Phil Anth: Humanitarian apparel company launched by local student
It's not every day that a high school student launches a clothing line as a way to make a positive impact, not profit. The student is Brampton's Youssef Eid, and his company is called Phil Anth — a social enterprise that ACCESS is pleased to be supporting. Fuse Brampton provided Youssef with support and startup funds. ACCESS connected Phil Anth with initial custom orders including Impact Tomorrow and Redwood Studio. Now, Phil Anth will be focusing on growing a unique line of their own.
This shirt supports a student conference and a student social entrepreneur at the same time! http://t.co/F1p8LJ5hNo pic.twitter.com/OULRNoGCZb
— ACCESS innovation (@accesscharity) March 22, 2015
The full inspiration behind Phil Anth
As told by founder Youssef Eid
"A couple years ago I went on vacation with my Dad to Aruba. We thought it'd be great to rent a car and explore the country. The trip started off amazing, the scenery, palm trees, happy tourists. Then we got lost and winded up in a small impoverished village. The images I have tucked away in my memory are so vivid: red dirt roads, broken homes, donkeys as transportation, it was exactly what you would see in poverty commercials for charities. The houses were beaten down, made of rock, without windows, no electricity. I couldn't believe it when I saw families, mothers, and their children living inside these homes. Like most when they see poverty, I tried my best to look away, but no matter where I looked in this village, I saw the same conditions.
The rest of my vacation was fine as I tried my best not to think of what I saw. I didn't want it to ruin my vacation but no matter how hard I tried my mental images kept creeping back. So on our flight home from Aruba, the plane started to shake, it felt like nothing at first. Then it happened, the plane fell through the sky for 10 seconds in severe turbulence. I remember VERY clearly passengers floating in the air, their cellphones, I-Pods...all floating. If you've ever watched an episode of Mayday on Discovery channel, the experience was exactly the same. The man sitting beside me held his wife's hand and yelled "we're going to be okay honey" as I sat in my seat, calm. There wasn't time to panic, my thoughts started racing through my mind. All I've accomplished thus far, and then a mental image of the village popped up and stuck. The plane landed with several injured: sprained necks, broken arms, etc. Paramedics were in the airport ready for when the plane landed. I knew I needed to do something about the poverty I saw. For months I thought: what if that plane were to crash? I've always wanted to create impact, but I had no clue what type and how. But after that day in the back of my mind, I knew what I needed to do. It took a couple of months to get over the experience. Then in the summer I contacted the Brampton Entrepreneur Centre and connected with Lisa Rosetti. We sat down a few times and developed the idea together. That was over 6 months ago. Ever since, I've been developing the idea, the products, and the process. That way it's something I can be proud of, and highly effective in terms of impact.
Most ask me why I chose clothing, the truth is, I didn't choose to sell clothing because I love fashion, I chose it because it's visual, and a way to show art on a moving poster: our bodies. I wanted something people could talk about, and putting a story behind it through youth designs with Eclypse, and our concept gives more reason to. I realized we're not in the business of selling shirts, we're in the business of selling stories. At the end of the day I'm not a fashion designer. I've never cared about what I wear. I see this as the start, it's the model of giving through day to day purchases that I'd like to exploit. Imagine going to the supermarket to purchase groceries at the same price, knowing you're changing the world."
We've eliminated the need for change rooms, brick and mortars, and the nasty 5x markups of this industry. Replacing it...
Posted by Phil Anth Clothing Co. on Saturday, August 8, 2015
Phil Anth is now participating in the City of Brampton's Summer Company program, with funding from the Ontario government.
Learn more about Phil Anth by visiting philanth.ca. Follow on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
Supporting Startup Weekend Toronto for Youth
Inspiring Entrepreneurial Greatness in Youth
ACCESS is pleased to support Startup Weekend Toronto: Youth Edition which takes place from May 29-31, 2015. ACCESS is sponsoring a student to attend and is judging the competition.
Startup Weekend Toronto: Youth Edition is a great event for youth to learn more about business and entrepreneurship by coming together to share ideas, form teams, build products, and launch lean startups. Startup Weekend is a global non-profit organization of active and empowered entrepreneurs who are learning the basics of founding start-ups and launching successful ventures.
Participants are grade 7 to 12 students interested in learning more about business and entrepreneurship.
Students should attend to foster entrepreneurial skills such as innovative thinking, effective communication, and teamwork. They will also have the chance to:
Build strong community and peer connections through networking and event participation
Develop transferable skills with a strong emphasis on experiential education
Understand business concepts such as ideation, lean launch, pivoting, product development, minimum viable products, presentations, customer validation, and more
Enhance future educational (i.e. post-secondary applications) and professional endeavours for students
Celebrate Toronto's diverse pool of talent and future entrepreneurs
Participants are invited to register online now here.
ACCESS supports youth-led social change. To learn more about this support program, visit accessinnovation.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
Discussing Creative Solutions for Youth Employment with United Way Peel YLC
MISSISSAUGA – The Young Leaders Council (YLC) is contributing to a very important conversation through an exciting event on April 24, 2014 at Studio 89 with ACCESS. Youth leaders are invited to be a part of the Community Connections Committee’s very first workshop, Creative Solutions for Youth Employment. The YLC strives to connect active and emerging leaders to United Way of Peel Region to promote the engagement of youth within Peel. The YLC aims to be a connector, a voice and a thinker for youth, and this event promises to be all of those things.
The team is proud to have great speakers from the non-profit and corporate worlds to share their experience. The event will feature Daniel Francavilla from ACCESS and Now Creative Group, Mike Prosserman from UNITY Charity and Tim Iqbal from ITWT Consulting. Each will share an interesting perspective on the issue of youth employment, providing great perspective for young leaders.
The public event is free for all and Fair Trade Coffee and treats are available at a great youth-run venue with some amazing speakers. Tickets are available online here.
If you have any questions or would like to register for free, please contact Jen Davis at jdavis@unitedwaypeel.org or 905-602-3622.
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.
Redefining Normal: ACCESS presents TEDxYouth@Brampton
Brampton's first-ever TEDx event for youth is being hosted on March 1, 2014 by a group of local youth. Sponsored by ACCESS, the theme is Redefining Normal. The event will focus on empowering youth to lead creative, self-satisfying lives that will enable them to look beyond the conventional forms of living.
TEDxYouth@Brampton will be taking place at St. Marguerite d'Youville Secondary School. The March 1 date will connect it with other TEDxYouth events worldwide.
Ideas worth spreading
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED created TEDx, a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience in their community. The official title, TEDxYouth@Brampton, indicates the event is directed towards youth in the Brampton-area, but we also hope the talks will inspire those of all ages, in all regions as well.
Live speakers and TED Talk videos will combine to spark in-depth discussions related to the theme, Redefining Normal. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.
Redefining Normal
Adolescents and young adults are faced with the monumental challenge of determining their fate. They have been told by parents, teachers, and society what a "normal" life should look like, which leads them to set off into the world, constraint by vision blinders, never realizing to the full extent what life can offer. The TEDxYouth@Brampton event focuses on equipping today's youth with the wisdom to create a life for themselves that falls on the positive sidelines of normal.
The youth organizing the event strive to empower audience members to look beyond what has been done, and focus on what can be. It can only be through constant disapproval of our system that real change and happiness can be captured.
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. These Speakers and Entertainers are being announced weekly leading up to the event at tedxyouthbrampton.com.
Tickets are now available online here.
About ACCESS ACCESS is a youth-lead, non-profit organization that educates, empowers, and inspires youth to drive positive change. Currently based in Brampton and Toronto, ACCESS is run by a dedicated group of youth, ranging from high-school to university students and recent graduates. Originally founded to help students access education in developing countries, ACCESS has grown to focus on social innovation and youth social entrepreneurship, continuing to empower youth to create change locally and globally.
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
Students develop social good projects at 6th Youth Making a Difference Conference
On November 13, ACCESS hosted its 6th Youth Making a Difference Conference. The event provided a unique opportunity for high school students in the Peel Region, consistent with all components of "Educate, Empower, Inspire".
The Fall 2013 Youth Making a Difference Conference was re-designed to be fast-paced, exciting, and highly participatory, where students learned and practiced skills needed for social action.
The event featured activities, stories and instructions to help students start socially-focused projects, and was hosted by the ACCESS team at the Brampton Community Door. Students worked in smaller groups and produced tangible results.
Students were exposed to and gained experience in Organizational Development (lead by Student Leadership Development Coordinator David Ip Yam), Organizational Branding (lead by Designer Daniel Francavilla), Concept Development and Brainstorming (lead by Designer and Engineer Damon Pfaff), and Press Release and Social Media Planning (lead by Non-Profit Consultant Shaneeza Nazseer). These facilitators were on-hand to guide students through their projects.
The conference was beneficial to youth with a variety of interests and passions. Students interested in social justice, local and global activism, social entrepreneurship, and in starting their own projects found valuable resources at YMAD6. The conference incorporated creativity, design, business, strategy, and community service.
A goal was for students to experience a sense of community and collaboration in a fast-paced environment, while working towards a positive outcome.
"It was an amazing conference. My students came back pumped and inspired," was the feedback received by an educator who has attended several ACCESS events with students. "Thanks for your continued leadership and direction."
Students taking action beyond the conference
Student concepts were evaluated and winning projects have been selected from John Cabot Secondary School in Mississauga and St. Edmund Campion Secondary School in Brampton. These groups will be working with ACCESS and their schools to have their projects developed and turned into action this year.
"There is a huge benefit for students to both brainstorm and develop projects as a team and then have the ability and support to execute them," said Daniel Francavilla, ACCESS Executive Director.
"We are committed to helping these students create social change in their community, using their own skills and interests."
ACCESS will be sharing the details and stories of the student projects in the coming months.
For more photos from the conference, visit this gallery on the ACCESS Facebook Page.
ACCESS to host 5th Youth Making a Difference Conference: Community Challenge
ACCESS is proud to announce its fifth annual Youth Making a Difference Conference to be held at the University of Toronto – Mississauga Campus on February 20, 2013. ACCESS is challenging the community to come together for social change – starting at the grassroots level – through local youth. Registration for schools is now open at ymad.ca/register.
The conference aims to highlight interdisciplinary skills through a case competition assessing current local and global issues, while fostering key relationships through a variety of mediums – including networking opportunities, inspiring speeches, and Community Challenges. The Community Challenge topics range in topics from Human Rights to Aboriginal issues.
ACCESS is a youth-run, non-profit organization providing education opportunities to youth in developing countries, while raising awareness and inspiring youth locally to become leaders. Though the Community Challenge, ACCESS strives to inspire youth to work towards change in their communities through a realization of their individual strengths.
“The Youth Making a Difference Conference doesn’t tell youth what to think; it asks youth how they want to confront issues affecting their local and global community. The collaborative nature of finding resolutions to the Community Challenges mimics the real world as a democratic collaborative space. The conference underlines important for youth to feel empowered in decision making in the future of their communities.”
– Damon Pfaff, Youth Making a Difference Coordinator
This daylong conference invites 200 high school students from across the Region of Peel to participate – individually, with their schools, and within in teams – to evaluate concerns and come up with real-world solutions that make a difference.
We invite community organizations to get involved through becoming a Community Change Agent: ymad.ca/ChangeAgent
Register now online at ymad.ca/register.
View or Download the full School Registration Package below.
Media Inquiries: Aminah Haghighi, Communications & Outreach Director | mina@accesscharity.ca Sponsorship Inquiries: Mark Llanes, Director of Finance | mark@accesscharity.ca Programming Inquiries: Damon Pfaff, Youth Making a Difference Coordinator | damon@accesscharity.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.
Ontario Trillium Foundation grant helping youth to make a difference
MISSISSAUGA, ON – ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, Inc. is delighted to announce that they have received funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation in support of local youth development programs. The funding, to be granted over two years, will build the capacity of this youth-led organization to expand local programming, including the Speak Up for Change program and the spring Youth Making a Difference Conference, so that youth will become more socially aware and engaged in the Region of Peel. Funding will also support staffing and operational expenses to further organizational growth and program delivery.
"The Ontario Trillium Foundation is helping to empower young people to become problem solvers in their own communities, said Louroz Mercader, Board Chair. "This grant will maximize the impact of our efforts, encourage innovation and inspire life-long engagements through volunteerism."
ACCESS, which celebrated its fifth anniversary in March 2011, has a dedicated team of youth and advisors ready to take action and make a positive impact.
"Receiving significant financial support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation is a huge step forward for ACCESS, particularly as a youth-run organization," stated Daniel Francavilla, who founded the organization as a high school student in 2006. "I am very excited about implementing the incredible ideas and initiatives our team has been planning."
"I am pleased that this grant will provide ACCESS with funding for an office location, staffing and an opportunity to expand their youth programming," said Linda Jeffrey, MPP for Brampton-Springdale. "Their dedication to help local students become active community members as well as assisting students in the developing world is commendable."
ACCESS looks forward to expanding its programming as the organization continues to make positive change both locally and abroad.
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