THE LOVE MODEL How LOVE Works
To find out more about how you can get involved flip to the back of this magazine, or visit our website www.leaveoutviolence.org
LOVE Magazine D E SI G NER / ED I TO R SeantaĂŠ Nicholls snichollsphotography@gmail.com Twitter: @s_n_photograph Instagram: @s_n_photography Website: www.seantaenichollsphotography.com
LO V E O N TA R I O S TA FF E xe cutive Dire c tor
LOVE
L ana Feins tein
lana@leave out v io lence.org
believes youth are Pro gr am Dire c tor Steve D ’Alim onte the key to ending youth violence in our s teve @leave out v io lence.org communities. Across Canada, in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax, Pro gr am Co ordinator Ter rence Ro drigue z LOVE works to reduce violence in the lives of youth and our communities by ter rence @leave out v io lence.org building a team of youth leaders who communicate a message of non-viPro gr am Facilit ator Ar ys Allen - M cPh er s on olence. Leave Out Violence (LOVE) ar ys@leave out v io lence.org provides media-arts and leadership training programs to youth who have Communit y O ureach J e f f Rouls ton been victims, perpetrators or witnesses Facilit ator to the many forms of violence includje f f@leave out v io lence.org ing: gangs, domestic violence, racism, bullying, drugs, weapons and self-harm. Ker r y R iordan D eve lopm ent & We enable youth to be meaningfully Communic ations M anager engaged in violence prevention and ker r y@leave out v io lence.org community safety. The result is creating safer schools and neighbourhoods. M arke ting & Event s J os ep h Avak ian O f f icer Since 1993, our programs have made a difference in the lives of thousands of jos ep h @leave out v io lence.org young people across Canada. LOVE programs help young people H OW TO R E ACH US overcome adversity and become successful through positive engagement, 3130 Bathurst St. #202, Toronto ON M6A 2A1 skill based learning and giving back PH O NE NUM B ER to their communities. We believe that 416 -785 - 8 411 every young person can make positive EM AIL changes in their own lives when offered toronto @leave out v io lence.org WEBSI T E support and opportunity. ht tp: //ontario. leave out violence.org
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Contents
Ph oto: Shaw nt ay R os e, H ali f a x
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LOVE Leadership Camp LOVE’s Leadership Camp brings together youth from across the country to form a “national community” of like-minded peers to work towards ending violence in their communities. LOVE Leadership Camp has always been a ‘safe space’ for youth leaders to form friendships, develop coping mechanisms and learn important life skills. Camp gives youth the opportunity to learn and grow to better communicate the message of non-violence when they return to their communities.
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Contents
Front & Back Cover By : Tress I., Toronto
Wh at ’s Th e Word pg.8 Tress I. pg.15 Valerie C. pg.21 Kwaku A.
Ph oto: N o ah , 16 , To ro nto
pg.6 Designer and Editor’s Letter
pg.7 The LOVE Story pg.16 & 30 Artist Corner
pg.18
LOVE Donors & Board Members
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pg.
18SheWhoStruggles
Excerpt from former LOVE youth, Jade Helena’s autobiography
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Pro gra m s
Contents
pg.9 Media Arts Program pg.10 Q-MAP pg.11 Leadership pg.12 Engaging New Alternatives pg.14 Youth Justice
Ph oto: R o nni e, 17, To ro nto
Eve nt s pg.27 LOVE & Basketball pg.28 Eat. Art. LOVE
pg.29 #RedDotSafeSpot Ph oto: S eant a e, 21, To ro nto
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DE SI G N ER /EDITOR’S LE T TER
I
Creative Mind, Creative Output
never thought that I would have the oppertunity to be designing the LOVE Magazine or even a magazine in general. I never thought a lot of things in life would happen, but they did. That’s just how life works sometimes; you never know what’s coming your way until its right there in front of you. That’s what happened to me but it was more hitting me in the face many times, telling me to apply for the job until I finally did. First I would like to thank Terrence, LOVE’s Program Coordinator for being the push I needed to do this. Without that push I would have spent my whole summer doing nothing and never finding out what I’m capable of. I went from having some of my work in the first addition of the LOVE magazine to making the second one and I couldn’t be happier. This magazine was a lot of work, but I had a vision that I really wanted to complete. Not a vision that only included myself, but that included everyone. My goal was to showcase the talents of the youth in this program. Many of the youth within LOVE are so talented but aren’t noticed. Most of all I wanted to showcase LOVE. This organization is like a little kept secret in the community. People don’t always see the great things that are happening within LOVE. We have alumni who are out there doing their own thing but also come to help out and work on amazing projects at LOVE. We have staff who make sure they can help youth grow or learn things about themselves that they might not have known they were capable of. You have board members,
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donors, the list goes on for days. These are the things that make LOVE so amazing. To me and so many other people. I would like to thank all the LOVE staff who have been a helping hand with this magazine, for it to become what it is now. From all the words of motivation to the simple “good mornings” when I came in to the office. Thank you to all the LOVE Youth/ Alumni, I may not have met you all but without your work there would be no magazine to work on in the first place. Thank you to my friends and family. You somehow put up with me and all the craziness that I went through creating this. Sorry for that but know
that I love you. Thank you to everyone who not only inspired me but inspired all the artists who have work in this magazine. It makes us who we are. Thank you, the reader, for picking up this magazine and reading it. I really hope you like what you see. Enjoy the LOVE.
Seant aé Nicholls D esigner/ Editor
LOV E M AG A Z I N E
The LOVE Story Since 1993, LOVE has helped youth challenged by the many forms of violence to build the skills and confidence necessar y to change their lives and communities. LOVE was founded on the belief that youth challenged by violence can be agents of change, capable of transforming their own lives, investing themselves in their communities, and making the world a safer place. Leave Out Violence (LOVE) was founded in Montreal, and now has chapters across Canada, in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax. LOVE was founded by Twinkle (Sheila) Rudberg whose husband Daniel was killed by a four teen-year-old gang member in downtown Montreal. Daniel had gone to the aid of an elderly woman who was being assaulted when the teenaged boy stabbed him to death. During the youth’s trial Twinkle learned the young perpetrator had been involved in gangs and taking drugs. She saw him as a victim of violence as well. Twinkle then founded LOVE, a community-based organization dedicated at first to reducing the amount of violence in enter tainment and the media and raising awareness about its effect on the psyche of young people. Twinkle then sought a way to reach marginalized youth to help them reject violence. In 1994, Twinkle began working with Brenda Zosky Proulx who was planning a journalism-based program for youth who had been challenged by violence. They were joined by Stan Chase of Dawson College’s Depar tment of Professional Photography and a teacher of “at-risk ” youth. Together they created LOVE, focusing on photography and journalism. As LOVE grew, youth leadership and school outreach programs were integrated into it ’s model. Today, LOVE uses a variety of ar tistic mediums, including video, music and spoken word to reach diverse populations of youth. LOVE continues to adapt its’ program model to ser ve different populations of youth like the LGBTQ+ community, students in alternative schools and youth in detention homes. This gives more youth the chance to create a meaningful role in ending violence in their communities.
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with I guess I don’t really see LOVE the way most of the youth at LOVE see it. Maybe I am wrong for that, or perhaps it is due to the way i was introduced to it; or maybe even, it is my persona that makes it so. I feel like LOVE in the manner in which I hear it sounds very organizational, like a thing rather than what I know it to be, a community, an idea. LOVE to me is an idea. Not a logo, not a tag, or a place, or some institute. It is an idea. And ideas shouldn’t be boxed. And I like that about it. The idea of it. I met Terrence through my high school queer safe space arrangement program or as they like to call it, a GSA. We were invited to attend his queer program named Rex-Pride. Through there, Rex-pride united to form Q-MAP as a
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LOVE Media Arts Program and there I was at LOVE. I don’t know much about LOVE per say, but I do know that Terrence (Program Coordinator at LOVE) cherishes it as a place where he found home, the idea I spoke of, is what lives in Terrence. That is what I experienced from Terrence, and perhaps what I understand and love about LOVE. When I hear “love” I am surprised, because those of us who go to Queer Media Arts Program and REX Pride, don’t do well with labels, so LOVE to me, is another way of talking about family and friends with whom I have come to connect with in an unfamiliar way, except, just longer and more box-y. Oh boiii, a lot of personal growth, if I must say. I had a teacher who said “ignorance is bliss”.
LOVE Leader, Tress I.
The future of LOVE depends on the future LOVE leaders. Sadly as one starts to open their eyes to the realities of the world, an overwhelming quantity of burden surfaces that can easily make one lose hope in humanity, people and the future. This was me for a long time. Thanks to the chosen family I now have, I see a much brighter future with the odds in our favor of building the peaceful, loving, and prideful world of tomorrow. I now possess hope. I am an artist. Constantly trying to answer questions I have of the universe. I paint, write and philosophize about shit all the time. I guess my special talent is being me. It all compliments each other,
no one more than the other. My goal in life is to show a generation that they have more options than they realize. To tell a story that changes it all. Create characters we all see in ourselves and each other in. Perhaps it may be too big, but I want to hit the pause button on the world and have them look at the mirror in complete awh of their humanity!!! The future of love depends on the future love leaders. We just have to do our best to make today the best that it can be without sacrificing tomorrow to do so.
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Media Arts Program LOVE’s Media Arts Program brings youth together to explore their experiences and turn them into something positive through media education in photography, writing, music and video production. Youth learn to express their feelings positively while building media editing skills, knowledge of social issues and a connection to community. Youth spend a year in MAP before graduating to LOVE’s Leadership programs. Leadership Programs are held in some of Toronto’s priority neighbourhoods - Rexdale, Lawrence Heights, Downtown and Malvern (Scarborough). The Media Arts Program culminates in a summer showcase, giving youth the opportunity to present their creative works in their communities. As each new term for MAP begins, we continue to provide a safe space for youth to express themselves and learn new skills.
Ph oto: H asina , To ro nto
Ph oto: Van ess a , To ro nto
LOV E M AG A Z I N E
Photo: Muna, Toronto
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Q-MAP QMAP is a Queer Media Arts Program created through a partnership with LOVE, REX Pride and the Rexdale Community Health Centre. QMAP gives youth a safe space to explore the LGBTQ+ spectrum as it relates to history, culture, media and in turn, themselves. This is all done through the expression of various arts mediums. This past year we created the first annual mini-magazine, created works of art, and marched in the Pride Parade. QMAP also developed much needed community awareness training, facilitated workshops for Pink Day and formed a Local Support Network comprised of representatives from local schools, agencies and various stakeholders. Paintin g: Chanis e, To ro nto
Paintin g: N y l e, To ro nto
Paintin g: Fr anny, 23, To ro nto
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Ph oto: Shar na - Fiross , To ro nto
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Youth Leadership The youth in Leadership Program are graduates of LOVE’s Media Arts Program who continue their the development of the skills, confidence and passion needed to be Youth Leaders. This unique combination of knowledge, experience and opportunity enables them to be effective leaders in promoting awareness on issues of violence in their communities. Through this leadership program youth discuss a range of issues which affect their lives and develop realistic solutions to helping end youth violence in their communities. Youth Leaders are LOVE’s greatest asset and play an integral role in the development, monitoring, evaluation and operation of LOVE programs. Most recently, Youth Leaders created videos about the various ways bullying affects their lives.
Ph oto: J essi c a , To ro nto
Photo: James, Toronto
You can check out videos created by LOVE youth on our Youtube channel
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For more youth work, Check Out LOVE Wired PAG E 11
Engaging New Alternatives With funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, LOVE Ontario has embarked on a new model which takes place within the alternative school curriculum. Engaging New Alternatives is designed for students who have struggled in traditional schools, particularly with attendance. These students face multiple challenges, are marginalized and lack connection to community. In this program youth discover how to explore critical issues impacting their lives and build the skills and personal capacity for positive expression and social action.
Bullying Bullying is a ver y big problem in today ’s society ; there have been many incidents where teenagers committed suicide due to bullying. In my opinion people bully others because they are hur ting inside. Many people suffer with serious depression so even the smallest rude comments offend them. In my personal past experience, I have never been bullied so I cannot really relate to it. Most of the time I was the one standing up for my friends when they were getting bullied. It is ver y sad to hear that people take their own life when they have been psychically or verbally bullied. The most common type of bullying happens online. People share inappropriate photos of them selves to people and those photos end up being leaked and than they end up being called names and made fun of. I wish bullying would stop in our society so we wouldn’t have to hear about the horrible deaths of young kids. Jennifer, Toronto Ph oto: ‘ S al es’, Ky l e, To ro nto
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Sun She was like the sun Beautiful and bright Ever changing with the time of day She had a radiance about her One that erupted from within And appeared on the sur face In the forms as bright burns Pearly whites And rosy red cheeks Her smile was brighter Than a thousand other stars That shown with equal force But not in my eyes, anyways. She was the centre of my galaxy Steadily rotating around her in worship Fully aware that I was not alone in this cycle For other empty rocks sought her warmth I, however, was the only one to feel her full force To truly feel the rays of her light To allow her to spring life to my barren lands And show me how to live to my fullest potential She was like the sun And she was mine She radiated heat that kept me warm And shielded me from the cold of the moon She radiated light that showed me the way And lead me through the darkness Taking me home
Ph oto: ‘ Love ’, J us tin , To ro nto
And hard as I trIed I was stIll too afraid Of burstIng into flames Kyle, Toronto
Hunger I am hungr y right now because I didn’t eat breakfast. “I can only imagine” how the homeless people feel. They go days without eating sometimes, I have only missed one meal and I feel tired, upset and easily aggravated, but at the same time I feel ver y for tunate to have only missed one meal and not miss days wor th of meals like the home less do sometimes. Christian, Toronto
But sometimes, I wished she wasn’t like the sun Because though its beauty and radiance Is admirable from afar, The closer you get, the more dangerous it becomes, The shine becomes blinding, and the heat scorching That is the flaw of the sun, It can never be held Closer than an arm’s length Before gettIng burned.
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Youth Justice LOVE expanded the reach of its’ Media Arts Program with funding from the Ministry of Children and Youth Services to develop Youth Justice, a specialized initiative to help young people who have had, or are at risk of, being in conflict with the law. The project has successfully engaged young people to take part in difficult conversations and create media that speaks to their personal experiences and goals for the future.
Photo: Anonymous, Toronto
Photo: Anony mous, Toronto
Photo: Anonymous, Toronto Photo: Anonymous, Toronto
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I believe that the future of our youth is everyone’s responsibility. WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE LIKE PARTICIPATING IN THE LOVE PROGRAMMING? It was life changing. When I was 16, I was angry, rebellious, afraid. The staff and fellow youth members became like family. I developed self-confidence and self-respect. Through LOVE, I became a part of the solution, no longer the problem.
WHAT WERE A FEW OF YOUR HIGHLIGHTS? My mom was a single parent and camp was never an option for me. Through LOVE, I was able to experience camp which was an amazing opportunity to leave the city and all my problems behind. I went canoeing, hiked through the forest, painted, improved my communication and public speaking skills through intensive leadership training workshops, sang by the fire at night. It was truly the highlight of my life up until that point. Seeing my photos and writings on display at the BCE Place. Engaging the business professionals who work in the towers, answer-
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LOVE Alumnus, with Valerie. C
ing their questions about what life is like for a troubled youth like me, earning praise for my talents and willingness to change. This gave me a sense of pride that I had never experienced before. Presenting at public schools, community centre’s, youth homeless shelters and fundraising events with my fellow LOVE members, working together to create change.
WHAT IS ONE THING YOU TOOK AWAY FROM LOVE THAT YOU APPLY TO YOUR LIFE NOW? I came to LOVE, broken on the inside because I was abandoned by my parents and stuck in a physical, mental and emotionally abusive relationship. Through our leadership training program, writing/ photography workshops and outreach programs, I healed. I gained back the confidence and self respect that was taken from me. I truly flourished as a young woman. Today, I am strong, independent and ambitious. These qualities were nur tured by the amazingly suppor tive staff and youth at
LOVE. I will never forget the suffering I experienced as a young person. I felt alone and that I had no voice until LOVE helped me find it.
WHY ARE PROGRAMS LIKE LOVE IMPORTANT? I believe that the future of our youth is ever yone’s responsibility. Programs like LOVE invest time and energy in the younger generation, they empower youth. They change the course of a troubled young persons life by empowering them. LOVE gives youth the tools to create change in their own lives and the lives of ever yone around them. We need our youth to be positive role models for the younger generations.
WHY IS THE YOUTH VOICE IMPORTANT? Who better to create change than the ver y demographic that is being affected? Give youth positive attention, good role models, confidence and impor tant life skills and they will make us proud.
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Untitled This society is being ver y hard on us teenagers today, making it difficult for us to do anything without being blamed for something. Ever y corner we turn … there is a new fight, more gun violence, drug abuse and lack of education. Teens get looked down upon for the smallest mistakes, and get blamed for the issues going on in the community. The older adults stereotype us and put us down. They say many things. Some say that most of us won’t graduate or go anywhere in life, we would end up on the street, selling drugs and get killed. That isn’t the case for us, not all of us will be doing some of the things others might be doing. They judge us before getting to know us. Teachers are constantly discouraging us, guidance counselors aren’t even tr ying to help us, parents and older adults are looking down on us and society is always hur ting us. Kali, 18, Toronto
Photo: James, Toronto
Love
Love Love is strong Love is beautiful Love is wonder ful But love can end painfully Love is ever ywhere Love is for ever yone Love is in the neighborhood But it depends if you want the love Love is not compulsor y Love is ver y deep Love either in your hear t or not But it depends if you have love truly in your hear t
Suicide Suicide, something to me that should not be happening around the world. I know what and how it looks like, and I believe in some cases it feels like the only option to go. I for one completely go against it. I believe there are many other ways people could deal with depression, anxiety and whatever problem there is that is happening to them. I feel this needs to stop and now is the time!
Love with your hear t Love with your soul
Homelessness The streets is your home No money in your pocket You’re all on your own Look ing for a way to make it M oney is the way you see itS een money in the streets, You a cr iminal in the mak ing “I was just homeless”
Ph oto: An o ny m o us ,
Emmanuel, Toronto
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Second Chance At Love Half a year passed but I will never forget how we first met. I was chilling minding my own business, then I seen you talking to someone I know. It was nothing at first then we star ting chilling, talking. We chilled a night on the beach under the starr y skies. Your smile glowed so bright, it sparked my eyes. I was attached to someone else then but somehow I felt my hear t skipped a beat when I saw your smiling face. The conversation we had then, I’ll never forget. Your presence is enough to make my day. It had seemed you claimed me like “Love at First Sight.” As days passed by, I realized that what I did was wrong to be in love with two. Upon corruption of my consciousness, I chose you over my current attachment. I still remember that painful moment… but I made a choice. Not long has passed, we spent half a month together. It was the best time of my life but then we had to par t because we live so from each other. I had so much feelings for you like no other. Our love was unique, it was precious. But since we lived miles away from each other I made the most stupidest choice, a choice I regret ever y bit of it. I chose a path I shouldn’t have taken, I should have stayed loyal to you and only you but it all changed because I was being stupid and greedy. My relationship with the next girl didn’t really worked out, actually it was never really a relationship. I was hoping that I might find you. “Miracles do happen,” people say, but I didn’t believe it until I
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saw your face one day and today, at last, we spent practically ever yday together until now. Your love for me was not like before but you say you love me. This tease is hear t breaking, it hur ts me to say I still love you. You are my ever ything. I lost you before, I don’t want to lose you again. Till now, I always asked myself, “Could this be real? Is he the ONE for me?” The answers to my questions are in your hands. I have faith in you and never will I give that up. Without your love, I’d be half a be ing. Maybe one day you will understand. Now and forever, until the time is through I want this second chance at love with you….. I’ll forever love you James, 22, Toronto
Ph oto: L ar y ss a , To ro nto
Untitled When someone you love dies it ’s like a thousand hear t breaks. You feel as if some one’s cutting out a par t of your existence. The pain is so unbearable, so you cr y and you question god’s reason, his purpose. Because how could such a great god take away someone so dear to your hear t? Why would he allow them to die? It
broke me. That day when he died, I died along with him. No not physically but emotionally, mentally. My body felt as if the life was sucked out me. I cried, and begged god to bring him back to us. My hear t broke into pieces as I watch them put him in the ground. That was the last time I saw his face as I walked away with dark cloud surrounding my hear t, a ray of sunlight shone on my face and I felt my hear t, frozen with pain beat again. And I knew he had taken the pain away for now he was in the clouds with god and at peace. Chinsue, Toronto
Homelessness Homelessness isn’t funny. I see two homeless guys on my way to school ever yday. One of them asked me for a smoke and then he star ted telling me about how he got kicked out of his shelter for fighting. This made me upset because it reminds me of my close friend who is currently dealing with homelessness and he was also kicked out of his shelter. Problem is, “no matter how much I help him, he does not help himself ”. Jakub, Toronto
Ph oto: Chr is te l, To ro nto
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She Who Struggles “Stages, the Autobiography of Jade Helena” by Jade Helena, 23, Toronto I know now that as soon as my mother gave birth to me I was born to struggle I was born in struggle 15lbs of struggle etched in the veins of a baby girl, born from a mother with gestational diabetes The medical term for all 15lbs of me is “macrosomia” My aunty’s term for me was “butter ball turkey” I prefer the latter Cause though I was fatter, I think I needed more of aunty’s love than I needed so-called soul food Contractions came and went in pain and anticipation, awaiting my arrival with rushed conversations Of it being too late to receive an epidural A broken pelvis bone and only my dad to take me home cause my mother had to remain hospitalized until she was better I get home and none of my new born clothes fit me so it’s back to the church to exchange for bigger sizes, trying to settle endless crying I don’t know why I cried so much They say I wasn’t collicky Maybe I was resisting this world since I inhaled my first breath and blew it out, wearily, through chubby cheeks and tiny nostrils My baby fat fell away and most of what was left of me was thick, dark colored hair, bushy eye brows, and spaced out teeth that I’d inherited from my father Curiosity killed the cat but it didn’t kill me as I grew older and got lost in books and silently cursed my parents for not buying me anything from the book fairs held at my school, wondering why I couldn’t have them I was a shy kid
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I preferred Nancy Drew mysteries to throwing snowballs at cars on the way home from school When I got older and was reunited with my godbrother, he said I hadn’t changed I was still quiet and reserved and very observant Slow to trust Reading people like I read books as if I needed a summary and an intro before I could give or receive hugs I left Nova Scotia, the place where I grew up and every so often I would be greeted by relatives and family friends who were raised there as well They always told me how beautiful I’d grown to be Still, I didn’t remember them or hearing that when I was little One of my favorite encounters that I’ve had more recently was a conversation between my older cousin and I Everyone calls him Big O I finally got the chance to see him at a house party and I hugged him with all of the love I had in me Love I’d managed to save after years of struggling in my home town Love I’d managed to save after a personal vow to never return there permanently Big O had just come home from prison I told him how proud I was of how well he was doing for himself I would have cried because of his response if there hadn’t have been a room full of people and so much lively Scotian energy surrounding us “You’re a beautiful young woman Jade. I always knew you would make something of yourself, nah mean? We grew up and we seen some stuff and been through some stuff but you? I knew you had it in you cuz” I was both humbled and flattered Every encounter I have that mimics this one makes me blush to know that there have been people who believed in me all along Without me even knowing
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No train track, no piggy back No means of escape could separate me from the struggle Cause the struggle lives in me Black life is a part of the struggle From their conception to their homecoming when our ancestors receive them again Cause Eugenics and narcotics and pharmaceuticals and GMO don’t want to see us live Black love is a part of the struggle Spring weddings and 60 yr anniversaries Jumping the broom Something old and something new Young and in love and can’t get enough of you, of us black love Brown eyes in a trance, black fingers holding hands, big lips kissing away tears of pain and passion That black, black love Old and still in love black love Still respectful of, still protective of black love I’ll be yours until we die then I’ll see you on the other side black love Black love doesn’t die It’s more than the rose that grew from the concrete Ph oto: Jas o n , 15, To ro nto It’s the baby born with the cord around its neck Even when I had no hope for the world, someAnd all of the fatality rates that say it won’t live where in the world there was someone rooting That cord is the system for me But we gon’ go on living anyway Whether it was from a man sitting behind the rusting bars of a prison cell or from a young Black families are a part of the struggle woman, staying up late to think and reflect after Like big squeals from tiny mouths, “Daddy’s a long day of university classes and studying home, Daddy’s home!” Black love like Mom saying, “You guys won’t be And this is who I struggle for going anywhere until that homework is done!” This is who I fill my brain with knowledge for Black love like my sister saying, “If anyone tries My heart with love for to jump in, I’m jumping in!” My spirit with resilience for Black love like my brother taking me on dates and As they say, there’s a method to the madness his only explanation of why is that he’s showing & no step walked in resilience is walked in vain me how a man is supposed to treat me Even when I feel alone in the world Black love like candy from Nanny and favorite aunI couldn’t give up struggling if I wanted to ties and a tidal wave flow of first cousins to play My conscience wouldn’t allow it with on holidays There’s no plane that could fly me far enough to Black love like tattle tales and teasing and fighting escape the struggle and ‘fending for There’s no car I could drive far enough to escape Cause they’d rather tell us that we don’t exist in the struggle
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that capacity They’d rather portray the lie that we’re incapable of loving like so, of living like so, of surviving like so But we’re in it and we did it and we continue to do so Being black is part of the struggle Whether you’re a yellow bone or a brownin or a dark skinned beauty We’re in it We resist the system in our own ways and I know in my heart that we’re always only one step away from liberation & when we walk that step in resilience, we walk alongside and within the spirits of our ancestors As soon as we step away from disunity, we step towards freedom We have nothing to lose but our chains since our black is eternal
the struggle that they passed on to me I will say I lived it, I sur vived it, I wrote it down and gained strength from it. I shared it with words and tears and love And I conceived it I left it ’s legacy to live on And I knew that no step walked in resiliency would ever be walked in vain As long as I’m here, in this life, I’ll be she who struggles and when I pass it on to my own reflection of creation That reflection will draw upon the strength I’ve received from those before me And we will struggle In spirit and love and resistance
I know now that as soon as my mother gave birth to me I was born to struggle Struggle is the foundation of freedom We don’t live to die We die to live And that’s all we want to do is live Live free from the constraints and confinement of the system’s oppressive, destructive, and murderous ways Like Assata Shakur I am she who struggles I was born to struggle I was born in struggle Even if no one sees me struggling Even when I lose hope for the world and don’t believe in struggling I couldn’t give up struggling My conscience wouldn’t allow it When my ancestors rise from the floors of the oceans and the bottoms of their unmarked graves and through the soil of the trees they hung from to ask me what I did with
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Ph oto: ‘ My H ear t ’, Dani e l, 20, To ro nto
LOV E M AG A Z I N E
with My experience was filled with all kinds of pizza. WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE PARTICIPATING IN THE LOVE PROGRAMMING? My experience was filled with all kinds of pizza. In retrospect I can’t deny that my par ticipation with love has contributed significantly to my personal development as a youth. There I was encouraged to take creative risks when the high schools I attended often discouraged. Guided by the nur turing principle of safe space, LOVE gave me the space to make mistakes that I later on learned weren’t really. mistakes.
WHAT WAS A FEW OF YOUR HIGHLIGHTS? I get taken aback by how re ceptive people were to some of the work that I produced. I really appreciated being heard and voicing concerns about literally anything that I thought needed attention pointed to. LOVE was my podium and megaphone and made me feel like I mattered; remarkably they managed to make me feel like I mattered without making others feel like they didn’t. So I
LOV E M AG A Z I N E
LOVE Alumnus, Kwaku A.
was surrounded by youth all with interesting ideas that helped me see things differently. During our circles in leadership training, we could discuss issues that affected us in school or the streets, or simply do check-ins where we’d talk about things that we appreciated or didn’t appre ciate about the week. That ’s something I reflect on fondly.
WHAT IS ONE THING YOU TOOK AWAY FROM LOVE THAT YOU APPLY TO YOUR LIFE NOW? I can feel intelligent and not be vilified as a snob because of it. I don’t have to subscribe to conventions that don’t jive with me; I don’t have to be afraid to talk, or rap, or dance, or sing about something that ’s relevant to me because this strange Canadian flavour of modesty that ’s asked of us to feel invisible. I left LOVE knowing that not only do my ideas matter, but that so too do that of other people. We, reciprocally stand to gain a lot from exchanging them. Post-LOVE-youth-experience, I life my life super receptive to learn from vantage points on
vir tually anything (even to things I see and hear that I might not agree with) all the while ready to share my thoughts on the matter.
FROM THE TIME YOU WERE IN LOVE TO TODAY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? I joined LOVE in 2006 and did projects with them until 2010. After wards my involvement with LOVE got peripheral as I’ve been taking on other endeavours. I don’t think I can say I’ve ever stopped being involved with LOVE. Though other projects have taken centre stage in my life the relationships that I’ve cultivated over my immediate involve ment ought to keep me within the LOVE fold for a long time. Right now I’m wrapping up a phenome nal university experience at Concordia University studying anthropology, sociology, gender and sexuality. The projects that I did with love provided me with professional community experiences that far exceeded many of
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my peers in high school. Consequently, I qualified for an enormous amount of funding for my education. With that I was able to study at the top political science institution in France for a semester and spend this past year doing a collaborative African field study with McGill University and a consor tium of NGOs in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Now I’m at a transitional phase of my life, I’m taking extra time to volunteer for organizations I’ve been itching to get involved with while finishing my degree par t time at Concordia. Next I plan do a masters in social work and forge myself a living from community development.
WHY ARE PROGRAMS LIKE LOVE IMPORTANT? Youth focused programs like LOVE fill in the gaps that the government may have overlooked. Ultimately by doing so they foster community and nur ture people’s creativity. Youth-focused NGOs plant seeds of discussion for issues that are relatable to youth. Organizations like LOVE give youth the tools to have vantage points outside the or thodoxy of the regular curriculum that may estrange them from topics and problems that they actually care about; they plant the seeds to get youth thinking, talking, writing, rapping, or filming about the things that matter to them. A neat feature about not-for-profit organizations like LOVE stems from the fact that they often work independently from the government. As such they ser ve as alternative vectors to promote the changes that people want to see. People donate to them by choice rather than by obligator y tax and thus, with their dollar, take a more active role in building their communities. For example they can address issues in areas that their government may have missed or neglected depending on the political tide. Near the end of my high school experience, I got to work with LOVE on a project called Street Noise. We used Humber College’s fancy radio broadcasting equipment to produce segments about issues in our community. This project was not only really fun but it simultaneously taught me radio vocal techniques, public speaking and to use audio editing software like Adobe Edit. I left with tangible skills that my inadequately-funded
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high school could never have afforded me.
WHY IS YOUTH VOICE IMPORTANT? I can’t stress enough how impor tant the youth voice is. If people’s voices are stifled in their youth, their voices may re main stifled their adulthood when they, in theor y, have a lot more power in life. If we carelessly discourage critical thinking, reflection and engagement with issues that matter to youth we, as a whole, lose out. It would mean that innovative ideas get lost, inspiring conversations don’t take place, our political system may go stale and social movements that we can, down the line, all benefit from don’t happen. Youth are the lifeblood of communities. It is therefore the responsibility of ever ybody to ensure that have the space to be heard. We owe it to ourselves.
Ph oto: Iss a c , To ro nto
LOV E M AG A Z I N E
LOVE LEADERSHIP
CAMP 2015 LOV E M AG A Z I N E
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Bullying 1 cut... 2 cut... 3cut... 4 cut She is cr ying on her bedroom as she is cutting her wrist. Reapeting the words she got called in school today. Fat.. Ugly... Slut... Wor thless She hears these words almost ever yday She tells herself that they are not ture She almost believed it but as the bullying got worse Her depression came back she’s cutting herself again 1 cut... 2 cut... 3cut... 4 cut How many more teens have to kill themselves for people to realize That what you said fucking matters Hailey, 18, Montreal
Ph oto: Jas o n , 15, To ro nto
I feel satisfied, however I wasn’t ready to leave. I love how safe and respectful people are. I love how I could feel comfortable to sleep and shower in a cabin where I’m accepted. - Max, Montreal
Ph oto: S eant a e, 21, To ro nto
Ph oto: Jas o n , 15, To ro nto
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Ph oto: Jas o n , 15, To ro nto
LOV E M AG A Z I N E
Nelson Nelson, Lauren, Avi These are the names I see As I lay back and tr y to sleep I wonder who they were I wish I knew their stor y I see these strangers walk by I wish I could just say more than hi. I tr y to imagine The scene of me Keeping a conversation while being interesting All these different people with all their different hair It makes me wonder why people care why people stare, and I answer myself But there I go again staring and caring And thinking these damned thoughts keeping me awake All these voices in my head, saying Hey Jesse, let ’s sleep, let ’s listen to music, let ’s dance? How about we stop making so much damned noise, I yell to myself in my head… But of course I don’t listen Dylan, Noah, Michael Just more names on these walls, telling stories That I will probably never know And these thoughts running through My head… Why am I not dead. Why have I not said, hello to these chess players in front of me To these names all over the walls Instead of hello, instead of whats up I say goodnight, talk later Without really meaning it While hoping that no one is offended in this craz y world of ours Welcome to a glimpse into my head.
Ph oto: S eant a é, 21, To ro nto
Ph oto: S eant a é, 21, To ro nto
I feel truly happy nor was I ready to leave. I love that I can be my true self without feeling that I am being judged. I just love that I was accepted for who I was. - Hailey, Montreal Anonymous, Camp Youth
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Untitled I am free I am running out of time, I have a couple minutes left, I may never see the moon rise, Lost in the dark scared and all alone, Totally blinded from fright, And tr ying all my might, Stumbling and falling ever ywhere I go I think it ’s time to let it go Once I let go I’ll be free, As God intended me to be Stress free and happy as can be So I look to my family and say help, I look to my friends and ask for advice I look to my elders and ask for strength Now that Now that Now that Now that I’m free
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I’m I’m I’m I’m
up I’ll never fall down up I’ll never feel scared up I’ll never feel trapped up, Cayman, Halifax
Ph oto: Shaw nt ay R os e, H al f a x
e h t s y a w al ity! yo! s i p m a C mbdigg bo - ork ew Y N , a n y a J
LOV E M AG A Z I N E
This much loved fundraising event, LOVE and Basketball, is held annually at Hoop Dome and brings out over 30 teams to play basketball and engage with youth. Love and Basketball helps raise funding for LOVE Ontario programs and continues to help raise the profile of our organization and its impact on youth in our communities. For more pictures of this event: Love and Basketball Pictures For infomation about LOVE & Basketball: http://loveandbasketball.ca
LOV E M AG A Z I N E
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LOVE’s Eat. Art. LOVE event brought together the artwork and photography of LOVE youth and international and local artists for a wonderful night filled with art, food and music. This annual event raises funds for LOVE’s youth violence-prevention programs. The works from all artists involved sparked lively bidding and spirited activity in the silent auction. This, coupled with the excellent live entertainment, raffle prizes and delicious food and wine made for a memorable evening.
Wo r k by : Pr in ce Fu z e
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Wo r k by : R a qu e l Dasi v al
LOV E M AG A Z I N E
Red Dot Safe Spot The Red Dot Safe Spot campaign was an anti-bullying public awareness initiative led by Riocan in partnership with LOVE Ontario and Degrassi. In weekly sessions, youth came together to discuss the issue of bullying and learn media-arts techniques in order to create photos and videos that reflected their perspective on bullying and how to end it. In addition to these programs the Red Dot Safe Spot campaign made an enormous impact on the Canadian anti-bullying landscape. Riocan declared all indoor malls across Canada ‘bully-free zones,’ trained in-mall staff and integrated Red Dot Safe Spot collateral at all malls including Lawrence Square Mall, Yonge-Eglinton Centre and Georgian Mall. Overall the online campaign had 657 participants, 7,224 posts and almost 5 million users reached.
Find out more about #RedDotSafeSpot
For more photos: Media Gallery
LOV E M AG A Z I N E
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Abuse of Power People abuse power. Ever yone has a different vision of what power is, but to me power is life, and it should be equal between all living things. The main sin I see in humans is greed. “Greed for power ”, money, more than they have, and then they kill, maim and destroy our planet, our home. All be cause they want more. The fact is, the most impor tant people are also the most vicious (greedy, power hungr y).
Ph oto: I m an , To ro nto
Edie, Toronto
Emotionless Dead to the world show emotionless faces. Dead to the world look at how hope less this place is. Defacing the devastation to only see it was the people we trusted. Say we are free, but shut us up when we speak but say we can speak freely. Freedom of speech more like freedom mind, If they had a chance I bet they ’d take over mine. They ’d take over my mind, body not soul, I’d be out of control and if I fought back I’ll end up with 9 or 6 holes to preser ve the secrets they hold, that will one day be told. But until then I’ll stay dead to this world. Ronnie, 18, Toronto
For more work from LOVE youth: http://lovewired.org Photo: Seantaé, 21, Toronto
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LOV E M AG A Z I N E
F**kwrite Fuck I’m out of it today. I don’t even know anymore. Violence is scar y. Shit we forgot government violence. Doctors and Leaders thinking they run shit meanwhile they ’re humans just like the rest of us. Always way too much, but they thought it was funny how we idolize famous people and nations bawl when they die even though there are amazing people around us dying when it could have been avoided. Too serious. Let ’s talk about Disney. I like Disney. I like Disney way too much, but they ’re setting people up for failure and disappointment in our world. Some say glass if half full and are about optimism. Fuck that, it ’s half empty. Others say life sucks don’t expect stuff out of it. And while ever yone was arguing bout it, I drank it. Too thirsty from working hard. Monopoly? Ph oto: Dani e l, To ro nto
Anonymous, Toronto
Untitled Too frustrated she refused to turn to me, all that was in sight was hoop earrings and beautiful wavy hair the color of moor. Waves deep as those that crashed onto African shores bringing great oppression like the comments the Queen faced daily. “ This isn’t your real hair, this has to be a weave, if not a weave then texturized”. Her response is always the same; “yes, this is mine and sorr y it ’s not texturized, I just take good care of my hair, by the way I’m not mixed just in case you were about to fix those lips to insult me any fur ther. I’m a full Black Queen and I love me for me and you should tr y doing the same”. The ignorance from those that were culture less upset her, she just wanted to be free in her own black skin without assumption of her how she is not being enough to be the beauty you see before you. I seen that she had it rough so I did not give her a hard time or ask once more for her to turn around, I simply told her “you are beautiful just the way you are” and walked away. I didn’t look, but I could feel her smile. I was content. Poetofwar, Toronto
LOV E M AG A Z I N E
Photo: Anonymous, Toronto
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Erupted Volcano I let you touch me, I let you hold me I let you into the depths of my hear t I let myself love you Just for a second And you already crushed it Blow it up and left the debris for ever yone to walk all over it. My hear t ’s now the debris from 9/11 Or the lava from a volcano that has just erupted. A hot mess… Melting away each piece of my sanity I wont know what love is Or to be cared for How to be treated Cause I let you into the depths of my body And I let you touch my hear t I let you touch me And let you close to the inner depths of my body and mind But worst of all… I let myself love you I let myself love you I let myself love you Just for a second And now There is a mess on my face From the running of mascara Tissues on the floor From buggies running from my nose Ripped up pieces of pictures Nothing to keep as memories ‘Cause it isn’t wor th it anymore
Ph oto: Isiah , 18 , N ew Yo r k
Not wor th the money spent on chocolate The three musketeers The hours spent in hibernation Wishing these moment weren’t filled with tears These moments that could have been spent with you But you made your choice And I’m making mine too This state is no longer fine So here is the vacation to the inner mind Life could be much more divine If we just take this trip for ward in time I’ll see life through a new set of eyes That no one can fool with the most craziest disguise Seantae, 21, Toronto
It isn’t wor th the fake smile on my face Or the lies “Oh yeah, I’m fine.” “Ain’t a thing wrong.” “I didn’t care for him anyways.” Bullshit lies Just tr ying to get through another day But that isn’t wor th it anymore. Not a penny for my thoughts Pennies aren’t in circulation anymore And with that my thought Does not Have a cost And you paid for your own loss ‘Cause there is no wor th to what I got
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Ph oto: Ar i e l, To ro nto
LOV E M AG A Z I N E
LOVE Donors LOVE graciously acknowledges our major donors who have supported our commitment to ending violence in the lives of youth and building safer communities. American Eagle Outfitters Foundation
Ministry of Community Safety & Correctional Services
Brian Vyner
Molline Green
C.N. Baker & T.S. Baker Foundation
Nathan & Lily Silver Family Foundation
Cadillac Fairview Corporation Ltd.
National Bank of Canada – One for Youth
Charles Zuckerman
Ontario Arts Council
CIBC
Ontario Trillium Foundation
Community One Foundation
RBC Foundation
Danny Pivnik
Religious Order
Element Financial Corp.
Response Innovations
FK Morrow Foundation
RioCan
Goodmans LLP
Rob and Carrie Wortzman
H & R Reit
Rupen Seoni
Harriet Velazquez
Scotiabank
Henry’s Photo Video Digital
Stan Feldman
Howard Sokolowski
TD Securities Employees Underwriting Hope Fund
Intact Insurance Foundation Jennifer Dorfman Katie Lokash Kim Smiley Larry Saltsman Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment Ministry of Child and Youth Services
LOV E M AG A Z I N E
TELUS Corp. The Bridle Bash Foundation The Carol Sharyn Tenenbaum Foundation The Charles Norcliffe Baker and Thelma Scott Baker Foundation The City of Toronto
The Morris and Beverley Baker Foundation The Rotary Club of Toronto Toronto Star Fresh Air Fund Whitecastle Investments Ltd. /The Diamond Family
Board of Directors Harriet Velazquez, Chair of the Board Adam Waltman Andrea Salomon Ari Diamond Boris Lyssenko, CA Dhaman Kissoon G. Leila Ross Jeremie Johnson Katie Lokash Lana Chen Mary Koven Michael Diamond Renee Bazile – Jones Sandy Thomas Sheldon Baker Tobi Asmoucha Valerie Cocomile Vidal Chavannes
The Giving Tree Foundation
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How to get involved become a youth leader
Registration for LOVE Programs starts in September and programs run from Oct – June.
To find out more information visit the Programs section of our website www.ontario.leaveoutviolence.org For questions about LOVE’s programs or to request a LOVE presentation at your school or community centre, email toronto@leaveoutviolence.org or call 416-785-8411
volunteer If you’re interested in helping LOVE support young people who have experienced violence in their lives and would like to volunteer your time there are many volunteer opportunities through the year. Ways you can volunteer your time: •
As part of the LOVE Board of Directors or Committees
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Fundraising Support – 3rd Party Events or Campaigns
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Special Events – volunteer your time at one of youth or fundraising events - like Love and
donate Leave Out Violence is supported by our donors including business and corporate sponsorship, family foundations, community grants and individual donors. We rely on this funding to operate our programs, providing training and support to youth in our communities. You can help us reach more youth by supporting LOVE today. •
By donating to Leave Out Violence you will help LOVE provide programs to enable youth to be meaningfully engaged in violence prevention and community safety, resulting in safer schools and neighbourhoods.
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Your contribution goes toward media equipment, program facilitation and a safe space for youth to learn valuable skills.
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For more information on how you can support LOVE, go to www.ontario.leaveoutviolence.org