Archive for the ‘News’ Category

On Friday, January 9^th youth all over the GTA gathered at the Rogers Center for the 2015 Jays Care Foundation Amateur Baseball Clinic.  Thanks to our great friends at TD Bank, SBL youth enjoyed an evening of relationship building and discovery.

This opportunity incorporated many of the key elements in line with SBL’s mandate , including exposure of both the city and new activities and a space for relationship building. Students were given the opportunity to learn baseball fundamentals, explore the Blue Jays facilities all while having a blast!

“It was a great day. We got to do many different things. I’ve never played baseball before and I got to learn about it.”

-Haji Shee- Grade 9

The jays clinic was an amazing experience because i got to learn the fundamentals and techniques of playing baseball and got great advice from experienced players 😀

–Malik Mude- Grade 10

It was refreshing for the youth to practice baseball while leaving their comfort zone-Samuel Boakye- SBL Staff

Having the opportunity to explore arenas outside of Jane and Finch and doing so with their peers was an experience they will never forget!

If you know SBL, you know Toota – our After School Supervisor.  From running our programming after school and playing a lead role in our summer program, to partnering with and supporting many initiatives across Westview, she has played an important role in the presence of SBL at Westview.

We wanted to share with you that this will be her last week as the After School Supervisor, as she is going back to school for Human Resource Management at Seneca College.   We are sad to see her go, but happy for her in this important step that she is taking.

She will still be working with SBL on a part-time basis as our Organizational Administrator, but her regular presence in ALL aspects of our programming and space will be deeply missed.

For all inquiries related to our After School Program, please contact Shanaz Ali (s.ali@successbl.com).  They have been working closely together running the program, so the transition should be a smooth one!

Presila Mason is a young African Canadian woman with lots of ambition and the will to do better. She grew up in the Jane – Finch community and knows how the negative stereo types of the community can be internalized by youth usually leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy. Presila remembers what she was like prior to her interaction with SBL of which she believed that she had to be rowdy and loud. However, today Presila is proud to say that she has matured tremendously from a person who had a don’t care attitude, to a young woman who wants to be a dedicated mentor for the SBL organization with the intention of giving back to her community. Presila feels SBL is invaluable to the community as the organization promotes a friendly but impactful space, which helps Jane-Finch youth develop an interest to be mentors for their community. After admitting that being around SBL staff has made her eager to get involved and serve young people.

As Presila has visions of one day becoming a prestigious lawyer, she encourages her peers to be and do better with their current situation. Finally, Presila highlights how SBL has helped her become more approachable, open minded, and willing to learn something new, while stepping out of her comfort zone. SBL commends her independent attitude and wishes nothing but the best for her, GO Presila!

Corrie Calliste is an intelligent African Canadian woman who is a vigorous athlete at Westview Centennial. Corrie is a powerful example of the reality of how student needs are diverse, and not every student is engaged in the same manner; as the needs of students must be intentionally considered when attempting to ensure their success. Corrie recalls that she was a shy and quiet person who was not doing well in school prior to her path crossing SBL’s. The lack of student engagement in the education system seemed to be something that immensely affected Corrie growing up in her middle school phase of the education system. Corrie being part of the summer program had been exposed to a more engaging atmosphere which has proven to be the catalyst to her having an enjoyable and successful high school experience. Currently in grade 10, Corrie recognizes that she has grown tremendously from a girl who was not interested in school to a young woman who takes pride in her educational experience as well as her performance. Corrie plans to study medicine with the intentions of being a medical doctor. SBL recognizes and encourages Corrie’s growth and cheering her on to keep on going! GO Corrie!

A passionate teacher who strived to make a difference in his community, Abshir Hassan was a hard-working and caring individual well known and admired for his work with youth.  As a dedicated student Abshir earned his undergraduate degree in psychology from York’s Faculty of Health and then his Bachelor of Education degree from York’s Faculty of Education. At the time of his death, Abshir was working on his MEd, with plans to pursue his PhD at York.

Abshir taught in several local schools where he was a role model, leader and mentor to his students. He also mentored students as a volunteer in after-school programs with Success Beyond Limits and made a point to let students in the community know the value of education and continuous learning.

The Abshir Hassan Undergraduate Entrance Award for Excellence in Community Service and The Abshir Hassan Graduate Award for Excellence in Community Service are two ways that Abshir’s legacy will continue to inspire students and make positive change in their communities.

Go to the link below to make a contribution that will see young people with a commitment to community and passion for education carry-on the work that was so important to him.

http://www.forabshir.ca/

SBL is now hiring a student support and program assistant. The application deadline is January 4th 2015. See link below!

Student Support and Program Assistant – Jan 4 2015

The Helping Neighbourhoods Implement Change (HNIC) held the glamorous Ball Masquerade Dinner on November 22nd that was kept at Oakdale Golf Country Club. The gathering was a semi-formal event that brought together some of Toronto’s unique talents from well – known personalities like Francis Atta author /spoken word artist, Kofi Frempong Afro-art- producer and the illustrious Latoya Forever up and coming Youtube reality star. The purpose of the event was to aid the HNIC initiative, raise funds and keep rolling out some of their innovative programming. Chris Blackwood, Rayon Brown and Harpret Gill are the dedicated members of the HNIC group who not only ensured the event was a reality but continually spear head programming for youth in the community.

Success beyond Limits commends and supports HNIC’s drive to do hard-work that brings our young people together in positive ways as this type of work thrives off collaboration and bringing communities together. HNIC is doing great things and should continue to be an example of what it means to collaborate and work with others in the community.

On Wednesday November 5^th the Art Gallery of York University (AGYU) and Success Beyond Limits youth were awarded the Ontario Association of Art Galleries 2014 Education Award for If We Ruled the World: Creating an Urban Spatial Imaginary, a multidisciplinary art education program.

Mentored and led by spoken word artists, the M.A.D. Poet (aka Melissa A. Dean), visual artist and graphic designer Mark “Kurupt” Stoddart and emerging filmmaker Chevy X King, the youth engaged in a five-month program where they developed art in the spoken, written and visual form.

If We Ruled the World was a groundbreaking program marking the third year that the AGYU has collaborated with Success Beyond Limits. Through this program, the youth created visual and written artwork that expressed their individual experiences. While the students did a great deal of self-reflection to produce a library of artwork, they collaborated to produce a song entitled “If we ruled the world” where each student illustrated their thoughts on their community, showcasing both it’s beauty and teachings. Students explored their artistic potential while unpacking their ideas of self, their experiences and goals.

Princess is a former Westview student wrapping up her high school journey by upgrading her credits at night school. 2012 was the year Princess was introduced to Success Beyond Limits by a friend who had been a part of the family for quite some time. After claims of her personal struggles with attitude, Princess was empowered to explore aspects of her character that were both negative and positive. Through the organization, Princess was able to work closely with the staff who recognized her raw potential. When asked what she learned through the organization Princess asserted that she had a platform to express her social concerns for community as well as showcase her passion to explore the arts. Princess also revealed that through the mentorship of staff, she was able to come to a more balanced place with her love and respect for herself.

Overall, Princess appreciates the love the staff shows through the roles they play and how they’ve helped her overcome her own personal ignorance. As a young woman who played a key role as a mentor, Princess also acknowledges the evident work experiences gained just by being a part of the organization; transferable skills like public speaking, working with youth and coordinating events were just some of the skills that Princess garnered. As an aspiring Post-Secondary student Princess learnt through SBL that she would like to become an educator following the “Each One Teach One” model. Despite her past challenges Princess is trailblazing a path of leadership for young women to respect and follow which is a quality of hers that is invaluable to the organization. Go Princess!