News

Participants of the Community Walk of Hope for Peace gather Sunday, Sept. 14 during their commemorative walk for slain teacher Abshir Hassan and other victims of gun violence in the Lawrence Heights area.

It has been just over two months since popular school teacher Abshir Hassan walked out of his Lawrence Heights apartment building, moved his car to avoid a ticket, andwas fatally struck by a spray of bullets police say was not intended for him.

York University MEd student Abshir Hassan (BA ’08, BEd ’11) was known by family, friends and the community as a hard-working and caring individual who was admired for his work with youth in the Lawrence Heights community where he was raised. He was a passionate teacher who wanted to make a difference in his community and in the lives of the children who lived there.

Abshir Hassan (BA ’08, BEd ’11) 

 

Tragically, Hassan’s life of inspiring community work was cut short when he was fatally shot outside his apartment on July 8 at the age of 31.

“The York community mourns the loss of this gifted teacher and dedicated community leader,” Mamdouh Shoukri, York’s president and vice-chancellor, remarked. “Abshir Hassan was not only a York graduate student and two-time alumnus, but he was the kind of student who embodies the very best of this institution. We extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, colleagues and fellow students at York.”

Hassan earned his undergraduate degree in psychology from York’s Faculty of Health in 2008 and then went on to earn his bachelor of education degree from York’s Faculty of Education in 2011. He was working on his MEd at the time of his death, with plans to pursue his PhD through the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

Ron Owston, dean of the Faculty of Education, said, “Abshir is fondly remembered by all who came into contact with him as brilliant, loving and passionately committed to social justice. All of us suffer when a member of our community is lost and we want to express our condolences to his family and friends.”

“For me to describe Abshir in words [is] almost next to impossible,” his father Ahmed Hassan shared. “His actions towards people he has met in his short life superseded everything I hoped for in a child.”

He was a role model, leader and mentor who did everything he could to ensure his students—he taught at several local schools, including Lawrence Heights Middle School—worked hard and gave their best effort. He also mentored students as a volunteer in after-school programs with Success Beyond Limits. He made it a point to let his students and the kids in his community know the value of an education and continuous learning. He was a brilliant example of that message through his pursuit of graduate studies at York University.

Abshir Hassan (BA ’08, BEd ’11) 

“Abshir was a curious, committed and engaging graduate student,” Professor Carl James, Hassan’s MEd supervisor, recalls. “He was interested in learning, in exchanging ideas and getting at the heart of the issues that pertain to the low achievement of racialized students—particularly Somalis and other black students. This concern informed much of Abshir’s graduate work, including his thesis, which looked at the complexity of identity. He wished to produce work that challenged the essentialized ways in which Somalis were presented in the media and, as he would say, ‘in the imagination of Westerners who thought that Somalis were unwilling to adapt to these Western societies.’ ”

Professor Nombuso Dlamini, who also worked closely with Hassan, described him as a rising academic star with a wealth of intellectual curiosity. “He was always reading and debating with me about issues of social identity and the way that young African Canadians—what he so fondly referred to as generation 1.5–construct, negotiate and make meaning of their social identities and experiences. He was also interested in knowing how the experiences of young people like him can inform theory and scholarship. He would say, ‘Professor, let’s talk about this transnational identity thing,’ and a long scholarly conversation would begin.”

Hassan is survived by his dad, three younger brothers and a younger sister, all of whom live north of Toronto, as well as his mother and older brother in Somalia.

Celebrating the Life of Abshir Hassan: A Memorial Concert

Through a generous partnership with York University, a memorial concert event will be held in honour of Abshir Hassan on Sept. 7 from 4-8pm at the Tribute Communities Recital Hall in Accolade East Building (Keele campus).

The doors open at 4pm for light refreshments and a reception where those attending can share stories and talk with one another. The performances begin promptly at 5pm, with a short intermission and more performances to follow. Food will be served at 8pm.

Throughout the evening, stories and memories about Abshir’s life, work and volunteerism will be shared with those in attendance, with a slideshow to be shown at the end of the evening.

Tickets to the event cost $10 and can be purchased at the door. This is a benefit concert and all proceeds will be going to preserve Abshir’s legacy.

http://advancement.yorku.ca/2014/08/19/remembering-dedicated-teacher-community-mentor-and-york-grad-abshir-hassan-ba-08-bed-11/

Through a generous partnership with York University and the Toronto District School Board, Celebrating the Life of Abshir Hassan: A Memorial Concert will be held on September 7th between 4pm-8pm. The doors open at 4pm for light refreshments as well as a reception where those attending can share stories and talk with one another. The performances begin promptly at 5pm, midway there will be a short intermission and then more performances will follow. Food will be served at 8:00pm. Throughout the evening stories and memories about Abshir’s life, work and volunteerism will be shared with those in attendance. A slideshow will be shown at the end of the evening. It is a ticketed event, and tickets cost $10. All are welcomed to attend.  Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door. This is a benefit concert and all proceeds will be going to preserve Abshir’s legacy.

Community-University-School Collaboration: Applying What We’ve Learned to a Jane/Finch context

Workshop was held as a panel discussion followed by interactive discussion that leads to generating new ideas for community-university-school collaborations with the Jane-Finch community in mind. The workshop included a presentation of academic literature on effective models of community-university-school collaborations from other jurisdictions.  It will be followed by a presentation by Success Beyond Limits and over 7 years of community-university-school collaboration experience aimed at supporting youth educational attainment in Jane Finch.  York U-TD Community Engagement Centre provided an overview of its revised mandate, core functional areas and activities.  The workshop moved into an interactive discussion intended to generate dialogue and new ideas moving forward with a focus on York/Jane-Finch community partners and local school boards.

Success Beyond Limits in partnership with MorCan Direct is excited to announce The Graduation Model Scholarship!

See the pdf below for more info:

SBL & MorCan Direct Scholarship

On April 30th, 2014, SBL was proud to host the Toronto International Film Festival and the CityLife Film Project at Westview Centennial for an incredible screening and filmmaker panel.

Attached is the SBL Summer Program posting for TDSB teachers.

Please apply to it and/or share it as is relevant to you.

Application for Teaching – Exploring Family Studies, Stong College, York University, 2014

You can now find intriguing articles about Toronto’s very own Raptors on the RaptorRapture website written by SBL youth! Through this new collaboration, our youth are able to express their ideas and opinions about the NBA and more particularly the Raptors all while gaining valuable experience.  You can check out these great articles and more at www.raptorsrapture.com

http://raptorsrapture.com/2014/02/26/guest-post/ – Article by Khadar Abukar

http://raptorsrapture.com/2014/02/10/steve-novak-get-man-playing-time/- Article by P.K Boateng

http://raptorsrapture.com/2014/02/08/los-angeles-clippers-118-toronto-raptors-105-come-home-guys/ – Article by P.K Boateng

On Friday April 25^th and Saturday April 26^th, students from all over the GTA gathered together at the Mckinsey office in downtown Toronto for a day of leadership development and skill building at Mckinsey’s annual Youth Leadership Forum (YLF).

Over the course of these two days students made connections with other youth leaders from around the city and even business professionals from Mckinsey.

Youth were also required to brainstorm solutions to a practical scenario, where they worked collaboratively and applied their own unique experiences and expertise. Motivational speakers from Mckinsey and other organizations such as Habitat for Humanity were brought in to inspire the youth and guide them through this educational experience.

Khadar Abukar, a Success Beyond Limits (SBL) youth who was one of the students accepted into the YLF states “This forum taught me to be more confident in my self and in my abilities. No problem is too big and that if you collaborate with others it makes tackling a problem that much easier.”

Mohamed Ibrahim, another SBL youth who attended the YLF shared a similar sentiment and went on to state, “I learned that there are a lot of people that feel and think the way I do that are from different communities. This made me feel confident in myself that there are others that also want good for their community.”

Mohamed and Khadar are both eager to take the knowledge and skills gained from this forum and apply it to their everyday experiences, building on the skills that they tapped into during this initiative.

Check out McKinsley’s Youth Leadership Forum Website:

http://www.ylftoronto.ca/