the traditional subsistence farming (which is rapidly becoming untenable as the land base shrinks and the population grows). Students compleate aptitude tests, discuss their aspirations, and hear from role models who have gone on to become (for example, nurses, social workers, business people). Similar to YMAD, the conferences also focus on Leadership.
Workshops were held for students receiving bursaries, over a period of 5 days. The themes of these workshops included Self Esteem, Youth Rights and Obligations, Reproductive Health, Youth Social Issues, and Relationships.
These conferences are a way to help students learn more about their own skills, and expose them to a more diverse range of career opportunities in a community with 70% unemployment/underemployment, migratory labour to plantations, and subsistence farming. Debates are also organized so students can practice public speaking and develop critical thinking. The conferences touch on themes of gender equity and healthy lifestyles.
ACCESS is pleased to continue our international education and leadership work by supporting this fellow Canadian grassroots non-profit, founded by a physician from Cambridge, Ontario.
Contributions to ACCESS' local and international projects can be made online here.
Join ACCESS at TEDxYouth, Prom Expo and Youth Workshops
Within the next 3 weeks, ACCESS is pleased to be involved with 3 exciting youth events hosted in Peel Region. ACCESS invites you to attend TEDxYouth@Brampton, The Prom Expo, and Speak Up for Change Workshop Series all between now and March 1.
Speak Up for Change Workshops
Tuesday February 18 and 25, 2014
The Speak Up for Change Workshop Series for youth looking to make a positive difference continues this month, co-hosted with STEP. Register for these free workshops on taking the next step, Stepping Up (February 18) and on the power of partnerships, Partnerships and Mentors (February 25) both held in Brampton at South Fletcher's from 4:30–6:30 pm. Free Public Transit and Refreshments will be provided.
The Prom Expo
Saturday February 22, 2014
For students attending Prom or Semi Formals (either this year or next, it's never too early to get prepared), The Prom Expo is an amazing event for students by students, with proceeds supporting ACCESS! Tickets for the Prom Fashion Show and many Local Vendors are available online right here. Saturday, February 22 at the Riverstone Golf & Country Club in Brampton. For more on this event and its relationship to ACCESS, read this announcement.
TEDxYouth@Brampton
Saturday March 1, 2014
Through the theme Redefining Normal, the first-ever TEDxYouth@Brampton will empower youth to lead creative, self-satisfying lives that will enable them to look beyond the conventional forms of living. The conference's speakers range from Noble Lauriets to charismatic leaders, who all share a single vision: to share their ideas in the hopes to alter our mindset. The event will be held at St. Marguerite d'Youville Secondary School. Tickets are available right now online here. To learn more about ACCESS support of TEDxYouth@Brampton, please read this announcement.
Providing Opportunity, Finding Purpose: A Haitian Student's Journey to University
This piece is written by Phanuel, a Haitian student whom ACCESS has sponsored to attend university. We all grow up with a tradition. We do things that we do not chose, and often do not try to understand why. I first started to recognize this when found myself going to school. I never asked myself why I was going to school or what was the purpose of going to school? I guess most kids on my age go to school, then I will just follow the tradition. Until when I was in Junior High school, my mentor was giving a sermon on a ritual Sunday service and asked the church, "what is your goal and what is your purpose in life?"
This is where everything stopped and the world completely changed for me. I started to realize that I was living without a goal and a purpose. I started to seek for a dream and find a purpose for my life. A dream should be specific, measurable, realistic, and so on. However, in a country that is one of the poorest in the world, those theories are hard to apply — because we young Haitians do not have enough access or resources to achieve our goals. (Note: Haiti is the most impoverished nation in the Western Hemisphere. Only 27% complete primary education).
This is how ACCESS changed my life and opened a great door for me. ACCESS helped me to go to college after high school, starting in August 2009 at Universite Notre Dame d'Haiti. Even after the Earthquake blew through my country in 2010, ACCESS is still helping me to go to college in San Antonio, Texas USA.
Being in college in USA is to carry a challenge, and grow in life. One thing that we do not like is to change. That is my biggest challenge in College. First, my school is a cross-cultural university that has students from more than 17 different nations. Second, I need to change my existing lifestyle and mindset. I have to open my door to new cultures and different foods, for instance (which has made me in love with tacos and burritos).
My university experience has given me the opportunity to take new steps in my life. It is not simply an academic study; it is provides a lot of opportunities, which make me start working on my career and learn how I could become a good leader. For instance, this semester I am the President of a student organization, the Mission Society, so I can help others, along with one of my classes giving me the opportunity to do an internship at Hospice Vitas Care.
I think this is what makes ACCESS a unique and amazing organization. Personally, ACCESS is not like other traditional organizations that came to just give you food, money, and so on. Rather, ACCESS supports your dream, and helps you to build that dream. With a blessing, I found this great organization that has opened new doors and a new world to me. Now I am no longer dreaming, but living my dream and looking forward for bigger and better things. Thank you ACCESS!
A Message from ACCESS
Since 2009, ACCESS has been honoured to help provide Phanuel with access to an education. Upon completing his education, Phanuel plans to return to Haiti to begin making a difference to the people in his community, and to continue the work of rebuilding his country. ACCESS is thankful for the generous support of donors over the past several years to make this dream possible.
For more background, please visit the Phanuel Project page, or explore our other International Projects.
ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education is a youth-run, non-profit organization that facilitates education and empathetic leadership development through initiatives that engage, inspire, and motivate youth to drive positive change, locally and globally. ACCESS envisions the empowerment of generations of leaders through education in order to inspire meaningful development in their own communities.
The Journey Continues: Reflecting on 2013
ACCESS reflects and looks ahead in annual message
One year in the life of a youth-run, non-profit organization quickly passes – yet is jam-packed with progress, challenges, changes and goals. The calendar year of 2013 – the final year of our 2-year Ontario Trillium Foundation funding – included much planning and change as we continued to deliver fresh programming and active community involvement.
The last few years, I have written a year-end message in a format similar to this. For 2013 I would like to note that, while this is a list and description of major activity, there are countless contributions, presentations, events, acts of kindness, student stories, connections, meetings, role changes, partnerships and more that would leave this page crowded and in-cohesive. We are proud and thankful of the dedication of our team, partners, funders, volunteers and of program participants who have been present at various points throughout the year. The journey continues, as ACCESS and its team evolves and grows.
I would like to thank you for taking the time to read on, even briefly, to recap ACCESS' busy year.
In January, we kicked off 2013 by opening registration for our Youth Making a Difference Conference, hosting an Innovation Challenge, working with our Team Empower students, and fundraising at York University. We will take you through everything as briefly as possible, below.
Take-Off for Team Empower Team Empower, our pilot Youth Ambassador program, emerged in the 2012-2013 school year, geared toward high school students who want to become leaders and have the passion to go out and inspire positive change – starting in their own high schools. Ambassadors from across the Peel Region – representing schools from both Peel District School Board and Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board – attended regular sessions with guest speakers, organized their own events, and hosted ACCESS workshops within their schools.
Continued Activity from ACCESS U Campus Clubs Our active chapter at Wilfrid Laurier University, ACCESS U – Laurier, hosted the Laurier Innovation Challenge with LiTC. Focused on social entrepreneurship, the case challenge focused on Education and creating a stronger system for students, offering young leaders a chance to to collaborate around an important topic. A summary of the event is at accessu.ca/futureofeducation. Also in 2013, new ACCESS U Campus Clubs have launched at both the University of Waterloo and McMaster University.
Community Challenge: Youth Making a Difference Conference, Spring 2013 On the World Day of Social Justice in February, we hosted our 5th Annual Youth Making a Difference Conference. Our largest YMAD to date, the event took place at University of Toronto Mississauga, and featured a huge variety of speakers and facilitators – from a social entrepreneur visiting from Ghana to an empowering keynote on from a creativity architect, community builder and designer. We hosted 5 distinct topics – Poverty Alleviation, Environmental Issues, Diversity and Inclusion, Aboriginal Issues, and Mental Health – with local experts on each. Some of our favourite feedback came from students on Twitter, which can be read here. The local news filmed a feature story, available below.
Speaking Up for Change in-person with Youth Workshops In April, we hosted our first-ever Speak Up for Change Workshop Series – free workshops for youth, with discussion centred on key social issues. The theme of this series revolved around Bullying and Inclusion – issues which had taken centre stage in the news, and in the minds of many young people (including those at our YMAD conference). We have made the free workshops available on YouTube. This series was an opportunity for our Media/Journalism Co-Op student from University of Guelph-Humber to be involved in the planning, promotion and coverage of a youth program (based around our own media platform, SpeakUpForChange.ca).
Working with ACCESS: Student Placements Throughout the Summer at ACCESS, we had the opportunity to welcome 2 High-School Co-Op students and one intern. The students gained experience in the Non-Profit Sector, a requirement of their Specialist High Skills Major.
Making Connections The summer and fall included networking and new connections for our future direction. We partnered with a group of youth innovators to host a first for Peel Region: A collaborative discussion on Youth Social Entrepreneurship, in the format of a GenImpact Social. Earlier in the year, we participated in Community Consultations with the United Way of Peel Region's Young Leaders Council, developed and facilitated a Diversity/Equity conference for a Brampton Family of Schools in the DPCDSB, and spoke at Be Good Be Social on using Social Media for Social Good, to name a few.
YMAD6: Youth Making a Difference Conference, Fall 2013 In November, we hosted our 6th Youth Making a Difference Conference, this time re-designed to be fast-paced and highly participatory, on a smaller scale. Students learned and practiced skills needed for social action. They created concepts in groups, of which we selected 3 projects (from 2 high-schools in Mississauga and Brampton) to work with ACCESS and their schools to have their projects developed and turned into action. A recap with videos is available on our YMAD website.
Collaboration to Continue: Speak Up for Change Workshops with STEP As a young grassroots group, the STEP team has been working with ACCESS to develop and strengthen their student-run organization, so we decided to work with STEP to develop and plan our next Speak Up for Change Workshop Series. The goal of these free workshops is to provide youth in the Peel Region with the opportunity to become aware of their potential to take action and collaborate. With one being hosted this month in December, a 3-part series is planned for February 2014.
Transitioning Our Location As our 2-year grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation comes to an end, so does our time at The Community Door, which has been our home-base in Brampton since the spring of 2012. While we have officially moved out of this office, ACCESS remains an active member of the Brampton and Mississauga communities, and works with many Peel-based organizations. In 2014, in addition to our work in Peel, we will have a home in Toronto — helping us to serve the GTA region as a whole.
A Really Big Thank-You. We experienced transitions and triumphs, and sincerely appreciate your support. For all of our announcements this past year, visit accesscharity.ca/2013 and our active Facebook Page and Twitter.
On behalf of the ACCESS team, best wishes to you for the upcoming year!
Daniel Francavilla, Founder + Executive Director ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education
Non-Profit SHSM Students at ACCESS
In select schools, students have the opportunity to take a Specialist High Skills Major, also known as SHSM. One of these majors focuses on the Non-Profit Sector and this past summer, ACCESS had the opportunity to welcome 2 awesome co-op students from Brampton's St. Edmund Campion S.S. and one awesome intern at the ACCESS office. The SHSM–Non-Profit enables students to build a foundation of sector-focused knowledge and skills before graduating and entering apprenticeship training, college, university, or a position in the workplace. Students develop skills in the areas of problem solving, analysis, communication, cooperation, ethical values, consciousness, and citizenship.
The non-profit sector offers a range of careers that are dynamic, engaging, and rewarding. Whether in the fields of art, culture, education, or social development, countless career paths are available for people who share the sector’s common vision: to make a difference.
Marly and Josie worked on various components of ACCESS' operations and program planning throughout the month of July with Chris, who also focused on ideas for YMAD, our annual Youth Making a Difference Conference.
Although it was only one month, the team had a great time with these students, and hopes to work with them again soon. Below are a few photos from the experience.
Jumping into January: An ACCESS Update
ACCESS has kicked off 2013 with several events and initiatives taking place in January.We invite you to view Snapshot of Our New Year.
Youth Making a Difference Conference
The annual Youth Making a Difference Conference has been transformed in its fifth year to an exciting, engaging Community Challenge. On World Day of Social Justice (February 20), students will collaborate with peers from across Peel Region to create solution concepts for local and global issues, including Community Challenge on topics like Poverty Alleviation, Environmental Issues, Diversity and Inclusion, Mental Health and Aboriginal Issues. Registration is open for Schools, Organizations, Sponsors and more at YMAD.ca.
Laurier Innovation Challenge
Our chapter at Wilfrid Laurier University is keeping things fresh, fun and innovative by hosting the Laurier Innovation Challenge with LiTC. The core function of this event — providing solutions to local and global social issues — is in alignment with the YMAD Conference and follow-up programming of ACCESS. This event focused on social entrepreneurship – the act of identifying and recognizing a social problem and using entrepreneurial principles to achieve this social change. The case challenge focused on Education and creating a stronger system for students. As the social impact sector is often criticized for a lack of large-scale initiatives and information sharing, this workshop allowed the leaders of tomorrow to collaborate around an important topic. A summary of the event is at accessu.ca/futureofeducation.
Team Empower
A new Youth Ambassador program has emerged out of ACCESS this school year, for high school students who want to become leaders, who have the passion to go out into the world and inspire positive change – starting in their own high schools. This leadership program gives students the chance to inspire meaningful change in your community through awareness initiatives and fundraisers. Ambassadors had their very first meeting at the Mississauga Community Door, and will continue with regular sessions, guest speakers, participate in and organize their own events and more! Visit TeamEmpower.ca to learn more about the program.
Fundraising at York University
The Poverty Eradication Project at York University is hosting a Silent Auction to raise funds for ACCESS. The event will be held on Thursday January 31, 2013 from 6 – 9 PM in the Junior Common Room 014 in McLaughlin College. Details on the event are available at accesscharity.ca/yorkauction.
For updates on these and other projects, follow @ACCESSCharity and connect on our Facebook page.
A Year of Building Community: Christmas Greetings
ACCESS thanks supporters and recaps 2012 in annual year-end message
Throughout 2012, ACCESS has focused on building community. We have continued to update our structure and the skills of our team, build connections with local and international organizations, form partnerships, and design our programming to further benefit our local community.
The most significant announcement of 2012 was the news that ACCESS received funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation in an operations and programming grant to help the organization make a difference locally.
At the beginning of the calendar year, ACCESS recognized the second anniversary of Haitian Earthquake, reflecting our trip to Haiti and our work in the country.
Continuing to improve our local programming, ACCESS received a Youth in Action grant for our Arts for Change event, revamping the structure of the event to fully involve the community on multiple levels and successfully celebrating Community and Youth through the Arts. After several years, the Speak Up for Change website was re-designed and re-launched to better feature our growing collection of youth articles on positive change and various social issues.
In March, the community joined ACCESS in celebrating 6 years of positive change at Brampton's City Hall, with a speaker from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and great media coverage.
Our annual conference took on the theme Desire to Inspire: Youth Making a Difference for its fourth year, hosted during the ChangeTheWorld Ontario Youth Volunteer Challenge as part of National Volunteer Week 2012 and coinciding with Global Action Week, which this year focused on early childhood care and education.
After 6 years, ACCESS moved into its first official office, joining the Community Door. An exciting moment for ACCESS as a youth-run, non-profit organization, the office has helped us excel and grow so far, and ACCESS continues to be part of this passionate and positive network.
Extending our blog program from online to in-person, ACCESS launched a Speak Up for Change youth workshop series in the summer.
When the school year began in the fall, ACCESS celebrated Literacy and Peace on International Literacy Day, reminding the international community that literacy is a human right and the foundation of all learning. We also invited the community to attend ACCESS' Annual General Meeting in October, held at our new office. We had a special guest speaker from Haiti, Fr. Sauveur, who was visiting Canada at the time (a video of this event will be available online). A new year began for ACCESS U, our university chapters, and their website was re-launched at accessu.ca.
Taking us right to the end of 2012, ACCESS has planned Workshops on using Social Media for good, and is actively re-designing and planning our 5th Youth Making a Difference Conference with the theme, Community Challenge. Registration for schools, community groups, bloggers and more is open at YMAD.ca – we are excited to be hosting this at the University of Toronto Mississauga in February 20, 2013 on World Day of Social Justice.
Overall we have had an exciting year, with much more planned for 2013. We greatly appreciate your support! For all of our announcements this past year, visit accesscharity.ca/2012 as well as our Facebook Page and Twitter.
On behalf of the entire ACCESS team, best wishes to you this Holiday Season!
Daniel Francavilla, Founder & President ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education Educate. Empower. Inspire.
Workshops on using Social Media for good offered by Brampton non-profit
In-School Workshops on Social Media for Social Good: Educate, Empower, Raise Awareness
A Brampton-based, youth-run non-profit, ACCESS, is addressing the recent social media student suspension news story head-on.
The organization is offering a Social Media for Social Good Workshop for local students, in light of the several Brampton students being suspended for what they tweeted. Twitter is a tool that can be used for good, and does not have to challenge the reputation of students or schools in the media, ACCESS believes.
The workshop gives students the tools to learn how to safely and respectfully deal with anger and frustration, connect with the right people to initiate positive changes, utilize social media networks to make better use of their influence, and build a positive web presence.
This workshop is important because it aims to educate, empower, raise awareness about relevant cyber-bullying issues. It will teach students the academic and employability consequences of social media, and even how to utilize social media networks to make positive changes.
"Social Media is not as much about you, but more about providing an opportunity for others to interact with your cause," said Aminah, Director of Communications & Outreach.
Social media success and disasters, be them from employees, large companies or other non-profits will be discussed as examples (some of which have made headlines and blogs worldwide).
"The workshop will highlight the recent teacher cyber-bullying trends, legal and personal ramifications, and the 'other side' to the story," Aminah explains.
How will it do tackle this issue? By interactively engaging students through a safe, inspiring, and fun atmosphere. The workshop provides opportunities for student Q & A, and is run by students for students, as ACCESS is a youth-run, non-profit organization.
"Being relatable and staying relevant is the key in situations such as these," said Daniel Francavilla, President.
ACCESS already hosts workshops in the community on key social issues for youth, and has been facilitated its Online Activism workshop at the Global Youth Assembly in Alberta, the Canadian Conference on Student Leadership, Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots Youth 4 Action, and more. ACCESS also runs a youth blog called Speak Up for Change, which includes topics such as Technology and Activism.
"Through workshops like this in-person and online, we can work alongside educators and parents in helping to educate, empower and inspire local youth to use social media for social good," Francavilla stated.
To schedule a workshop, ACCESS is encouraging schools to email socialmediastudents@accesscharity.ca.
View the Workshop Package below:
Media Inquiries
Aminah Haghighi, Director of Communications & Outreach | mina@accesscharity.ca Daniel Francavilla, Founder & President | daniel@accesscharity.ca
About ACCESS
ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education is a youth-run, non-profit organization that facilitates education and empathetic leadership development through initiatives that engage, inspire, and motivate youth to drive positive change, locally and globally. ACCESS envisions the empowerment of generations of leaders through education in order to inspire meaningful development in their own communities.
Media Coverage
- News Talk 1010 Interview - Friendly Fire Show (playable below)
- Toronto Start Interview Article - Brampton students suspended for inappropriate tweets
- Hamilton Spectator Opinion - Don’t tweet if you can’t take the heat
- Metro News - Brampton students suspended for inappropriate tweets
ACCESS successfully celebrates Community and Youth through the Arts
On Saturday, July 14, ACCESS' Arts for Change Showcase: Celebrate Community was a great success, with over 200 community members, youth and organizations in attendance, we could not have asked for a more positive, engaging, inspiring evening. Thank You from the ACCESS Team:
Firstly, we’d like to thank all the organizations and their youth that came out to support Arts for Change:
Volunteer MBC, Brampton Mayor’s Youth Team, United Way of Peel Region and the Young Leaders Council, India Rainbow, Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee of Mississauga, Rapport Youth & Family Services and ECLYPSE, Youth Troopers for Global Awareness, Volunteering Peel, MY Games, Good Movement and I Rock with the ONE.
Secondly, we’d like to thank all the sponsors who supported the showcase:
Nitro Fitness, Blessed Apparel, DramaWay, Cocoa Camino, Julie's Ice Cream House, Ontario Conservatory of Music, Karine’s Vegan Vegetarian All-Day Breakfast, and Il Cavaliere Banquet Hall.
We can’t forget the amazing performers we were able to showcase:
I Rock with the ONE, Kanisha Charles, Vanessa Azizian, Shantelle Shakes, Farij Abbas of YTGA, Josephine Paul of the Ontario Conservatory of Music, Jarryd Fillmore and Elbow Dragon; and Samantha Calvec, ECLYPSE and Andrea Rodrigues for their artwork.
As always, stunning photography services were donated by Andrew Ly of Nineteen Photos Design. You can view all of the Photo Booth photos online here.
A huge thank you to the United Way of Peel Region and the Region of Peel for the Youth in Action Grant, and Rapport Youth & Family Services for overseeing the grant.
We would also like to thank everyone in attendance at the Showcase, from the families of the performers to the individuals in our communities!
For Photo Booth pictures and more, please visit ArtsForChange.ca.
ACCESS opens office, joins Community Door
BRAMPTON – As of June 6, 2012, ACCESS has opened its first office located at 7700 Hurontario Street in Brampton, and is now a member of the Community Door. The location, map and contact details are available at accesscharity.ca/office. The Community Door is a collaborative service working to bring together the people, places and passion required to deliver their vision of accessible, centralized social services. ACCESS is pleased to be part of this exciting environment, joining organizations like Volunteer MBC, Centre for Education & Training, Family Services of Peel, Federation of Filipino Canadians, United Way of Peel Region and more.
Daniel Francavilla, the founder and president of ACCESS, believes this move will be a key factor in moving the organization's programs forward:
This is an exciting time for us as a youth-run, non-profit organization. The office will help us excel and grow significantly over the next year and a half. We are looking forward to being a part of the passionate and positive network that this location offers.
The office location serves as the headquarters of ACCESS operations, including the workplace of two hired staff – a Communications & Outreach coordinator and Administrative & Policy assistant – funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
With Community Door, not-for-profit members gain vital support as part of a collaborative team with other agencies that share a common vision for vital social service programs for area residents. Highly visible and accessible locations grant easy access for clients, staff and volunteers and put our member agencies into the heart of the community."
Visitors are encouraged to contact ACCESS prior to visiting the office, to ensure a team member is available at that particular time. To schedule a meeting with a team member, please email info@accesscharity.ca.
About Community Door Network Services Community Door is more than a destination for social services and community not-for-profit agencies – it is a concept that brings people together. It is based on the collective efforts of socially-focused agencies looking to combine resources and work together to better serve the community. Each member not-for-profit agency, staff member, and volunteer is committed to a shared vision of Collaboration, Caring, Compassion and Competence. To learn more, visit CommunityDoor.ca.
About ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, Inc. ACCESS is a youth-run, non-profit organization that facilitates education and empathetic leadership development through initiatives that engage, inspire, and motivate youth to drive positive change, locally and globally. ACCESS envisions the empowerment of generations of leaders through education in order to inspire meaningful development in their own communities.
Media Inquiries: Aminah Haghighi, Outreach & Communications | mina@accesscharity.ca
Desire to Inspire: Youth Making a Difference Conference announced for fourth year
MISSISSAUGA – ACCESS is excited to announce the fourth annual Youth Making a Difference Conference to be held Thursday, April 26, 2012. The aim of Youth Making a Difference is to educate, empower and inspire local youth to make positive change in their community and beyond. Students are given the opportunity to discover their inner passions for social change and transform their ideas into positive action.
The theme of this year’s conference is Desire to Inspire. The event aims to be the catalyst that allows students to discover their passions, by providing the tools and inspiration to take their ideas and turn them into action plans. To assist youth in doing so, a key feature of the 2012 conference involves a session by Kanika Gupta of SoJo. SoJo is an online collection of tools and informational resources to inspire and empower youth to transform your ideas for social change into reality.
The conference promises to be an exciting day of inspiring workshops, performances and presentations. Students will engage in sessions on discovering their own leadership skills and will have the chance to network with a variety of community organizations.
Youth speakers at the conference include a keynote by Abid Virani, Co-Founder and CEO of I Have Hope who shares a message of youth empowerment and hope; Daniel Francavilla, Founder and President of ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, a student-run organization that focuses on the importance of education and local youth activism; along with Aian Binlayo, DPCDSB Student Trustee and environmental advocate; and Akhina Mooken, Miss India Canada 2011. More details on the speakers is available here.
The YMAD conference will be held in Mississauga, Ontario at Blessed Trinity (2495 Credit Valley Road) between 9 am to 3 pm on April 26.
The conference is open to all high school students in the Region of Peel. Registration is now open online for students, who are asked to register as a group through an educator at their school here. A nominal fee of $5 per student includes a healthy lunch.
Local non-profit and community organizations are welcome to join ACCESS at YMAD to provide opportunities and information to the young activists in the making. Registration for organizations can be found at this link.
Funding for this year's conference is provided in part by a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
Do you have the desire to inspire? Visit YouthMakingaDifference.ca.
About ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, Inc. ACCESS is a youth-run organization aiming to provide needy children in the developing world with school uniforms and necessary school supplies, enabling them with the opportunity to obtain an education for a successful life. ACCESS also aims to educate North American youth about related world issues, and to inspire them to make a difference globally. More information about ACCESS is available here.
Conference Inquiries: ymad@accesscharity.ca Media Inquires: mina@accesscharity.ca
Revamped Speak Up for Change website features youth articles on social change
The Speak Up for Change Blog, an ACCESS local Youth Programming initiative, has undergone a substantial website re-design. The re-launch and new platform equips Speak Up for Change with several additional features and options to explore a variety of online content. In addition to supporting students in developing countries, ACCESS aims to engage and educate youth locally on social justice along with both global and local issues.
The Speak Up for Change Blog invites youth to contribute written or visual pieces on a variety of topics, which include Change, Education, Environment, Poverty, Social Justice, Technology for Good, and Youth Issues.
The all-new Speak Up for Change homepage highlights the latest content on the blog, a new menu allows easy-access to now categorized articles, and tools have been added to easily comment and share posts. A mobile site has also been developed to allow easier access on smartphones and tablets, key to reach the increasing percentage of worldwide Internet users that access the web solely on mobile devices.
To kick-off this launch, Speak Up for Change is featuring a motivational video about Change, available here.
Youth and organizations that are inspired to write or create pieces for the blog are invited to sign up to contribute here or by emailing editor@speakupforchange.ca. More information on the program is available on the about page.
ACCESS thanks Syed Kamran, Speak Up for Change's Online Communications Coordinator for implementing the design and new features and Naomi Leanage, Editor of Speak Up for Change for articles and blog content development.
To stay connected with the latest SpeakUpforChange.ca content: subscribe via email, follow the Twitter feed or like the Facebook page.
Youth in Action grant will allow Peel youth to use Arts for Change
ACCESS has received a Youth in Action Grant from the United Way of Peel Region and Region of Peel to host the Arts for Change Talent Show. Annually the Youth in Action Grant is awarded to recognize youth in Peel between ages 14 and 24 that are making a positive impact in their community through various projects. This marks the third consecutive year that these grants have been awarded; in 2010 ACCESS received the grant for its Youth Making a Difference Workshop.
“It is great to see so many youth making a difference in their community,” says Amanda Bordonaro, Co-Chair of the Youth in Action Review Panel and Executive Member of United Way’s Young Leaders Council. “All of the grant recipients have demonstrated tremendous leadership and it is important that we recognize and nurture their achievements. The youth are the future leaders of Peel Region. It is an amazing feeling to know that there are so many young people dedicated to making a positive impact in the region.”
The grant in the amount of $2000 will fund this year's Arts for Change Talent Show, with proceeds going towards local ACCESS projects. The community partner selected to administer the grant with ACCESS is Rapport Youth & Family Services.
The program was developed by United Way of Peel Region’s Young Leaders Council, a group of volunteers between the ages of 20-35 years old who are committed to creating a legacy of volunteerism and spirited giving within the Peel Region.
Details on the 2012 spring Arts for Change Talent Show will be announced in the coming months. For more information on ACCESS' local projects, visit the Youth Programming page and check accesscharity.ca/artsforchange for show updates.
About ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, Inc. ACCESS is a youth-run organization aiming to provide needy children in the developing world with school uniforms and necessary school supplies, enabling them with the opportunity to obtain an education for a successful life. ACCESS also aims to educate North American youth about related world issues, and to inspire them to make a difference globally. More information about ACCESS is available here.
Media Inquires: info@accesscharity.ca | 647-893-7504 Partnership or Sponsorship: mark@accesscharity.ca Talent Show + Youth Programs: ann@accesscharity.ca