Charity necessary during economic uncertainty
Daniel Francavilla
TORONTO STAR
Global Voices
Today, innocent children are dying due to poverty around the world – one every two seconds. Yet, on Black Friday, a Wal-Mart worker in the United States was trampled to death by consumers rushing to retail sales.
The impending financial disaster is creating a perfect storm for non-profit organizations trying to aid those in poverty, as donations decline while the need for help rises.
ShareLife, the Archdiocese of Toronto's charity, is one group stepping forward with programs responding to the increased social services demand.
“The Catholic organizations in the Archdiocese are very involved in helping the most needy,” says Archbishop Thomas Collins. “I’m particularly aware of their great need of resources to help the poor in need. I encourage people in the Archdiocese to support them more than ever.”
Charities face the same stress as many companies, banks and businesses.
The Vancouver Foundation is the largest of Canada’s 165 community foundations and supports about 600 charities per year.
The organization’s president, Faye Wightman, says that “many of these non-profit (organizations) are the last stop for thousands of people … who get hit by larger economic forces and find themselves teetering on the edge.”
Unfortunately, while need increases, economic uncertainty creates a large barrier.
“These charities are hit with reduced donations, corporate sponsorships that dry up, and often reduced funding from government and even foundations,” says Wightman.
Despite today's economic uncertainty, there are organizations that continue to fund projects both locally and overseas. Long-term planning and new strategies can help organizations survive.
Perhaps the economic crisis will spur people to see that our consumer culture has skewed priorities. At the Conference on Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Waterloo this past November, Marc Kielburger offered a simple yet challenging notion: "if we want to change Africa, we have to change North America."
As affluent people also begin to suffer financially, perhaps their empathy will trigger social change to benefit humanity worldwide.
Daniel Francavilla is currently a university student in Toronto at the Ontario College of Art + Design. From Brampton, Daniel founded a non-profit organization, ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, and Speak Up for Change, a youth blog on poverty and education-related issues.
ACCESS to participate in Youth Can Move the World Symposium 2009
Last February, ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education was featured at an inspiring youth event in Mississauga, Ontario. With ACCESS founder Daniel Francavilla presenting the keynote speech, and dedicated volunteers operating an ACCESS info booth, the event was a great opportunity to showcase and promote youth activism. On February 21, 2009, the Youth Can Move the World Symposium will once again welcome hundreds of local youth, along with ACCESS and several other non-profit organizations to the event.
The Youth Can Move the World Symposium is a free, one-day event, open to all youth in Peel Region (Ontario, Canada) age 15 to 25. The event includes an Agency Fair which allows local, non-profit organizations to showcase their services, programs and volunteer opportunities to youth.
Youth Can Move the World is inspired by the United Nations declaration of the years 2005-2014 as the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. This non-profit group organizes the symposium for youth to learn about and become involved in programs focused on creating a world that is socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable. It is also designed to encourage and enable youth to engage with community-based organizations to explore opportunities to transform their interests into action through volunteerism.
Peel’s first Youth Can Move the World Symposium was held in 2006, and the 2008 event, supported by a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, welcomed over 250 youth and 24 agencies.
For more information on this year's event, please visit www.youthcanmovetheworld.ca. To read an article about ACCESS' participation in last year's event, click here.
Colombian Squires fundraiser at St. Anne's Parish
Local members of the Colombian Squires raised $300 for ACCESS, selling chocolate bars on Sunday October 26th, 2008 at St. Anne's Parish in Brampton.
Along with raising money and distributing flyers, they also collected 200 pounds of school supplies, which they will deliver to Dr. Simone's Canadian Food for Children for shipping to the developing world, on behalf of ACCESS.
Launching "Speak Up for Change" Blog Program
In addition to raising money for students in developing nations, ACCESS aims to engage and educate youth in North America about relevant world issues and the current global development situation. Speak Up for Change is a new initiative of ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education with School Supplies, Inc.
About Speak Up for Change
Launched in the fall of 2008, Speak Up for Change is a program that gives both youth and organizations a chance to write about poverty and education-related issues. It provides students with writing experience and online exposure, as well as community service hours and prizes, and provides organizations with exposure.
Topics include social justice, youth activism, global development, poverty, education, political action, and more.
Contributors respond to current events, related quotes, and social justice issues. The forum is moderated by members of the ACCESS Speak Up for Change Team, who both assign and edit the articles. Topics will be posted by the team on a regular basis, inviting responses by youth. Schools are encouraged to become involved in the program, as a the topics and writing assignments easily fit as a component of their curriculum. Guest contributors are welcome and include educators, politicians, local celebrities, members of the non-profit community, and social activists.
It's estimated that globally 1.5 million new blog entries will have appeared in the past week. Through Speak Up for Change, let's ensure that we contribute as many positive, youth-written, change-driven posts as we can.
Calling You to Action
ACCESS is seeking schools, students, and individuals who are interested in participating in the program. This includes blog entries from non-profit organizations, relating to our topics above. Both regular contributors and one-time participants are welcome.
Submissions will be published on the Speak Up for Change website, after being approved by our editors and categorized according to topic and theme. Please consider writing a new blog entry, or sending us existing written content for the blog. Accompanying video and photos are most welcome.
Funding the Program
As a non-profit organization, ACCESS is still accepting sponsors for the Speak Up for Change program. The program is currently supported in part by local organizations.
Prizes to reward participation in the program as well as for promotional campaigns are ideal. Additional funds would be used to promote the program through advertisements online, send information packages to schools, and provide printed resources to participating students.
Visit the new website at www.speakupforchange.ca
To get involved today, send an email to editor@accesscharity.ca.
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
Stand Up and Take Action Against Poverty October 17th to 19th
October 17th is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty when people worldwide show their solidarity with the poor and commitment to ending poverty. Join millions around the world as they STAND UP and TAKE ACTION Against Poverty and for the Millennium Development Goals. This worldwide call to action is led by the Global Call to Action Against Poverty and the United Nations Millennium Campaign.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight goals to be achieved by 2015 that were drawn from the Millennium Declaration adopted by 191 member countries of the United Nations in 2000. The MDGs respond to the world's main development challenges and in a brief outline promise to:
1. eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. achieve universal primary education
3. promote gender equality and empower women
4. reduce child mortality
5. improve maternal health
6. combat HIV/AIDs, malaria and other diseases
7. ensure environmental sustainability
8. develop a global partnership for development
At the halfway point to 2015 some progress has been made on the MDGs but urgent action is needed if nations are to deliver on the promise in the Millennium Declaration: "We will spare no effort to free our fellow men, women and children from the abject and dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty, to which more than a billion of them are currently subjected."
Last year a record breaking 43.7 million people around the world stood up and called for action against poverty and inequality. Help break the Guinness World Record this year and send an even louder message to our governments for more and better aid, debt cancellation, trade justice and other action to end poverty.
You can stand up anywhere: at work, at church, in the streets, at the family dinner table, or in the classroom. You can also send letters to the government or any number of other creative ways to contribute towards ending poverty and inequality. You may also use this opportunity to tell others about ACCESS and how they can help eradicate extreme poverty and more, through education.
Life in the Bateyes - A Bittersweet Existence
It is estimated that about 500,000 to 1.000,000 Haitian emigrants are currently living and working in the Dominican Republic. Most toil in sugarcane fields and live in communities called Bateyes, in conditions that have changed little since slavery was legal.
This short documentary sheds light on the life and living conditions endured by those who live at the margin of society.
http://current.com/e/88838298/en_US
Annual School Supply Drive raises awareness, supplies, and funds
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UELOxSzgiUc]
ACCESS called upon the community to add extra items to their back-to-school carts for students in the developing world who have very limited access to these items.
Several high-school students volunteered to help make the fundraising event a success. School supplies were donated and Cocoa Camino Fair Trade chocolate bars and cane sugar were sold at the event.
Rogers Television aired a news story on First Local News on September 3rd (above).
Want a Revolution? Just get out there and Change the World
After reading Leaving Microsoft to Change the World during March Break this year, I became even more inspired to get out there and do something to change the world. The book is by a former Microsoft executive named John Wood, who left a very promising career track to form a charity called Room to Read at age 35.
Wood's charity helps thousands of children across the developing world break the cycle of poverty through the power of education. This is exactly the type of thing I feel so strongly about, and is the main cause of ACCESS.
What’s interesting is that both Wood and myself were inspired by first-hand experiences in the developing world. I went on a high-school exposure trip to the Dominican Republic, and Wood went to Nepal – originally just as a getaway from his stressful job – but made a promise to the impoverished people he met that he would one day come back with books. And, he did, and has now opened hundreds of schools and thousands of libraries in the developing world.
Still, some people say there are too many charities and non-profits already. But I believe it’s not about the format or structure of how good work is being done, it’s about the fact that everyone needs to do his or her share.
People say they want a revolution. Well, it all starts with you. There are plenty of problems in the world today... climate change, terrorism, war, poverty, disease, economic disparity, hopelessness and more. But you can do something. Here’s what I learned from Leaving Microsoft to Change the World about this:
Don’t spend too much time thinking about it – just dive in.
Yes, there are things in our way like student loans that need to be repaid, previous career commitments, advice from advice from family and friends, the need to write a serious plan of action… Take care of these things, but don’t loose momentum getting through all these obstacles! As with John Wood, people will talk you out of pursuing your dream. Too many people will tell you why something might not work. Stop yourself from thinking, “I don’t live there, it’s not my problem”.
So, when all you’re thinking about is getting through University and hitting it big as a high-powered executive or owning a successful business, just think of those who have made charitable activities and causes a major part of their daily lives, including the most successful business people such as Warren Buffet and Bill Gates. Wood had to make many sacrifices from his high-class life, like downgrading his condo and firing his personal driver, but doing good work for the world has got him on the Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, Fox News, National Geographic TV, Time Magazine, Forbes, the New York Times, and many more!
Success isn’t defined by how much money you make. It’s about what you do with your time and money that makes your life worthwhile.
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world!" - Gandhi
The Barrio (She Walked with Me)
By Kristine Hardy
A steep climb up the slippery steps,
To a place never seen by most.
Cement walls and tin roofs towering above me,
And tin cans cast upon the ground.
Wild dogs feed on scraps left behind,
It’s not enough to last the week.
All they can do is sleep off their desire,
Frozen in the frigid nights.
The children line the path I walk
Their smiles beam like the newly risen sun.
Without warning I felt a small hand clasp mine,
And she walked with me.
The above poem was written by Kristine Hardy, a Canadian student who visited the an impoverished barrio in the Dominican Republic in 2008.
Bateyes and Barrios are two of the types of areas in which Dominicans and Dominicans of Haitian decent reside. Both terms' descriptions generally discuss impoverished, underdeveloped areas. The areas where the sugar cane cutters live and work are called "bateyes", which you can learn more about here. However, the above poem discusses life in a "barrio", a word that often implies that the poverty level is high in such a neighborhood.
Paradise Amongst Poverty
By Patricia Stavropoulos
The dirt ground feels hard beneath my feet. The dust in the air clouds my eyes. I look around. Huts and old dilapidated half-houses encircle the makeshift dirt field I’m standing in. In this remote and poor village people go about their daily lives. A shady one-room school house stands off to the side. Children in blue and khaki uniforms with no shoes teach Spanish songs to visitors. A brave young man climbs up a two story palm tree to collect oversized coconuts. A solitary boy reads from an old textbook in the shade. Life goes on.
Dozens of children form a large circle. They sing and dance a sort of marry-go-round game and freeze. Bursts of laughter fill the air. Mothers clutching half naked babies point and smile. Enjoying the goodtime the children are having just as much as they are. While the sun shines brilliantly illuminating the fun. A young woman washes clothes by hand in a broken washing machine. The wind blows dirt on the clean clothes hanging beside her. She is laughing too.
It starts to rain. Thousands of heavy water droplets litter the ground. I feel my clothes start to stick to my body as everyone dashes for cover. Over hanging tin roofs become a new shelter. An escape from the tumultuous weather. Thick raindrops compose a new beat on the hard metal. Bodies black and white cling to each other for protection. Young students tie their uniform shirts around their heads to stay dry. A new game is invented. In the midst of poverty, happiness exists in the simplest of things. Life goes on.
Patricia traveled to the Dominican Republic on a high-school exposure trip in 2007
Contest winners announced!
Brampton elementary school students from grades one to eight submitted a wide variety of entries to the ACCESS Charity Student Contest. Submissions consisted of poetry, paragraphs, paintings, drawings, and collages. The winners of the Spring 2008 Student Contest were notified and awarded on June 24, 2008 in their schools.
ACCESS at Canadian Food for Children
http://youtube.com/v/yV4XcAbLiWs
ACCESS visits the Canadian Food for Children Warehouse in Mississauga to showcase the dedicated organization's daily work.
Columbian Squires welcome ACCESS to Ontario Provincial Board Conference
On June 7, 2008 Daniel Francavilla was invited to present to the Columbian Squires Ontario Provincial Board and guests at the 54th Annual Squires Convention in St. Catherines, Ontario.
The Squires also presented ACCESS with a donation and a letter. Thank you to Dylan Robertson, Provincial Chief Squire, for coordinating the presentation. Arthur Peters, Executive Director of ShareLife, was also present.
The Columbian Squires, which builds character and develops leadership, is the official youth organization of the Knights of Columbus.
We Want Change!
ACCESS would like to present "Change", a video and poem created entirely by two Brampton high school students, Jennifer Paul and Kevin Saychareun as a contest submission. It won Best Overall in its group and Viewer's Choice in the Kaleidoscope Real World Video Challenge Contest, an online video contest to get youth across Canada thinking about and getting involved in global issues. The winning video, and original poem, are posted below.
Please vote for this video by clicking "Change" here.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06TZHTm2Ox0]
"Change" Poem
Day by day
Time goes by
I keep dreaming, hoping and wishing
That life will pass me by
They walk right past me
Barely stopping to stare
They look right through me
I doubt they even care...
How I ended up here?
That doesn't matter...
Will I be here tomorrow?
I'll worry about that in the latter.
I'm just one star
In a galaxy of many
I'm just one man
In a world full of plenty
But if I can make a difference?
in this world full of many?
Then maybe I can the be Sun
For one planet of plenty
And though I may go hungry tonight
Through the darkness, I will be the light.
And though my pockets are full of lint and air
I will be the difference, I will make people care.
And despite the fact that I'm malnourished and cold,
I will fight this fight until the day I grow old.
You see, if people dropped change
instead of coins
And if people made love
Instead of noise
And if people saw the heart
Inside of this man
Then maybe people would find the courage
To take a stand.
If only people did that...
the world would spin round,
and every single person-
would be heaven bound...
You see, I'm not crazy
I'm not deranged.
Keep your coins.
I want change.
Written by Jennifer Paul © 2008
Directed by Kevin Saychareun
Starring Michael Onabolu
Now Registered as a Non-Profit Corporation!
After a long period of planning and processing, ACCESS has now been officially registered as a Non-Profit Corporation in the province of Ontario, Canada. Our official legal name is "ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, Inc." and our Ontario Corporation Number (OCN) is 1766228.
For details on the process and on what this registration means, please learn more about ACCESS here.
Speaking with St. Aidan's Students
Intermediate students of the new St. Aidan Elementary School in Brampton participated in an ACCESS awareness and motivational presentation April 30, 2008 in the school's library.
Students were very responsive and the school presented ACCESS Charity with a cheque of over $100 raised by the students prior to the visit.
Thank you especially to Ms. Denise Tonon, the Teacher-Librarian at St. Aidan School for all of her support and coordination.
Presentation at St. Lucy's School
On April 29, 2008, Daniel Francavilla presented to the grades 1-8 students at St. Lucy Catholic Elementary School in Brampton, on the topic of poverty in the developing world and the situation in the Dominican Republic.
Special thanks to Principal Margery Bergen-Hoy and Vice Principal Deanna Tucciarone for their commitment to the presentation and supporting ACCESS Charity.
The school has been involved in countless social-justice initiatives.
Called to Make a Difference: Presentation at School Board Office
In celebration of Catholic Education Week, ACCESS founder Daniel Francavilla spoke on the importance of education and student involvement at the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board Office in Mississauga.
The board is one of largest and most diverse in Ontario, with nearly 88,000 students in 144 Catholic schools throughout Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon and Orangeville.
The presentation was a success and donations to ACCESS Charity were made by audience members.
Thank you to Annalisa Sodhi and Carolyn Esvelt for coordinating the engagement.
Read the full speech online here.
Student Contest Entry Deadline
From April 15 to May 23, students from participating elementary schools are invited to enter the first ever ACCESS Charity Student Contest.
The goal of this program is to raise awareness of world issues relating to education and poverty, by engaging local students in activities that allow them to express concern for the cause.
Full details can be found on our new Student Contests website, accesscharity.ca/contests.htm.
Read the article online here.