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January Focus: Sketch
By John French
When you take the time to think about solving the poverty issue in Canada, what do you think about? Donating money perhaps, or offering up your time to help out at a local shelter. Often times these solutions feel temporary and fleeting. Poverty doesn't disappear over night.
Sketch is a Toronto-based organization helping youth who are either homeless or street involved find a sense of purpose. By supplying youth with the means and materials to create art, Sketch is working to solve the poverty issue from a different angle.
Art offers individuals an opportunity to express themselves, learn how new skills and if they seek to self their art it also gives them the chance to learn basic business fundamentals. Sketch helps to set the stage for all of this. Sketch was officially recognized as a nonprofit organization in January of 2002. Since then they've been operating with eight core values that they hope to impart on others: the diversity and common humanity of people, creativity the arts and the art-making process, the power of narrative, youth participation and leadership, community, quality of excellence & innovation in our work, a healthy and positive work environment and the story of Sketch.
For more information on Sketch, including how to get involved head to www.sketch.ca or call 416-516-1559.
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December Focus: UrbanEx
By John French
Whether you like to think about it or not, there are people in communities all over the world who don't have the same luxuries as the rest of us. We don't all have the security of a family or a paycheck to count on week after week.
There are unfortunately large segments of our society that go ignored and vilified. UrbanEx is a Toronto-based social awareness and innovation organization seeking to take individuals and groups on excursions they will never forget.
Founded by Em Johnson in 1998 UrbanEx is looking to change the way we look at ourselves and society. Em, along with Co-Director Alan Waugh lead groups on week long journeys into the heart of homelessness, poverty, the sex trade, addictions and discrimination. Throughout the week individuals are encouraged to step outside of their comfort zone and interact with the world that coexists along side our own. In a series of personal experiences and sharing individuals on the excursions begin to re-sensitize themselves to the world they live in.
John Corbin, a teacher at Abbey Park High School in Oakville had this to say about a speaking engagement that UrbanEx held. “Em and Alan provided fantastic well-rounded discussion that included stories, highly engaging Q & A sessions, as well as impassioned discussions. This created an environment of equality and sharing that Em and Alan used to communicate. It also allowed them to share moving stories which, I can attest to, resonated in my classroom discussions for months afterwards.
Rather than just deliver the facts, Em and Alan used their work (and personal stories) as a launching pad to engage students, challenging them to consider the potential personal applications from the discussions. The positive effects of this were seen far beyond those two days. They are incredibly versatile speakers and would be valuable in a wide variety of arenas because of their ability to engage their audience.”
It's clear that UrbanEx makes connections both internally and externally that will last a lifetime. Em and Alan run a series of exercises an debriefings during the week to help give context to the stories and experiences they've been exposed to. UrbanEx is out to "Change the world by changing you".
Contact UrbanEx at info@urbanex.org or visit their website at urbanex.org to hear for yourself the testimonials from people who've had their lives changed.
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