True Daley

By True Daley

Afrobella.com’s Patrice Elizabeth Grell Yursik is an online revolutionary in the natural hair community. With an average of 80,000 views a week, over 20,000 followers on twitter and a custom-made MAC lip glass that sold out in a week, she is the epitome of the American dream. She has been showing us how to tend for our tresses in the way only your best homegirl can, and recently shared her success story with swaymag.ca, as she prepares for her upcoming visit to Toronto. The entrepeneur says when she launched the site in 2006 she had no idea it would be a full-time labour of love.

“I worked for the Miami Times. I was part of their editorial team and I was there for five years, but newspapers never take a break. So even when you’re on vacation you have to think about what’s going to be happening when you’re not there, because every week the paper needs to be out. Doing the blog was an expression of passion, and an expression of self. I couldn’t really write about the things I cared about in the paper, so I wanted to have an outlet. It wasn’t meant to be a financially lucrative move. I didn’t even think that was a possibility.”

Her decision to go natural in 2002 was met with celebration by some and rejection by others. Reflecting on her childhood, she says she was surrounded by mentors who wore their hair naturally, noting their decision to do so, had little to do with fashion.

“My high-school principal and French teacher had natural hair. I had a teacher who was almost bald when I was 12. There was a member of parliament when I was growing up, who was a Rasta. A lot of the professional women I saw who had natural hair were older women who just cut it off and didn’t care. It wasn’t like they were seeing it as a way to express themselves by being glamorous in any way”.

Patrice Elizabeth Grell Yursik

Her Caribbean upbringing played an important role in her understanding of the connection between beauty and nature. Although she has come to terms with the fact that her mother will never wear her hair naturally, Grell Yursik says  as a child, she was taught simple beauty regimens which introduced her to an eco-friendly lifestyle.

“I would go to the beach with my mom and we would sit on the wet sand with the water splashing on me and we would use sand as an exfoliant. I remember being very young and my mom telling me to scrub my elbows and knees with beach sand. It definitely informed my sensibilities today. I try to see beauty in everything and the possibilities of beauty in everything.”

Speaking of endless possibilities in beauty, the writer has chosen to expand the Afrobella brand by including so much more than just hair care. Fashion, music, and celebrity interviews are featured on the site which promotes an overall message of holistic and healthy living. Grell Yursik says she refuses to limit her creative expression to one topic.

“I need to be inspired by what I’m writing everyday. If I’m not inspired to write a post it will just sit there. I have had bloggers who complain and say, they wish they could write about other stuff but they think their readers will not go with them to that next chapter. I tell them not to underestimate their readers, because if they love you they’ll come back. I’m not here to be your afro information guide. The way I see it , if you want your hair to be beautiful and you love your hair, then you probably want to love your skin, and you’d probably like these make up colours, etc. I kind of see it as the kind of magazine I would never find on a rack.”

While some women rush to pharmacies in search of the latest over-priced beauty product, others visit afrobella.com for cost-effective solutions drawn from traditional wisdom.

“We’re much more informed these days and that comes from people like me who grew up using things like castor oil, olive oil and brown sugar, to enhance our beauty. I really feel that the global natural hair community is leading the cosmetics industry down a path that they are not necessarily comfortable with, but it is an important path. They have to find a way to make products that are natural and organic or less inclusive of ingredients that are bad for us because we’re not buying the old stuff anymore.”

AFROBELLA.COM IN TORONTO

ALL OF MY PURPLE LIFE’ MAC LIP GLASS www.afrobella.com/2011/05/31/afrobella-for-mac/

True Daley

CULTURE SHOCK: YOUNG ARTISTS SPARK CHANGE

By True Daley

Patrice Njoh has seen first-hand, how the arts can affect change in a community.

The 24 year-old is a facilitator and program coordinator at Urban Arts, a youth centre in the Weston- Mount Dennis neighbourhood, serving youth aged 18-29. Formerly the York Arts Council, the organization helps to develop young artists professionally and personally through the arts and community engagement.

Njoh says the portrayal of marginalized youth in mainstream media is one-sided, and says Urban Arts’ annual youth-led, “Culture Shock Community Arts Festival” presents a fresh perspective.

Patrice Njoh

“You always hear about the negative things that are being done. You hear about the shootings, murders, the drugs and the gangs. But you don’t hear about what people are doing to beautify their community. You don’t hear about the 10 youth who cleaned up Cruikshank Park and put up a mural. This festival really shows all Torontonians, the great things that are coming out of this area. There is beautiful art being created here and there are great things happening in this community.”

This year, the annual festival takes place at Weston Collegiate Institute, celebrating its 8^th year with a 2-day event that begins on August 12^th, with celebrity guest-hosts such as  Michie Mee, Cabbie Richards, and Maestro Fresh Wes, alongside notable artists from various genres including theatre, music, drama, and dance.

The entire event was organized by a staff of 20 youth artists, with the objective to bring together people from all walks of life. Njoh recognizes that despite the high-level of responsibility, these young leaders are up to task.

“We actually only had six weeks from the time we hired the staff at the beginning of July to the second week of August. During those six weeks we also had to put on a camp for the younger kids, and they had to do outreach, plan the event and put it on. I think it takes an organization that has a larger vision to really see that youth have great ideas and they can use their passion to create change.”

Urban Arts runs arts programs all year-round and is located at 19 John St., near Weston Road and Lawrence W. Ave. To register or learn more about the organization visit: urbanartstoronto.org

True Daley

By True Daley

For those of us who grew up in the ’90s, chances are, you watched New York Undercover religiously on Thursday nights from 1994-1998. The popular program is the first police drama to feature two people of colour, Malik Yoba and Michael DeLorenzo, in starring roles. It was also one of the highest rated series among black households in the U.S. from 1996-1997. Yoba won the hearts of millions with his portrayal of undercover Detective J.C. Williams, a young dad who happened to be street smart with tons of sex appeal. The break-out role launched his television career and secured his spot in history.

Yoba is currently filming his 11^th television series Alphas, at various locations throughout the mega-city, and has been a Toronto resident since April. The drama series focuses on five ordinary people with superhero abilities who work with the U.S. Department of Defense investigating cases that point to others with Alpha abilities.

Yoba plays Bill Harken, a former FBI agent whose super power is the ability to consciously activate the ‘fight or flight’ response.  The television veteran says he enjoys playing a multidimensional character. “I haven’t had this much fun since New York Undercover. I get to play a character that’s in a leadership position. I’m chasing people, running around, and kicking down doors. My character is smart. He’s also a family guy. It’s a good show.”

MALIK YOBA

Yoba is also a superhero off-screen, having worked for community organizations since he was a teen. Shortly before landing a role in Cool Runnings, he was the Vice-President of City Kids, a government organization promoting multiculturalism and youth empowerment. Earlier this year, he flew out to Ethopia to attend the first graduation ceremony of a school he helped build in partnership with the Ethopian Children’s Fund. The school was a culmination of hard work, fund-raising and a 16-year commitment which included the purchase of land for the educational facility.

Unlike some celebrities who become ambassadors for causes in hopes to gain more publicity, Yoba says he’s been aware of his responsibility to society from an early age.

His choice of non-stereotypical roles and innate ability to bring depth, diversity, and intellect to his characters, has inspired  international audiences for over 20 years.The definition of his last name ‘last of slaves, new generation’, was given to him by his father. He’s always known that his purpose is to serve others and leave a lasting impression.

“My father was always looking out for folks in the neighbourhood and folks outside the neighbourhood. He would do simple things.  If you were walking down the hallway and saw tissue on the floor, he’d tell you to pick it up. I’d say, ‘I didn’t put it there’. He’d say, ‘You live here, pick it up’.

Yoba himself, is a divorced father of three and says while he’s not jaded, he has a more realistic view of what it takes to love another person while loving yourself. He recently shared his personal love stories during a performance at the Toronto Jazz Festival.

The acoustic 1-hour set of original works, featured Yoba on guitar and lead vocals, alongside fellow artist Jeremy James. Fans had the opportunity get intimate with Yoba, as he shared anecdotes with local music lovers.  The audience was completely enamored by his wit, musicianship, and effortless swag. Despite his fame, and good looks, Yoba is refreshingly approachable. The self-described amateur anthropologist says music is his truest expression, and appreciates how it allows him to connect to universal audiences.

“I like the fact that people choose to stay and the diversity of the people.  It’s always good to see that people stop and hang out, the old and young.  As a kid, Bob Marley was an artist that I felt – If I could make people feel the way I feel when I listen to his music – that’s what I want to do. That to me is what you want to communicate. His music is his truth.  He essentially wrote love songs one way or another.”

Yoba’s connection with Marley is more than spiritual. Before learning his maternal grandfather was Jamaican, the actor says he’d always felt a kinship with Jamaicans.

“ I identify so strongly with so many people from Jamaica, and have so much love and connections with people on the island and outside of the island, particularly through the reggae community but also in business and politics. When my mother told me her father was Jamaican, it made sense.”

Yoba on the set of Alphas

Considered an honorary Canadian after working on productions in Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto over the past 2 ½ years, Yoba’s fan-base is sure to grow as he teams up with Alphas all-star ensemble cast, which includes David Strathairn, Cameron Hicks, Nina Theroux, Gary Bell, Azita Ghanizada and Rachel Pirzad.

Not surprisingly, Yoba has made television history once more, as 2.5 million viewers in the U.S. tuned in to watch Syfy’s Alphas, making it the station’s most watched season premiere in two years.

Alphas was co-created by Zak Penn (The Incredible Hulk, X Men : The Last Stand) and premiered on Toronto’s Space Channel (Rogers Cable 50)  at 10pm on Monday, July 11.

For more info: www.syfy.com/alphasseries/cast/dr_rosen

True Daley

By True Daley

Like many children raised in Caribbean households, Dr. Karen Flynn grew up attending church every week. The unusual presence of nurses on duty at the Seventh-day Adventist church peaked her interest as a little girl, and served as the impetus for her first book.

Moving Beyond Borders : A History of Black Canadian and Caribbean Women in the Diaspora, documents the experiences of 35 black nurses from the postwar-era, and is the first book to take an in-depth look at the multi-dimensional lives of Canada’s black healthcare workers. The academic-turned-author, migrated from Jamaica to Canada as a child, and says it’s important to tell the stories of those who came before us.

“We have to have a sense of entitlement of being in this country. Sometimes we don’t feel like we deserve to be here and to be recognized for the contributions we’ve made. That’s one of the things that I like about the last chapter in my book.  I talk about nation, home and belonging. These black women who came to Canada and didn’t think that they were Canadian, so to speak – after a while they made a certain contribution through their community work. Whether it was through volunteer work or even raising wonderful, responsible black children in light of the discourse they were facing, they have a right to claim this place as home.”

Ironically, in order for these success stories to come to light, Flynn had to move south of the border. Since 2004, she has been an

Author Karen Flynn

Assistant Professor in the departments of Gender and Women Studies and African-American Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.  Despite being the first black woman to graduate from York University’s Women’s Studies in 2003, Flynn says she realized early on that she’d have to relocate from Toronto.

“York was a great place to be, I was the VP of Services for the Graduate Students Association and I learned about unionizing and becoming a faculty member, and things of that nature. I got a position at McMaster University, but it was a one-year position called a contract-limited appointment. I felt like I wasn’t going to get a full-time job as an academic. So even though I went to the U.S. on a one-year position, that opportunity resulted in a tenure track position. UIUC gave me $30,000 over three years to complete this research. That’s how I was able to finish my book. I feel like I wouldn’t have made that kind of headway here.”

Although it’s not the first book to tell the stories of black nurses, it is the first to move beyond the race, class, gender paradigm. By using a multi-dimensional approach to her research, and including the challenges faced by indigenous African-Canadians, Flynn says varied experiences are unveiled.

“One of the things that we sometimes tend to do is talk about black women as this monolith group of women who are not differentiated by their sexuality, or their race, or class or even shade of skin color. If you read some of the research on black nurses, the common tag line is that they’re all concentrated in certain specialty areas like geriatrics or psychiatry. What I have emphasized in the book, is that not all black nurses were at the bottom of the nursing hierarchy. Most of the nurses I interviewed were RN’s. I make that argument really clear.”

The book explores how family, religion and education influenced the lifestyle choices of these heroines of healthcare. Pictured on the book cover, is Lilian Johnston, Canada’s first black Director of Public Health for Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District. Flynn recounts the 88 year-old’s unconventional yet inspirational lifestyle choices.

“She went to Scotland in 1954, and did mid-wifery at 24. She was a teacher in Jamaica, and came to Canada in 1960. She said that because of her personality someone would want to control her. She’s had suitors and people that loved her, but never married or had kids. She said she never regretted it, and wasn’t going to sit around and cry just because she was single. This woman started the Sickle Cell Foundation of Ontario, was appointed to the Order of Ontario, and still rides the subway to this day. I think she is someone we can all learn from.”

Flynn says she feels extremely humbled by the book’s endorsers – some of whom began as mentors who helped her to navigate through the system of higher-education. When she initially applied to York University’s History Department to begin her thesis on black nurses, she was told there were no professors who could supervise the research project.

Professors at Windsor advocated on her behalf and Flynn was eventually accepted. Today, she sees her former York professors as extended family members whose guidance prepared her for her work in the U.S.

“I remember going to a conference at the Canadian History Institution, both of my profs were in the audience. Both Katherine McPherson who was my supervisor at York and Christina Simmons my MA supervisor at Windsor, were in the audience and I told them that ‘It’s on your shoulders that I stand’.

My book has four pages of acknowledgments and people ask me why it’s so long. I thanked everyone going right back to my basic school in Jamaica, because I believe we all did this together.”

Moving Beyond Borders is published by University of Toronto Press, and will be  available in Fall 2011. Dr. Karen Flynn has been invited to Windsor’s Bookfest in November.

True Daley

By True Daley

Most of us have finally warmed up to the fact that summer has arrived. However, if you’re afraid to shed layers of clothing because you haven’t shed those last few pounds, Ayanna Lee-Rivears has the solution. After losing interest and motivation from boring, methodical exercise classes, the fitness instructor decided to stick to her roots and shake up the Canadian fitness industry by creating the Socacize brand.

“This is not just an aerobics class where you incorporate Soca or Reggae music.

We have specifically choreographed routines for each dance. It kind of guides you.

It goes from the Bacchanal Warm Up, to the Cardio Soca Jam,  the Wine and Stay and the Groovy Stretch.”

Adding to the excitement, are live DJ’s, drummers, and surprise guest performers, who keep the momentum going, transforming the exercise class to a carnival atmosphere. Instead of pop or dance music, you’re guaranteed to be moving to African and Caribbean rhythms such as Soca, Reggae, Calypso, Zouk, and Chutney music. Lee-Rivears says by keeping her classes fun and familiar, her clients are able to commit to their fitness goals and burn up to 1000 calories per session.

“I know for myself that I cannot go to a gym and go to a step class, I have to keep moving and I have to be dancing.  I’m sure a lot of people feel the same way. This is not something where we meet, workout and go home. We had a bootcamp in Brampton recently where the DJ just kept playing the music. They all came back and kept on dancing, and no one wanted to go home. They were having such a good time.”

Ayanna Lee-Rivears

The Socacize phenomenon is now five years strong and has expanded to include a seven-week Toronto Carnival Boot-camp, and the Socacize Lifestyle Challenge, which provides healthier alternatives to traditional Caribbean meals. Lee-Rivears says her main focus is teaching people how to have healthy minds, bodies, and spirits. She is passionate about improving their self-confidence and motivating them to increase their quality of life.

“I sincerely enjoy seeing women have fun with their bodies and bringing it out in their personalities. After every boot-camp we have a boat-cruise party called F.L.A.U.N.T., which is based on the Socacize philosophy: feel good, look good, attitude (sexy), unleash, nice-up yourself, and take time in enjoying you!”

With diseases such as diabetes and high-blood pressure affecting the black community at alarming rates, Socacize has African-Canadians wining down their waistlines, palancing off the pounds, and jumping up until nothing jiggles.

Classes are available in Brampton, Scarborough, downtown Toronto, and Durham region. Lee-Rivears’ ground-breaking approach is proving to be a long-standing fitness craze which encapsulates Caribbean culture while changing lives.

See the video below for a sample of a Socacize class.

For more info on Socacize and the F.L.A.U.N.T. boat-cruise visit : www.socacize.com

True Daley

By True Daley

In the best-selling book ‘The Tipping Point’, author Malcolm Gladwell, introduces readers to influential people known as ‘connectors’. They are individuals who ‘link us up with the world, and have a special gift for bringing the world together’.

Although Zola Jeffers has lived in a stable two-parent family in a middle-class suburb for most of her life, it seems she’s been destined to bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots. Like most teens, she says there were a few bumps in the road, before she figured out her true calling.

“It was so funny, because we had a career day at our high school and different people from different professions came in to speak to us. At the time, I thought I wanted to be a social worker, so this lady came in to speak about it, but she was so miserable. It was the worst presentation I’ve ever seen in my life. She focused on all the negative parts of the job. What she said was true. Everybody dumps their problems on you. You take things home, and it’s stressful. It’s always an emergency. But those were the most the poignant parts for her. Everything was negative.  I decided I didn’t want to be a social worker anymore. The lady just totally turned me off.  Since I wasn’t good at math, or the arts, I needed to find something to do. It was a process of elimination.”

Serving others comes naturally to Jeffers, whose mother has been a Community Worker for the past 20 years. From the ages of 10-15, she attended a day camp in Regent Park. Her mother worked in the area providing employment skills to single mothers wishing to reintegrate into society. By the age of 17, she was running a female-specific HIV Prevention program at the camp, which promoted all aspects of healthy living.

Jeffers says her mother’s passion and natural ability to care for others outside of her family, inspired her to do the same. Despite her initial negative introduction to social work, she eventually gained the support needed to move forward.

“It sounds corny, but it just fell into place. Young kids don’t give up their time freely.

I was doing my 40 hours way before you had to do your 40 hours to complete high school. I was volunteering at shelters, not getting paid, and still not knowing what I wanted to do with my life.  I’m looking at it now, and I realize this is the reason I was doing all these things. No one asked me to do it. I didn’t know that was exactly what I needed to do to get to this point. I was just lucky at the time because I had amazing mentors. I saw them having fun with young people, so I was like, “This is great, their job looks easy”.  It worked out for me. I understand where our youth are, when they have absolutely no idea what’s going on, who to connect with, or how to get to where they want to be.”

The understanding gained from her life experiences, has lead her to her current position.

Zola Jeffers

Jeffers is the Team Lead of a landmark three-year gang intervention program, Prevention Intervention Toronto. Run in partnership with the City of Toronto, P.I.T. launched in 2009, with the aim to provide round-the-clock support, to at-risk youth through personal mentorship, programming, and services. The year round program runs in nine-month intervals, serving 13 – 24 year-olds.

P.I.T. is situated in three of Toronto’s priority neighbourhoods, Jane & Finch, Rexdale, and Weston-Mount Dennis, where Jeffers has recently been relocated.

Prior to working with JVS, Jeffers worked in the alternative school system, assisting students with employment, housing, and personal needs. Despite the gaps in the education system, Jeffers acknowledges the positive efforts made by the TDSB to recognize some of the reasons why students in high-needs communities were falling behind.

“The school and Patrick Knight created this position because they understood that a kid with no food on their table does not care about trigonometry. That was a nice balance in bringing in a Community Worker and having a Child and Youth Worker.

They understood that kids couldn’t concentrate if other pressing issues were at the forefront of their minds.”

She says many students were failing in school, due to disinterested parents.

“I can’t tell you how many parents missed PTA meetings. No matter what time we scheduled them. We tried mornings, evenings, weekends. Parents would not come!

It broke my heart. We didn’t even have bad things to say about the kids, there were many of them that we had so much good things to say, and their parents did not show any support. It was frustrating because we wanted to validate the students to the people they spent the most amount of time with, and they were uninvolved. I have to hold black parents accountable for that, because that was one of the most maddening things in working there.”

The opportunity gave Jeffers an inside look at the personal issues troubled black youth had been facing since they were children. Having access to Ontario Student Records helped her to connect the dots when assessing long-term behavioural issues. Some of which, went unaddressed for years.

“There was one kid, who had to write a story in grade 5. His story had pure F bombs, and described how he wanted to murder somebody. The teacher took that, photocopied it and put it inside the OSR.  No 5^th grader should be talking like that, but no one took the time to find out what was going on.”

Serving teens and young adults in conflict with the law, has motivated Jeffers to pursue her career goals further. She says while her current position as a front-line worker is rewarding, she remains focused on a future where she can affect change through social policy.

“People have humbly shared their stories with me, and I want to be able to go to those places, those boardrooms, wherever it is, where people don’t really know what’s going on at the front-lines, to impart some knowledge, and have the clout to do so. I want to ensure that I’m in a place where I can speak – not for the voiceless – but for the people who have been silenced by those in power.”

True Daley

By True Daley

Like his name, Shaka Licorish, is anything but conventional.  One of his many titles is the Senior Program Facilitator & Case Manager of The Canadian Training Institute’s ‘Breaking the Cycle’, a youth gang exit ambassador leadership program.  He is recognized for constantly exploring innovative ways to motivate youth to make better lifestyle choices and break self-destructive patterns. Licorish says his passion and dedication for youth is driven by his personal experiences.

“I definitely endured and developed a lot of resiliency at a young age. I had a name ‘Shaka Licorish’ and often my teachers couldn’t pronounce my first name accurately. They would mash that up and on the first day of school, I’d be listening for roll call. Then I got to a point where it was just dirt off my shoulders.  I flipped it on them like, ‘You’re a teacher, my name is not that complex’. I think I developed a sense of empowerment from having a stronger sense of self. I grew up in Hamilton where there was a mixture of people. There was a strong Jewish community close to where other minorities were. I was definitely exposed to some things that maybe others from similar backgrounds may not have been exposed to. Being involved with sports also exposed me to a lot of different things at a young age. As I got older, it gave me an opportunity to do non-traditional things.”

By ‘non-traditional’, Licorish means introducing Yoga to at-risk youth, as an advisor for the New Leaf Foundation, or coordinating volunteer opportunities overseas, for Breaking The Cycle participants.

By implementing a travel piece to the 6-month program, a recent graduate will be volunteering in the ‘Golden Triangle’ with 3 non-profits, beginning in Thailand. As a child, this young woman witnessed her mother and brother being stabbed multiple times and became abusive to her partners as a result. She has since made the connection between her childhood and her adult life and turned her life around. She is one of many success stories at Breaking The Cycle.

Motivated by his former (American) football career , Licorish says international experience provides youth with an opportunity for self-discovery and personal growth. “I’m passionate about traveling because I feel that was a huge turning point in my life.  I was playing in Denmark, being exposed to a different culture, and being able to withstand the things that came with being in a foreign environment without any support. I didn’t have any friends or family, so I had to develop a level of resiliency and maintain a level of humility at the same time. I had to be humble and take in all that the opportunity had to offer.”

Creating opportunities for youth facing multiple barriers and personal challenges is Licorish’s forte.  However, when gang members are in the same room as their rivals, building camaraderie can be a challenge, to say the least. Before any progress can be made, Licorish says establishing trust is key. “There definitely haven’t been any fatalities since I’ve been a part of BTC. There have been confrontations, and there have been incidents. But one thing that our staff is great at, is building relationships with the young people that we work with, so that we can affect the outcome of some of those confrontations. They trust us, and they know that we are there to support them. They know that they can call me day or night, 24 hours a day. They know I’m available to them.”

Even though he’s a trusted mentor, Licorish admits conflicts still arise within the group, bringing suppressed personal issues to the surface. “There are definitely some situations where youth are dealing with anger issues, and are trying to learn how to cope with vicarious trauma and post-traumatic stress. We help them to deconstruct how these behaviours are linked to their anxiety and anger, so that when they are in that situation they can recognize there are other ways to deal with it, instead of resorting to violence.”

Athletics, travel, academics and community involvement have broadened Licorish’s horizons and provided opportunities to expand his career to include public speaking. He has facilitated workshops with the TDSB for marginalized youth and has also been a guest speaker at York University. In addition, he’s the Senior Facilitator and Advisor for the ‘More than A Haircut Program’, which creates opportunities for peer mentoring and open dialogue between black men at local barbershops throughout the GTA.  Most recently, Licorish was chosen to speak at “The Power of Ideas Conference”, taking place at the Toronto Centre for the Arts on July 9.  The event is spearheaded by a group of young minds from different walks of life that have come together with the aim of spreading inspiration through powerful ideas, which influence young adults to become contributors to society.

Licorish credits his leadership skills and work ethic to his Guyanese mother, who raised him alone while working up to 3 jobs at a time. Although, his father wasn’t involved for most of his life, he says African pride was instilled in him from an early age. “Growing up I really felt like I only had two options, to play basketball or to be a hip-hop star. Then there was the third option, to find other illegitimate ways to be successful. That was my thought process. I don’t think it was really any fault of my own really, because that’s what was being thrown at me through media. Meanwhile, I’d be watching Malcolm X speeches with my father. He would bring books home and I’d be learning about Anansi the Spider. On the weekends all the other kids got to chill and go play, but I had to go to Swahili classes. At that time I didn’t really understand, but when I look back, it’s because he didn’t want me to lose sense of who I was culturally. Now I appreciate that.”

To learn more about Shaka Licorish’s work with the New Leaf Foundation, click on the link below

torontobodymind.ca/articles/new-leaf-empowering-youth-through-yoga

True Daley

By: True Daley

La Toya Rodney is determined to break the cycle of generational poverty, violence and illiteracy. As a self-titled ‘Empowermentor’, she has chosen to use her personal challenges with substance abuse, anorexia, and gang activity to motivate youth and inspire change.

Like her mentees, Rodney’s early experiences living in Toronto’s high-priority neighbourhoods of Jamestown and Jane & Finch, left little opportunity for personal success.   As a teen she struggled with low self-esteem, which spiraled into criminal activities eventually leading to her incarceration at the age of 21.  Ironically, it was while she was serving time, that she discovered her true calling.

Inmates grew to trust her advice and often sought her out for one-on-one counseling.  She also developed her talents in songwriting and rapping (AKA Jane fr Finch) , and was urged by the guards to pursue her talents upon her release.  The almost fatal shootings of her two brothers and a spiritual awakening caused her to turn her life around.  She’s been a community worker since 2006 is currently a Reintegration Worker for Redemption Reintegration Services. She says her unique experiences make her relatable to black youth in particular.

“ I think it goes back to the Afrocentric principles. One of them is knowing your purpose. Helping people is my purpose, and it isn’t only designed for myself. I don’t really think it was a matter of choice. I believe I was put here to do the work that was put in my path to do. I was designed to execute it. I’m true to myself before others. I believe that everyone deserves a second chance and I don’t believe in failures.”

When community organizations want a fresh perspective from a female’s point of view, they call on Rodney for public speaking engagements, workshops, and presentations. She has addressed youth served by Tropicana Community Services, B.L.O.C.K.Headz (Building Links on Community Korners), CAS, Woodgreen Community Services, churches, schools, and girls groups.  Encouraging at-risk youth to make the right choices when they have no reference point can be an almost impossible task. Rodney says she uses simple mathematics to motivate youth to pursue their educational goals.

“I tell them education is the key, and without it, they cannot go anywhere. It’s a big barrier that you cannot get around. I show them that you can’t just work in a job for minimum wage or up to 15 dollars an hour when you could be making up to 40 dollars an hour. You could be hearing words like ‘salary’ and ‘benefits’. When I heard those words, I’m being honest with you – I was 27 and I didn’t even know what packages and benefits were. I went to college, so I should have known what those terms meant, but I didn’t.”

One thing Rodney knows for certain, is the responsibility for safe and healthy communities should not rest squarely on the shoulders of youth alone. As the mother of a teenage son, she says the embarrassing behaviour of the young women she works with is directly related to neglect and poor parenting.

“There are so many routes that white people take to hold onto their families. There needs to be programming for adults because adults are guiding us and a lot of them are failing us. Some mothers aren’t role models for these youth. So many people in this sector believe they should keep their private life separate. Honestly, if you’re in this field, that’s not going to really work out. You need to be able to relate so that they can look up to you. My girls know almost everything about me, of course I keep it professional, but I’m real with them.”