OUR YEAR IN REVIEW
As we made our way through an unpredictable year, we are once again thankful for all the good that came from the collective support of the community to foster youth engagement. We’re released our 2020 Gratitude Report highlighting the work we have been able to achieve thanks to you.
Let’s take a look back at the incredible milestones that took place in 2020. Download our full report.
As virtual learning continues we know the importance of media and film production in schools and how critical the use of technology is in the digital age. Youth Active Media empowers youth by teaching them the art of filmmaking by creating short films about community issues that matter to them.
Youth Active Media ventured into a new space in 2020 by working with St. Francis Xavier High School Music Department. We worked with students on a music video around themes of students’ relationships with music in their lives. John Yemensky, a teacher at St. Francis Xavier shares his experience below.
In 2019-20, my Grade 10-12 Instrumental Music Class and I partnered with Youth Ottawa to conceive, plan and execute an event under the Artistic Mentorship Program. Youth Ottawa met with us once per week for eight weeks and guided the students through the entire process of putting on an elaborate event in our community. The students had to first decide what that event would be and then make it happen from the ground up including finding sponsors, finding a venue, enlisting performers, designing concert tickets, and devising methods for selling tickets. As students moved through this process, they had to learn the music they themselves were to perform, but of equal importance, they learned to interact with other musicians, venue managers, representatives from various charities, radio stations, and online ticket distributors – all of which was completely foreign to the students. Thus, the real world transferable skills they acquired prepared them for life outside the classroom, built character, confidence and determination, exposed them to the artistic community, and gave them an opportunity for growth yet unseen in their experience. I can think of no better example of deep learning.
Cut to 2020-21 and doing such a collaboration with Youth Ottawa was pandemically impossible. But when I asked Youth Ottawa about the possibility of collaborating with this year’s music class, the creative sparks flew! We were able to involve not just my one music class, but all of our music students as well as many professional musicians and music educators in our community. Through Youth Ottawa’s initiative, the students learned media literacy in numerous forms, promotional skills, creative skills such as songwriting and composition, photography, videography, and interpersonal skills. They confronted their fears to try things they had never done before developing character and moxy along the way – again, deep learning at its finest.
The students have a learning experience that they will remember for the rest of their lives and can draw upon that experience in all of their future endeavours. As a music teacher, I too have been able to expand my horizons. In the future, I can continue to put kids to work in similar ways, engaging students to take ownership of their music program by promoting it to peers and the next generation of students not just through video, but through all manners of promotion will be a staple for years to come. In short, our partnership with Youth Ottawa has provided students with opportunities rich in deep learning and set an innovative course for the future of the Music Program at St. Francis Xavier High School.
Sincerely,
John Yemensky
Students initiated an action project to raise awareness for housing insecurities related to COVID-19.
The students from Alexandra Woods’ grade 12 social science class at Adult High School have co-written a song with Juno-nominated Craig Cardiff and produced a music video with Youth Ottawa’s Jesse Card to bring awareness to the housing emergency in Ottawa and to the challenges individuals are facing due to COVID evictions.
The funding for the song and video workshops was provided by the OCDSB’s Experiential Learning department – OCDSBXL and the model for activism was adapted from the Active Citizenship Initiative – a civic engagement initiative created by Youth Ottawa.
Since the beginning of Covid 19 last Spring, we have worked to meet the shifting needs of 2SLGBTQ+ students, who face unique and often disproportionate barriers to equitable learning spaces. The pandemic has amplified many of these challenges- from social isolation to gender safety at school, systemic anti-Blackness and learning access needs, and so our programs have adjusted accordingly. Working closely alongside Sue Rice, OCDSB Equity Instructional Coach, and Kaedan Seburn, Trans and Gender Diverse Student Support Coordinator, we are coordinating a variety of events through the Rainbow Bridges Program aimed at supporting allied educators and students alike.
The Rainbow Bridges program – now fully digital – remains focused on its for-youth-by-youth model, wherein secondary students work alongside various GSA’s and equity clubs (gay-straight alliance or gender and sexuality alliance) to create short films aimed at welcoming incoming grade 9 students who will be entering high school (Check out this short video reel about the program). These short student films address a variety of topics related to diverse 2SLGBTQ+ life experiences, with the underlying message being one of support, from older students to younger students.
We’re excited to announce we’ll be showcasing the students films from last year’s Rainbow Bridges participants, along with some new surprises! The film festival will be streamed on the OCDSB Youtube Channel on Thursday November 19th at 7:00 PM. The link to access the film festival can be found below.
how you can help
Storytelling is kinda my thing.
You are part of my story. Let me tell you why!
I was the weird kid in school. I didn’t feel like I belonged. Ever.
Do you know this feeling?
When I was growing up, I was always interested in filmmaking, but I was never taken seriously. One day, when I was 16, my Mom came home with a flyer about the Youth Active Media (YAM) program at Youth Ottawa. The idea was to engage youth in the art of filmmaking through short films on community issues.
Wow! I couldn’t believe it! I had no idea Youth Ottawa was so incredible. But at first I was so nervous. You see … I have some anxiety. My Mom was patient and convinced me taking the risk to reach out was worth it! At the end of the first day of the program, I felt at home! Your commitment to Youth Ottawa made this kind of connection possible for me and so many of my friends.
My immediate comfort level with YAM lead me to a huge next step! I was so proud as I approached the coordinator at the time, Pixie, to ask if there were any job opportunities in the future. Can you imagine? I was so nervous and then … here I was taking this big next step.
Pixie happily gave me information on how to apply and I did. Guess what?!
Two months later, I started working as a facilitator for the YAM program. I also started to work on videography and editing. This lead to Hot Shoe Productions, a social enterprise that hires graduates from the Youth Active Media program to create powerful video products for clients.
And my story is not over!
I am concerned that other youth may not have these opportunities in the future.
That is why I am asking for you to consider supporting Youth Ottawa with a donation. Can you step up for young people?
Oh I don’t want to forget to tell you!
Because of the encouragement, provided by support from the community, when I graduated High School, I decided to study Film Production at Confederation College in Thunder Bay. Can you imagine?! This was a dream come true. But my story with Youth Ottawa was still not done. I learned a lot at college, but when I graduated, I was struggling to find steady work. I reached out to Youth Ottawa to ask if they would have any opportunities available and was lucky enough to be offered the opportunity to help facilitate the new YAM high school programs.
Youth Ottawa came through again!
Please consider a gift. There are so many youth looking for the happy ending to their story … please give generously.
Sincerely,
Ben Bergeron
Growing up, I never really knew what I wanted to be, it was a firefighter one day, or a doctor the next. I was sure about one thing and that was that I loved music.
Parents are always looking for the best opportunities for their children, so at the age of 13, I moved to Ottawa from Nigeria on my own. I have fond memories of Nigeria, most of them encompass music. I was 4 when I picked up my first guitar. I remember grabbing anything in sight (usually a fan of some sort) and I would sing pretending I was Usher.
After arriving in Canada I started school, performing in various bands, I even started my own. In grade 12 I had the tough decision of deciding what was next. I thought hard, going back to what truly inspired me. Although I was always passionate about music, everyone told me it wasn’t a successful career and I didn’t want to disappoint my parents by choosing a career that wasn’t “realistic.”
I decided to take the route of International Business at Carleton University. During my studies, I immersed myself in philosophy and started listening to motivational speakers and artists in the community. What intrigued me the most, were artists that relaid positive messages through their music. It’s at that time that I started focusing on writing and producing. Recording was the toughest part of it all, especially while I was studying. Not to mention the money it costs to rent a studio.
This is where the idea for WOKE studios immerged.
In the beginning, I just wanted to build a platform for young artists to come together, I didn’t want to have them struggle. I wanted to see them have support through their artistic journey. With the help of generous donors to Youth Ottawa, I’m now building a social enterprise that ensures support for young musicians.
Many artists do not feel supported enough or believe in themselves, they tend to lose interest in the art form that they love. I felt unsupported for many months until I was nominated by one of my teachers for a Spirit of the Capital Award presented by Youth Ottawa. This was the first time I was ever recognized for anything in music. The Youth Ottawa Award gave me the recognition that I needed to believe that I can achieve my dreams. It recognized that I was doing something good, that I can make a difference, and that a career path in music was a viable option.
There is more work to do.
I received another incredible opportunity. I was approached by Youth Ottawa to work under their Summer Employment Program. This life-changing program provided me with an opportunity to work and grow WOKE Studios. They offered business training, support and skills development. I am currently working on a Business Model Canvas. An Entrepreneur in Residence meets with me and has become a strong mentor for me.
This program is only available because of loyal donors like you.
I have gained the confidence and knowledge in business planning and the opportunity to become by own entrepreneur. I couldn’t have done that before – so thank YOU!
Will you give more youth a platform to do the same thing that Youth Ottawa did for me?
Thank you for your generosity and with your help more youth will be living our their dreams!
Sincerely,
Adbul Muse
In the summer of 2019, we piloted the Amplified Fellowship with funding from the City of Ottawa’s Community Economic Development Fund, the RBC Foundation, The Ottawa Community Foundation, and the Canada Summer Jobs Grant from ESDC.
Our Amplified Fellowship hires youth to do work for themselves throughout the summer. The participating youth take their pre-existing social innovation ideas and develop social enterprises to create long-term solutions to their identified “problem”. The idea is that the youth are able to gain tangible skills but also take their great ideas and sustainably transition them from a purely social innovation framework to a more sustainable social enterprise framework.
The program is designed to:
This summer we’re doing it again and welcoming 13 new young social innovators to the fellowship.
Our fellows represent some of the most inspiring grassroots community organizers across Ottawa whose social enterprises traverse social topics pertaining to urban arts and culture, empowering women of colour, Black excellence, working class tenant’s rights, haircuts for kids, and neurodiverse youth learners. Each of these community-empowering enterprises is led by somebody from the community, whose trusted leadership is a key element in the success of these projects.
These 13 youth will spend the summer with an entrepreneur-in-residence and the Youth Ottawa team building sustainability for their projects through a combination of one-on-one entrepreneur-in-residence consulting, business design workshops, and applied work on their projects.
Cuts for Kids promotes dignity by providing access to opportunities through connecting youth to tailored services – starting with a free haircut or style.
I am focused on increasing customer segments and strengthening the business case for Cuts for Kids. I am looking forward to mentoring the high school youth and receiving mentorship from the entrepreneur in residence. The EiR hours are the best way to move through business design.
The Herongate Tenant Coalition is an independent collective that campaigns for working class, marginalized tenant’s rights. In the last year, our collective has partnered with law students and professors from the University of Ottawa’s Law Practicum, as well as with local lawyers to create the Collective Justice Centre, which is our neighbourhood based free legal clinic, wherein folks can come access free legal aid they may require.
Through the Amplified Fellowship, I’m hoping to gain a deeper understanding of social enterprises, how they function, and how we can apply various pillars and aspects of the framework to our work at the Coalition.
We empower women of colour by providing them with accessible resources, leadership development, and a safe space to grow personally and professionally.
Applying human design principles to my initiative – Building a long-term strategic plan for my organization – Building a more sustainable and self-sufficient social enterprise – Creating paid opportunity for my volunteers.
Black Ottawa Xcellence (The BOX) is a platform which supports & promotes black folx that reside in Ottawa. One of our segments, known as The Youth Box, is a platform for determining the needs of youth and developing programs and strategies to address their needs. Uplifting and providing beneficial services for youth will be our highest priority to contribute and foster the growth of today’s youth.
The BOX is seeking support from this fellowship when it comes to the organizational side of our initiative, in addition to creating key patterns, specifically folx involved in youth work in the city, for future collaborations. Each workshop has changed my perspective on a variety of different concepts I had intended to implement in my initiative. With this in mind, I am excited for the growth that will come from being presented with new information.
I hope to learn skills to build Ally Squared sustainably by building a human-centred design, access financial resources, and build a network of young social entrepreneurs who support one another.
Createpreneur is a social enterprise focused on developing neuro diverse youth’ skill sets for university and workplace success through action-oriented learning. Our mission is to tap into the hidden potential of neurodiverse youth in society and to enhance the value that they bring in leadership roles.
What I am most excited for is the Social Enterprise Development workshops and learning how to integrate Design Thinking within my own social impact initiative. I look forward to meeting and working alongside some of Ottawa’s brightest, most engaged young people who are passionate about making this city more youth-friendly for all to thrive.
Hot Shoe Productions provides affordable, professional video services for community organizations while helping local communities grow by providing employment opportunities for youth in the media industry.
Our biggest challenge when it comes to Hot Shoe Productions is finding new client segments that provide consistent, profitable work. We are looking forward to learning more about business and managing a social enterprise.
The RBC Spirit Awards is an annual event that celebrates the extraordinary accomplishments of youth who are making our community, and the world a better place. The event itself is a complete celebration of young people.
Our audience is introduced to an exceptional group of youth who encourage and motivate others, who demonstrate outstanding initiative and creativity, and who have overcome tremendous adversity through their passion for life.
We have the honour and privilege of sharing their incredible stories, passion, and dedication with our guests, in hopes of inspiring others to step up and make a difference in their own communities.
Kat MacDonald is an artist who grew up with undiagnosed ADHD and anxiety. By age 12 she developed an eating disorder and became depressed. Since seeking treatment at CHEO she has been working on an art project designing graphics with the Eastern Ottawa Resource Centre where she leads a team of students in making skateboards to donate to high-needs youth in the region. She’s an active volunteer in her community, planting gardens and cleaning courtyards. To bring awareness to the struggles of managing eating disorders she has partnered with CHEO to create a documentary where she will be doing the filming and editing and sharing her personal story. She will be attending the University of Ottawa’s Bachelor of Fine Arts program in the fall as she continues to run her own art enterprise, doing commissions and fundraising for her community.
Solomon Schafer is a youth poet who has released a self-published chapbook and is active in Ottawa’s spoken word community. He is a member of Urban Legends Poetry Collective’s executive committee and has represented Ottawa’s slam poetry team at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word. Solomon aspires to create a spoken word festival for high school students to express themselves and step into their power as youth within a safe and intersectional community-oriented space that centres slam poetry’s cultural roots in oral traditions of Black and Indigenous peoples. He is driven by a belief in the power of poetry to be a positive force in the lives of youth, drawing on his personal experience with poetry as a means to process and navigate life events such as coming out as queer and dealing with the passing of a friend. Solomon is also involved with Youth Speak, a youth writing workshop held in partnership with the Ottawa Public Library and was a co-director of the 2020 Victorious Voices Youth Spoken Word Festival.
Emma is an inspiration and positive role model for her entire community. She is a grade 10 student at St. Matthew Catholic High School and is currently battling Leukemia. Her inspiration and sense of community goes beyond the classroom. She is a member of both the CN Cycle for CHEO dream team and RISE where she dedicates countless hours spreading positivity through acts of kindness. She also led her school’s anti-bullying campaign. Emma’s cancer treatments have caused major damages in her joints making it difficult for her to get out of bed in the morning. Through all of her obstacles, Emma attends school with a smile on her face. She refuses to use any physical or emotional distress as a barrier to her academic success.
Lyshawn is a remarkable student who shows positive leadership in and outside of the classroom. He is the assistant coach for the junior touch football team, works part-time and is a role model to younger generations of at-risk youth. Although Lyshawn is excelling both in sports and in his academics this was not always the case. He arrived in Ottawa on his own from Montreal leaving his mother and siblings behind in hopes of a better future. He was raised in a single-parent household where they struggled financially causing him to make bad decisions and ultimately leading to trouble with the law. Lyshawn was determined to succeed and committed himself to his studies, not using his past as a limitation to prevent him from achieving his goals. Lyshawn has changed his life around, he will be attending Cegep next year with a full scholarship. In the future, Lyshawn hopes to share his story in the hopes of inspiring other youth to get off the streets and make a future for themselves.
Annie Zhang is a charismatic student, public speaker, recipient of the Lieutenant Governor’s Community Volunteer Award and the founder of Project Tech Conferences – a student-run nonprofit organization that provides opportunities for high school and middle school students across Ottawa, Kingston and Waterloo to learn about computer science. PTC provides an interactive introduction to STEM through inspirational speakers, workshops and career development sessions. Inspired to make a difference in a traditionally male-dominated field, Annie has focused on empowering women and girls in discovering the world of technology
Inspired by the story of a cancer survivor who feared developing an autoimmune disease, Bhavya Mohan found his calling in cancer research at the age of 11. Since then, under the wing of research mentors at Ottawa’s universities, he has dedicated himself in designing, developing and testing a novel solution to improve the body’s ability to naturally detect cancer cells and eliminate them. He believes that aptamers could provide a cheaper, safer and more effective alternative to traditional cancer immunotherapy. Bhavya’s work stands as an inspiration to students interested in scientific research and he hopes to instil hope among cancer patients everywhere with the message that the youth of today are capable of changing the world of medicine.
Dahlia struggles with health challenges, and yet is still extremely philanthropic and generous. She helps out with a support group at CHEO, mentors grade 9 students, and worked closely with her Rabbi to create the first-ever advanced classes in Jewish studies at Torah High. Dahlia participated in a summer educational trip to Israel for a month and intends to continue her studies in social work, working with other folks struggling with health issues, as she knows the hardship. She also created a video that is shown at universities to medical school grads called “dear medical students from patients.” During the pandemic months she has created a program to bring letters to patients in the hospital to bring them joy, because they can’t have visitors.
Despite the loss of her mother, Frances has persevered and has found the time to not only continue her high school education, but create the first-ever Indigenous Awareness Week at her school, to which she faced a massive reprisal from admin in the form of a potential lawsuit and repeated racism. Frances is a valuable member of her community, as her passion for Indigenous culture and justice encourages her to support other youth, and amplify local powwows and Indigenous gatherings to promote reconciliation.
At 16 and by herself, Ketnia made a new life for herself in Canada after leaving Haiti. Although she lived in a shelter and reportedly faced a multitude of traumatizing experiences, Ketnia not only excelled in her education, but made time to volunteer with various organizations and groups, including registering as a volunteer to work with newcomers to Canada. Ketnia currently manages the Saddlebags Project, designed to give toiletries and necessities to young women living on the streets. Ketnia intends to become a social worker and build support groups for struggling folks, as well as becoming a spokesperson for immigrant women who have experienced sexual assault.
Emma Grenier is a student, social activist, visual artist and stage and show technician. Being autistic and part of the 2SLGBTQ + community they constantly fights to defend 2SLGBTQ + rights and the social acceptance of their community in addition to supporting causes that are dear to their heart such as education, la Francophonie and eco-sustainability. Emma also collaborated on the creation of an Instagram account with more than 20,000 subscribers that provided a safe space for young people in the 2SLGBTQ + community so that they could feel less isolated. Emma is a symbol of strength, both at school and in the community. Despite their autism, their learning difficulties and despite the fact that they belongs to a non-visible minority, Emma continues to persevere and assert themselves according to their personal beliefs. This strength allowed them to be an active member of several community groups where they left their mark, even at the age of 16.
Emran Alnahhas is a translational and molecular medicine student, refugee, devoted brother and changemaker. Inspired by the devastating physical effects of down syndrome on his sister, he strives for a career in pediatric medicine. And while his abrupt relocation to Canada has disrupted his studies, it has not slowed down his pursuit. While working as a student researcher at the Faculty of Medicine, Emran has overcome tremendous adversity and displayed resilience by maintaining a high academic standing while supporting his family and sister as her primary caregiver. Founder of the uOttawa Epilepsy Society, Emran aims to financially assist and advocate for support from the international scientific community for Canadians suffering from the disorder. Empowered by his personal experience as a refugee, he co-founded the Catalysts Canada program following a commitment to ease the transition for newcomers, promote social justice issues on a broader level and engage marginalized high school refugee students with access to opportunities and supportive pathways into STEM.
Jason Seguya is a student leader, activist and former Student Life Commissioner of the University of Ottawa Students’ Union. He is a devoted member of the uOttawa community who has demonstrated leadership in raising awareness of issues and creating spaces of celebration of black, indigenous and racialized students. With the support of a coalition of student and professor groups, Jason campaigned for transparency, accountability, consultation and staff training as a member of the uOttawa President’s Advisory Committee for an Anti-Racist and Inclusive Campus. He has dedicated himself to challenging discrimination and increasing accessibility on campus – always accompanied by kindness and a dashing smile.
Immaculate is a passionate student and community mobilizer who helped start the first Black Excellence Club at her high school. She was inspired to start this club after an incident at her school where youth of colour were not being allowed to wear head wraps to represent their cultures and backgrounds at school. She decided to take a stand and got a group of friends together to all wear their head wraps at school the next day to show the teachers that they should be allowed and will wear headwraps to school to showcase their heritage. Immaculate explained that she felt it was important to her culture to fight against that systemic oppression of her culture and to take a stand to demonstrate to the school what it meant to her and her classmates that they be able to wear their head wraps if they want to.
Kyrstin is a passionate and caring young woman and proud band member of the Algonquins of Kitigan Zibi. She has taken part in sacred walks to protect the water, spoken on Parliament Hill about climate justice and human rights, she has worked with schools, organizations and churches such as OCDSB, CAS, the child welfare league, UNICEF Canada, the Kitchissippi church as well as the Woodroffe church and while she is currently completing her high school education at Urban Aboriginal she works as a strong role model for other students who have fallen through the cracks of mainstream colonial education systems. She is an advocate, an aspiring future social worker, and a mentor to her family and community alike. In her own words, Kyrstin’s goal is to “use westernize education as well as cultural knowledge to help heal myself and my community “
Mashkura arrived in Canada with little ability to speak English and faced a lot of barriers in her adolescence. With the help of her parents, Mashkura persevered through her personal and academic challenges and has been recognized by the community and her peers for her kindness and support. She participates in countless volunteering programs such as helping at a local daycare, tutoring English and Math to students, and helping with engaging activities for senior citizens. After working with the United Nations Associations in Canada, Mashkura started her own initiative to combat the Sustainable Development Goals and help her community become more eco-friendly.
Teslock Luk is a dedicated grade 12 student at Notre Dame High School who has become a role model for his peers through his positive contributions to the Notre Dame Community. He is part of the Canada Topflight Academy, a preparatory program for basketball, he facilitates workshops for Young Men Leading Change, a program that brings young men together to advocate and work towards ending gender-based violence and Youth Connections Ottawa, a suicide prevention program that builds on student’s strengths. In addition to his extensive involvement within the community, he also mentors grade 8 male at-risk students. Tesloch exudes kindness, compassion and is relentless in his journey to make a difference. He is respected by his peers, teammates and teacher for his constant commitment to helping others.
In 2019, Youth Ottawa partnered with the Ottawa Carleton District School Board to offer Rainbow Bridges in participating schools across Ottawa. Rainbow Bridges is an experiential program that works with high school students involved with the school’s GSA (gay-straight alliance or gender and sexuality alliance) to innovate new ways of creating safer schools.
To celebrate the end of Pride Month we want to shine light on the programs successful first year! Youth Ottawa and the OCDSB created a short video reel showcasing the partnership and goals of the program.
The goal of this unique program is to welcome incoming grade 9 students who will be entering high school by sharing content and support from current senior level high school students. This youth mentorship program advocates for 2SLGBTQ+ students at all levels of the school experience – from the classroom into the staff room and into the community.
In spite of the challenges 2020 brought, our students continued to amaze us by shifting their projects into an online format. We ran numerous workshops about 2SLGBTQ+ equity and peer support to set the stage for the process of creating meaningful art to share with these incoming students. The result is a series of beautiful films wherein youth offer advice and encouragement to younger students as they prepare to navigate new educational spaces.
As a way to jump start the new school year in September, we will host a virtual film festival where all student films from the Rainbow Bridges project will be screened and celebrated. Announcements will be made this summer, so keep your eyes posted.
We are extending our bridge in September and welcoming new schools to register for the program. If you are interested in extending the rainbow over to your school, staff and students please fill out the form below and our Youth Ottawa coordinator will be in touch!
