Student Highlight: Salman Baksh  Salman is a rapper who has been involved with the Hip Hop Away From Violence Program at John Fraser Secondary School since grade 9. Now in grade 12, Salman is taking his talent farther than ever before. He is now preparing his applications for University and is determined to keep up his 85% average, an average that he never believed he could achieve. Click here to read the full testimonial written by Salman.
In 2007, UNITY held 5 assemblies. In 2008, UNITY held 11 assemblies and tested 5 workshops. Today, we are preparing to hold 18 assemblies and workshops in every participating school.
On October 3rd, student performers from Sir Wilfred Laurier Collegiate Institute made UNITY history by performing at their old junior high school, Jack Miner Senior Public School. This was UNITY’s first Jr. High School show, and the response from the grade seven and eight students was phenomenal. We plan to continue providing meaningful follow up for past program participants.
If you have any Jr. High School contacts, please contact us. UNITY High Schools for 2008 – 2009 Please let us know if there is a particular school that you would like to get involved with: sponsor a school, volunteer or attend a show!
York Region: Brother Andre CHS, CW Williams HS, Thornlea SS, Langstaff SS
Peel Region: Harold M Brathwaite SS, John Fraser SS, Sandalwood Heights SS
Toronto: Stephen Leacock CI, Don Mills CI, Westhill CI, Agincourt CI, North Albion CI, Cedarbrae CI, Wexford CI, Brebeuf College School, Marc Garneau CI
Guelph: John F. Ross CVI
Training Our Performers and workshop coordinators In September 2008, UNITY held it’s first performer and workshop coordinator training seminar. The seminar truly helped our performers and workshop coordinators rethink ways they can best inspire youth. A special thanks goes out to Anne Marie Woods for running a great seminar!
UNITY has successfully completed their documentary promo video. The full documentary will be launched in the New Year. Special thanks to JSD Productions for their dedication and hard work.
Click here to see what we do for the Hip Hop Away From Violence program.
New Hip Hop Away From Violence Materials For the 2008 – 2009 school year, UNITY has created new Student and Teacher Resource Manuals as well as a new Assembly DVD. We hope to continue making new materials to get the students excited and inspired.
In November, UNITY recieved a great amount of financial support in our first ever fundraising push, even in light of the tough world economic situation. Between September and November 2008, UNITY confirmed over $70,000 through donations and grants. We received a significant grant from the Laidlaw Foundation of $39,925, a great launch to the holiday season!
UNITY had tremendous success from the November parlor meetings. We managed to raise $9000 through the support of our generous donors. Click here to see the list of donors from November and December. We would like to thank Gluskin Sheff and Associates, Burgundy Asset Management, and Augusta Holdings for donating their offices to hold the parlor meetings. If you would like to host a parlor meeting of your own, please contact us. With the speed of UNITY’s growth, we are in need of funding to develop a sustainable infrastructure, and to inspire even more youth. UNITY’s goal is to develop a $100,000 foundation through a founding pool of donors called "Angel Social Investors". Throughout the month of November, UNITY was in search of "Angel Social Investors". Each "Angel" generously donated $5,000 each to help us reach our goal of $100,000.
Special Thanks to UNITY’s Angel Social Investors:
• Ira Gluskin
• Richard Rooney
• Stephen Diamond
• Gary Prosserman
• Ron Prosserman
• Birch Hill
Volunteer Highlight: Abhi Yogasegaran  Abhi is a student at York University who has volunteered with UNITY since 2006. She began by donating her time with event planning at York University. Today, Abhi has signed up her old high school, Cedarbrae CI, for the Hip Hop Away From Violence program, and is planning to both perform and speak at their assembly. We are excited and proud to see another UNITY volunteer taking the initiative to make a real difference in their community. Performer Highlight: Andel James (a.k.a. Bboy Handelz)  Andel is a breakdancer who has worked with UNITY since its inception. He both performs at UNITY assemblies and facilitates breakdance workshops. After working with UNITY, Andel was inspired to find more ways to reach out to communities. He is currently teaching breakdancing and Hip-Hop culture to youth in Nunavut through the Blue Print for Life “Social Work Through Hip-Hop” program. We are thrilled to be able to guide artists like Andel to use their talent and passion to inspire and help others in a positive way. We would like to thank Augusta Holdings for graciously donating an office space to UNITY. Our new office is located at 30 St. Clair Ave. W, Suite 1205.
It's official… UNITY is a Charity! On December 11th, 2008 we received a package from the CRA containing our charitable status! This number is the launch to bigger and better things for UNITY. With an official charitable status, UNITY will be eligible to apply for larger private, public and corporate foundations. Also, we can now officially accept donations directly made out to "Urban Non-violent Initiatives Through Youth (UNITY)". It's only up from here!
How YOU C≠an Make a Difference 2) VOLUNTEER
Volunteer: University internships & High School Co-op Placements We are currently looking for young people who want experience working with a non-profit organization. Please contact us if you are interested in volunteering with us. University Chapters: York, Ryerson & U of T In September, UNITY launched the new Ryerson and University of Toronto chapters to join York University in spreading UNITY on Toronto Campuses. By recruiting volunteers at the university level, UNITY will always remain a youth led organization. If you or someone you know are interested in joining one of our university chapters, please contact us. |
