Power Tools » students

Calling all Young Filmmakers!

caitied — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:27:21 +0000

HEY YOU! Interested in getting involved with the filmmaking biz? Presenting Our Vision (POV) is a registered charity, located in Toronto, dedicated to assisting economically disadvantaged youth gain the skills and experience needed to secure employment in film, television, and commercial production.

POV provides youth with three different programs to get involved in the biz; the Filmmaking Program, the Internship Program, and the Alumni Working Group. The Internship program provides students who have completed the Filmmaking Program with a 4 month PAID internship and the Alumni Workshop provides a youth-mentoring-youth experience for POV students who want to work on their own film projects.

In addition to learning business and technical skills, students also learn invaluable social skills: the teamwork required to be part of a crew, the importance of clear communication and reliability.

And POV has a brand new project in the works! Alongside Schools Without Borders and Manifesto Community Projects, this year’s students are creating a documentary on Manifesto’s live (and free!) hip-hop concert happening this September! Not only will this project support and help promote the POV’s program itself but it hopes to inspire youth culture and showcase urban living.

The heart of the film will celebrate the power of youth culture and the endless potential young people have when they collaborate. The doc will mix behind-the-scenes footage of Manifesto’s incredible undertaking of the festival, with footage of the festival itself – including its national breakdance competition, massive art exhibition, and free outdoor concert. The energy and the creativity of the arts events will be used to underscore these characteristics in the individuals who put this festival together and the youth movement at large.

But of course – doing all these amazing things could never be FREE – so the POV organization has enter into the Pepsi Refresh Project, in hopes of receiving a grant of $100,000 to help fund the project. They are currently in 24th place SO VOTE NOW and support the youth filmmaking movement!

Teens Becoming the Generation of Social Change

caitied — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:32:32 +0000

Mackenzie Investments is looking for Canada’s Top Teen Philanthropist!

The Mackenzie awards celebrate an entire generation of youth that are giving back, donating their time and money, and inspiring others to create change – not just change in a few years – change NOW!

Mackenzie Investments realized Canadian teens were a powerhouse of giving, after they commissoned a 2007 philanthropy survey (check it out) of Canadians aged 13-19 to measure their giving and volunteering beliefs, actions and trends.

The astounding key findings include:

1) 93% of Canadian teens have been involved in philanthropic activity

2) With their own money (ie from part time jobs or allowance) the 3 million teens in Canada donate an average of $293 a year, just below the $400 Canadian adults donate

3) On average teens raise $516 per year through fundraising efforts

4) 84% of teens donate at least 5 hours a year to charitable causes

THE AWARDS:

-The winner receives a prize of $5,000 to go to their charity of choice and $1,000 in cash for themselves, to help invest into their future.

-The five runners-ups receive $500 each for their charity of choice.

-The deadline for entries is in November, 2010.

Are you active in your community and interested in applying?! Celebrate all the great things you do – and help out your favorite charity at the same time! Check out guidelines and the application for the awards HERE

Check out the Winner and Runner-Up’s Profiles!

Generation We

caitied — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:08:05 +0000

Lisa Campbell Salazar

While youth are often portrayed in the media as apathetic and disengaged, the reality is that youth across Canada are taking action in their communities to make positive change. As you can see from our profiles on Get Involved, young people like Quinn Runkle, Amanda Belzowski, Bilaal Rajan and Ryan Hreljac are proving that Apathy is Boring and that youth do have the power to make change. They are not alone in their quest! There are hundreds of student activists sprouting up across the country. Youth activism ranges from grassroots collectives, to school clubs, to actual registered non-profit organizations like Schools Without Borders.

As youth are jumping to action, society at large is jumping for new language to label this new generation. Popular terms have popped up across the map; the Net Generation, Millennials, Generation Y… the list goes on! With labels come stereotypes of course. While popular stereotypes of youth as apathetic and lazy still prevail in the mainstream media, new headlines are breaking as this generation of youth that give us hope. According to recent articles youth have the highest volunteering rates of all demographics. There are many reasons for youth to volunteer, but when we asked our volunteers their main motivation is to create social change. Whether it’s raising money for schools in Africa, or lobbying municipal government, youth are working hard to be the change and transform their communities. According to Gen-We.com;

“Born between 1978 and 2000, they are 95 million strong, compared to 78 million Baby Boomers. They are independent—politically, socially, and philosophically—and they are spearheading a period of sweeping change in America and around the world.”

Generation We has taken off as a movement in Canada with Free the Children leading the pack. Free the Children works to create change in six difference countries raising money, building schools, and creating sustainable development to combat poverty. Founder Craig Kielburger was 12 years old when he started the organization, and currently 63% of donations come from children, teens and university students raising money. Their biggest event WeDay happens across Canada and features prominent activists, celebrities, politicians, and other important figures. Thousands of youth flock from across the country to attend and thousands more tune in online through CTV. Through organizations like Free the Children youth are creating change one village at a time. If you are interested in getting involved and don’t know where to start try finding a chapter at your local school or start your own! Free the Children also provides youth with a chance to volunteer abroad through Me to We with trips to places like India, Ecuador, China, Kenya and the Arizona-Mexico border. Get Involved today!

LetsStopAIDS Volunteer Yvonne

poth — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:17:22 +0000

Lisa Campbell Salazar

University of Guelph student Yvonne Su volunteers with LetsStopAIDS, a national youth-driven organization that works to share information, inspire action and create projects surrounding the issue of HIV/AIDS. Yvonne concern for both the environment with the fight against the spread of HIV brought her all the way to South Africa. “Our program was called Spread Trees, Not AIDS, and we did workshops about both HIV prevention and environmental health. The young people who participated were very receptive. They don’t have the resources we have for sexual health education, so they were never formally educated about these issues.” Not only did Yvonne spent her time doing workshops with South African youth, but also volunteered planting trees in the schoolyard nearby to provide both fruit and shade for the community. This December Yvonne will be traveling all the way to the UN Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen to be a climate change delegate. Be sure to catch her writing in the May 2008 issue of Youth Action Forum Magazine!

1.) Why did you decide to Get Involved?

I got involved because it felt natural to lend a hand to those in need- holding a door, joining in on school yard clean ups, donating to those down on their luck- they were all simple tasks that didn’t warrant a request. When I realized the magnitude of the global HIV and AIDS pandemic 4 years ago I knew I needed to do what I could to help so I volunteered with LetsStopAIDS… Working with LetsStopAIDS, I was empowered to help those in need by volunteering my time and energy. I became an HIV and AIDS peer educator and spent my time educating others so they could become peer educators as well. Together, we hope to equip youth with the knowledge and resources to live a safe and healthy life.

2.) How many hours do you devote to your cause a week?

10 hours a week

3.) Pick one word or a sentence that describes what volunteering means to you.

Volunteering is the foundation of community.

4.) Why is your cause so important to you?

Educating young people about HIV and AIDS is important to me because I believe every child has a right to a comprehensive sexual education. Youth need to be equipped with the knowledge and resources that can allow them to make safe sexual choices. In Canada we are lucky to have every possible resource available to learn about our sexual health. People in other countries are not as fortunate.

In Mtubatuba, South Africa, the township I spent my summer volunteering in, youth have limited to no access to information about sexual health and HIV. There is no internet, let alone computers or electricity. There is no library with books to borrow about the topic, little is said at school and young people are not allowed to date until they are 21 years old. In a place with such limited information and resources, misinformation and myths arise which gives way to the creation of stigma against people living with HIV.

Our time in Mtubatuba, gave us the opportunity to educate about sexual health and HIV and AIDS in a comprehensive and unconventional matter. It also allowed us to act as a resource for these youth by answering their many questions about sex and HIV. A women once told me, “No one told me about HIV and AIDS. No one told me what a condom was or how to use it. If only someone told me.” With LetsStopAIDS, I want to create a network of peer educators so they can be that someone for somebody and prevent the spread of HIV.

Youth Supporting Youth

Lisa Campbell Salazar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:48:00 +0000

Young people face a variety of stigma in society at large, yet they are still organizing to create supports for each other in order to lift as they climb. Youth-led organizations have blossomed as a growing trend as of late, as a number of new collectives and organizations have been supported through the Youth Challenge Fund, an initiative started by football player Pinball Clemens. Inspired by the power of youth organizing other foundations have started to adjust their grant application processes to be more youth friendly, and some foundations like Laidlaw have shifted their entire focus to youth organizing.

Some amazing initiatives have emerged out of these new funding structures which have led to new models of youth leadership and involvement. Young Diplomats were one of the original recipients of the Youth Challenge Fund and are a stunning example of the power of youth to make change and support each other. Young Diplomats emerged from a community-based research study done by the UN University for Peace in March 2006 which identified the emotional, cultural and identity issues faced by Ethiopian youth in the Greater Toronto Area.

Before Young Diplomats there were no community groups running Ethiopian-specific youth programs and as such the group has become a central hub for the community. Young Diplomats provides Ethiopian youth the opportunity to access inspiring community mentors, create youth-positive spaces and mobilize around important issues. Combining social, academic and career mentorship with fun opportunities like the annual YD Summer Leadership Camp, Young Diplomats reaches out to a variety of Ethiopian youth at different life stages to create a web of community support. To find out more about Young Diplomats check out their website and Facebook Group to see their latest projects and get inspired!

What’s New at Get Involved!

caitied — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:32:36 +0000

At Get Involved there are tons of volunteer opportunities that are constantly being posted. Here are some highlights of great opportunities posted this week:

Dignitas is looking for students to join their Dignitas Youth program to run advocacy events on campuses.

Aphasia Institute is looking for a volunteers to assist with aerobic and cardio exercise support classes for people who have suffered from strokes.

Well of Change is looking for people to help designing and implementing their corporate website.

Check out over 1000 more opportunities here! Also, let us know how you Get Involved through Twitter or by joining our Facebook Group.