Check out our March Break Report which highlights our successes and achievements throughout the week. Be sure to also take a look at our video that captures the march break in ways that the report cannot (Click here for the video).
Below is the link to the report.
Attention all students and parents of African descent. Check out an extensive directory of scholarships you can apply to!
Students from four Jane and Finch area high schools visited Harvard University last week, on a trip that was organized by Harvard student Toni Morgan.
Our 2016 March Break Career Exploration Program this year was a big success. This video highlights many of those successes throughout each day. Be sure to also check out our March Break report which will be posted on our website very shortly. Big thank you goes to TDSB, United Way of Toronto, York Region and Hive Toronto!
We take the time to share the work we do, but we don’t always tell the story behind WHO does this amazing work. Each month we will touch on a different staff, youth, partner that makes all this possible. Meet Tesfai Mengesha – educator, community worker and graduate student. Tesfai’s role currently is Academic and Social Co-ordinator, where he makes use of his deep passion for issues surrounding equity and education while connecting youth to opportunities to support their success.
Tesfai is currently completing his Masters of Education at York University where he is examining how curriculums and classrooms can be more inclusive, critical and relevant to today’s students. In partnership with TDSB Equity and Inclusive Schools Department, Tesfai was part of a collective of writers who authored Rhymes to Re-education (2014), which is a book providing teachers with units, lessons and best practices that span the breadth of Ontario’s K-12 curriculum. Growing up, studying and now working in the Jane and Finch community, Tesfai has deep intimate knowledge of the barriers and challenges faced in Toronto’s educational system bringing a wealth of knowledge of the ways equity can be met despite these challenges. #Growingtogether – #ourstories #ourstrengths
It’s that time of year that summer site lead and teaching applications for the SBL Summer Program are available. Applications are due Friday, April 29 via email. See the links below for applications.
Site Lead Success Beyond Limits 2016
Application for Teaching – Exploring Family Studies 2016
At the 2015 Kitty Lundy Memorial Lecture, our SBL alumni performed pieces inspired by the book titled Elizabeth & Hazel: Two Women of Little Rock, which takes as its starting point the iconic civil rights era news photograph depicting teenagers Elizabeth Eckford and Hazel Bryan. Our youth had the chance to engage with the book and create the spoken word pieces which you can check out below.
Performances by: Suvannah, Abdulkadir “Moose” Nur, Kareem Bennett, and DC Williams
Transportation and accommodations for 25 youth mentors
Campus tours for youth
Visits with Harvard African American Student Groups
Networking with current Harvard students and engage in conversations around topics generated by youth mentors
Get a real sense of post-secondary life at an elite institution
Registration to Harvard’s Black Policy Conference
Now is the perfect time for this amazing opportunity as two members of our SBL family are currently at Harvard. The Toronto connection is strong as graduate students Toni Morgan and Sam Tecle have been at Harvard since September. Toni is a graduate student in Harvard’s Education Department and Sam is a visiting PhD student from York’s Sociology Department and also a former SBL staff member!
Toni and Sam, both Toronto community workers, will serve as liaisons, tour guides and bridges for the youth to ensure they get the most out of their Harvard experience and their trip to Boston.
No contribution is too small!
Come to @SuccessBL Youth Space @WestviewCentSS for the Premier’s Council on Youth Opportunities “Listening Tour” Feb. 12th at 3:30PM
Register today https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/pcyo-listening-tour-west-gta-tickets-19433874241
In 2013, Toota Hassanien came across a Success Beyond Limits info booth at York University and inquired about volunteer opportunities within the organization. In those first few months as a volunteer, she tutored students, assisted with our after school program, and contributed to strengthening our evaluation efforts. As summer approached – our most intense time for programming – she took on a seasonal role and made her mark as a part of the SBL team. With the start of the school year she was successful in obtaining the role of After School Supervisor.
As all of our mentors, students, parents, partners, board members and team members are well aware, her contributions to the growth and impact of Success Beyond Limits have always been at a high level, and have been critical in so many of the positive steps we have taken.
Building on her York U degree in psychology, Toota went back to school in 2015 to complete a Human Resources certificate at Seneca. This focus on expanding her knowledge and skills was applied directly to SBL where she engaged in building critical structures within the organization. Her passion for evaluation and building a strong and resilient organization led to the formation of the role of Organizational Assistant, which she has operated in for the past year.
These accomplishments and contributions have been vital to SBL, but they are not what Toota has been most known and loved for. She is always present and prepared to drop anything for someone that needs to talk and to be heard. She has brought a positive presence into our space that reflects the welcoming and supportive place SBL strives to provide in the community. Her heart is always dialed in to help and to be of assistance wherever needed.
As Toota takes these steps forward in her own professional growth, she will remain a part of the SBL family. SBL will not be the same without Toota, but it is better because she has been a part of it.