Power Tools

A resource for change makers and hour counters! Look here for tools and tips from Power of the Hour, Get Involved, and Volunteer Canada.

Great Inspiration in the face of Adversary

colette bourgonje

Olympic athletes inspire us – they show us the true beauty, and the potential of the human body. The Olympics are grueling mentally and physically, but what if your body didn’t respond as fast? Imagine that walking down the stairs takes every once of energy of you have. Or imagine relying only on the smells, sounds around you to see. Now imagine, throwing yourself down an icy hill. Crazy? Hardly – it’s just the mentality of a paralympic athlete.

Go Public with local televison

Go Public CampaignTVO is changing the face, and the name of the “idiot box”. TVO has proven time and time again that public television can be a powerful force for good. It fosters literacy, celebrates diversity, and brings communities together and inspires them. Unfortunately, it’s tough times for TVO, as they need $10 million dollars annually, to continue and expand their initiatives.

Dec 2009
01

Generation We

Generation We

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.

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Nov 2009
29

Be a Global Youth Leader Today

Young Leaders

At the 2009 aids2031 Young Leaders Summit in Oslo, Norway, Hopes Voice International filmed a short video in partnership with the Royal Palace Norway and aids2031 on why enabling young leadership is crucial for the current and future AIDS response. TakingITGlobal Executive Director Jennifer Corriero joined youth leaders from around the world shared inspiring messages of hope and determination letting the world know what motivates them to get involved.

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Nov 2009
29

Beautifulcity.ca Volunteer Sedina

Sedina Fiati

“Support of art and youth is a major part of the work I do. As a local independent artist, we need support to continue to our work which sometimes goes unnoticed by the general public. If we can bring attention to our art and continue to push that corporations who use art as a medium to sell products, give back and allow art for arts sake, we can continue to create art that the public sees and connects to.”

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Nov 2009
29

LetsStopAIDS Volunteer Yvonne

Yvonne Su in South Africa“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.”

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Nov 2009
29

Volunteer sector surging

With unemployment soaring across the continent, reports from the United States show a surge in the volunteer sector, especially among young graduates.

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Nov 2009
26

Youth Supporting Youth

Young Diplomats

While youth face constant stigma in society at large 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, and 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.

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