SBCCI 2022 Report

Educate Train Believe Achieve (ETBA)

Project Name: Grow and Flow Scarborough, ON

Sports can be a tremendous unifying platform, bringing together people of varying cultures, socioeconomic backgrounds, and age groups. Sports can also be a safe haven and an escape. ETBA formally, East Toronto Basketball Association, initially began with the latter in mind. Beginning in the Galloway and Markham areas of Toronto, the organization sought to create a safe space for inner city youth who may have had talent but without a place to showcase their skill. The visionary for this program, Clunis Cleveland identified the need to use the program to bridge an educational gap to expand opportunities for participants. The program was expanded to include tutoring for the US-based SAT exams and also provided travel opportunities to the United States. For Tashawna Higgins, the program quickly became a lifeline as she navigated the loss of a parent alongside aspirations of playing Division 1 basketball. The program’s impact was so significant that ten years later, Higgins is paying it forward as a trainer and coach.

Higgins shares, “We capture the minds of youth through fitness or physical activity - mainly basketball. Basketball is an outlet. However, we also offer tutoring, financial literacy, nutritional and mental health support; adding those elements makes that basketball player more well rounded.” The mental resilience and commitment needed on the basketball court can be carried into many areas of life. Conversations around confidence, self-love, and belief in oneself are consistent between participants and mentors. Beyond the technical skills, Higgins fondly recalls having small cultural exchanges like sharing her passion for dance and teaching the intricate footwork of Kompa - a Haitian dance.

ETBA will use SBCCI’s funding to retain consultants, particularly to support financial literacy and digital marketing. “We want to keep up with the times and with connecting to our community; we want to connect with the youth more, and they are online. We want to be visible and interesting,” said Higgins. She also shared that the team is now better equipped with knowledge regarding building policies and procedures, information that can be applied to future not-for-profit endeavors.

Higgins encourages us to look beyond the sport and beyond lingering stereotypes. Speaking of personal experiences and the experiences of many other players, Higgins notes that youth are exposed to travel and given a chance to access debt-free education through scholarships. While basketball provides a foundation, the overall impact and intent of programs like ETBA are much deeper.

Higgins shares, “ we capture the minds of youth through fitness or physical activity - mainly basketball. Basketball is an outlet, however we offer tutoring, financial literacy, nutritional and mental health support; adding those elements makes that basketball player more well rounded.” The mental resilience and commitment that is needed on the basketball court can be carried into many areas of life.

Aspire Hub

Project Name: Enhance operational management effectiveness and efficiency - Edmonton, AB

Taking latent talent, big dreams, and accessible resources to mould teens into responsible and independent citizens is at the heart of Aspire Hub. The team recognizes that the challenges faced by minority youth in Alberta are unique and therefore demands a tailored approach. The overall mission is to increase the employability and health outcomes for minority youth.

The fifteen-plus programs span the ages of 9 to 18. Younger participants can take advantage of the monthly Tech Club classes in coding, web design, app development and robotics. The mentorship program and Techplus on the other hand, targets young adults and provides life skills and career alignment. The curriculum covers entrepreneurship, leadership, health and wellness, and financial literacy.

The organization is reinforcing its foundation for future scaling. Funding through SBCCI will improve operational management effectiveness and efficiency by engaging an Accounting and Strategic Management consultant, a Legal Consultant, and a Digital Adaptation/Information Technology consultant.

Struggle is Your Success (SIYS)

Project Name: Our Path to Productivity

Calgary, AB

This youth entrepreneurship program is centred on shifting perspectives and outcomes. Speaking about the program and its participants on the organization’s webpage, Co-founder Adul Basit Ahmed states, “They are young, they are 14- 21 years old and they do not have the support systems. Rather than being in a survival mindset, to be in a creative mindset where they can unearth their potential.”

Struggle is Your Success is described as an 18 month program that allows youth to build employable skills, become empowered, and seek counsel from a mentor to allow them to better navigate adulthood. For youth of racialized communities, this program will specifically offer a space to analyze some of the challenges of systemic discrimination, and more importantly, to convert those experiences or struggles into stories of success.

The funding through SBCCI will support a 3-pronged approach to developing operational management processes and an organizational measurement framework. The team will hire a parttime Finance Lead and develop internal controls, including financial and budgetary policies. By elisting a Strategic Planning and Administrative Lead, SIYS will also streamline processes for fundraising and financial sustainability as they continue to build knowledge through leadership training.