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
Youth Leaders in Peel Region invited to Learn Skills for Social Change at ACCESS Workshops
MISSISSAUGA – On August 14, 2014 ACCESS presents: DO GOOD, BETTER, the first of a free two-part workshop series to equip youth-led initiatives in Peel Region with the tools and skills to succeed. Youth leaders and activists will receive hands-on learning opportunities from experienced facilitators who have worked with countless youth-led organizations and initiatives across the Greater Toronto Area to build stronger organizations and create greater impact in their communities.
DO GOOD, BETTER will take place over two summer evenings at Studio 89, a social enterprise café in Mississauga whose proceeds fund an artademic resource centre and youth programming. The workshops will help young leaders learn to find funding and build budgets for their social good projects.
“Having founded ACCESS as a high school student 8 years ago, I am thrilled that we are now able to share these vital resources with other youth who are working on their own initiatives. Finding funding is a huge challenge for organizations of any size – especially for youth entering this complex sector. We have learned that the non-profit sector is all about collaboration, and are honored to involve our mentee organization, Regional Youth Roundtable, as well as to bring in experts in youth organizing from across the GTA.” – Daniel Francavilla, Founder and Executive Director, ACCESS
On August 14, part one will help participants learn how to develop and write an effective grant application through the exploration of tools and processes for designing programs, framing applications, and embedding grant-writing planning in all that they do.
On August 21, part two will help youth leaders learn to build budgets with confidence. Participants will learn how to develop a budget for their organization or project using simple tools and software. They will explore what to take into account when building a budget, from salaries to rent to program expenses.
The workshops are being promoted in partnership with the Regional Youth Roundtable, a new local youth-led initiative mentored by ACCESS. The Speak Up for Change Workshop Series is funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
Spaces are limited, so we invite interested participants to register online at speakupforchange.ca/workshops.
About ACCESS ACCESS is a youth-run, non-profit organization that educates, empowers, and inspires youth to drive positive change. ACCESS is run exclusively by youth, ranging from high school students to university students and recent graduates. 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
About Regional Youth Roundtable Regional Youth Roundtable aims to alleviate pressures facing minority youth groups (such as newcomer youth, special needs youth, racialized youth) by creating a collaborative impact through youth-led organizations in Peel region. The Roundtable also acts as a platform for the sharing of ideas and initiatives between youth-led organizations, ensuring said organizations are reaching their full potential and mandate. | youthroundtable.ca
Media Contact: Daniel Francavilla, Executive Director, ACCESS | daniel@accesscharity.ca