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Rosmun Prescod is an outgoing young lady, who not too long ago graduated from Westview Centennial Secondary School. Rosmun is now a Post-secondary student at Humber College studying social work, where she plans on utilizing her passion and skills to support young people within her community.

Rosmun admits that she was very unsure of her career goals during her high school years. It was not until she was introduced to the  “Promoting Excellence” program staff (prior to the Success Beyond Limits program) that she began thinking about her future. Her experience with the Success Beyond Limits Program provided the resources and support needed to explore various venues.  Her experience within these positive spaces meant that she was able to experience diverse programing and be exposed to a variety of opportunities.

As she thinks back to what made her enrol into a Post-Secondary Program such as social work, it becomes clear that this passion stems back to the years when she was a just a mentee in the SBL program. These experiences ultimately shaped her decision to pursue a career closely tied to community.

Rosmun is currently conducting her Community Engagement Placement (a requirement for her degree at Humber College) with the Success Beyond Limit’s organization, employing her passion for community, formal education and her experiences within the SBL youth space. She has proven to be yet another example of how support through mentorship can positively help development.  The organization recognizes Rosmun’s tremendous personal growth and encourages her to shoot for the stars!

In November, our monthly Toronto Foundation Vital Youth grant meant taking over World Bowl for a night of friendship and fun.  See it captured here – so beautifully – by our resident filmmaker Sariena (15 years young!).

As a part of our ongoing Vital Youth series of monthly sports and recreation events, we took it outdoors with the 1LoveTO Skate Party at the Harbourfront Centre.  On Saturday, December 21^st we filled up a bus and hit the ice.  It was an incredible evening, and a great way to kick off the holiday break.  For those who missed, check out the amazing video.  Believe me, you WANT to go skating with us.

It has been 6 months since the tragic passing of Abshir Hassan – a TDSB teacher, a community activist, graduate student and SBL family. As we continue to mourn his loss, we have been thinking about what it means and what comes next.

In continuing the important work Abshir was doing in the Jane and Finch and Lawrence Heights Community, in partnership with York University, SBL has established an awards fund looking to invest in young people who share first and foremost a similar passion in the uplifting of their communities. The award is being organized by two of Abshir’s closes friends and SBL staff Tesfai Mengesha and Sam Tecle.

Sam Tecle was on Metro Morning speaking to Matt Galloway sharing stories about growing up with Abhsir Hassan or has he refers to him Ab.

Here’s a link below:

http://www.cbc.ca/metromorning/episodes/2015/01/20/abshir-fund/

You can donate to Abshir’s Award Fund at the following link:

forabshir.ca

With Toota going back to school, we posted a position for our After School program and Youth Space at Westview.  The pool of applications was incredible, and there were a number of candidates who would be phenomenal, ready to hit the ground running.

We are excited to announce that Sam Tecle is the newest member of the SBL team.  Sam has a long-history with our program as a teacher in our summer program, as well as a consistent volunteer and mentor to many of our mentors.  Currently working on his PhD through the York University Faculty of Education, Sam brings a wealth of experience having grown up in the Jane and Finch community, working as a teacher, and deeply involved in community initiatives.

Most importantly, he will be a welcoming face in our programs.  He will begin on Monday, January 19^th and will be reachable through s.tecle@successbl.com as of Monday.

On Friday, January 9^th youth all over the GTA gathered at the Rogers Center for the 2015 Jays Care Foundation Amateur Baseball Clinic.  Thanks to our great friends at TD Bank, SBL youth enjoyed an evening of relationship building and discovery.

This opportunity incorporated many of the key elements in line with SBL’s mandate , including exposure of both the city and new activities and a space for relationship building. Students were given the opportunity to learn baseball fundamentals, explore the Blue Jays facilities all while having a blast!

“It was a great day. We got to do many different things. I’ve never played baseball before and I got to learn about it.”

-Haji Shee- Grade 9

The jays clinic was an amazing experience because i got to learn the fundamentals and techniques of playing baseball and got great advice from experienced players 😀

–Malik Mude- Grade 10

It was refreshing for the youth to practice baseball while leaving their comfort zone-Samuel Boakye- SBL Staff

Having the opportunity to explore arenas outside of Jane and Finch and doing so with their peers was an experience they will never forget!

If you know SBL, you know Toota – our After School Supervisor.  From running our programming after school and playing a lead role in our summer program, to partnering with and supporting many initiatives across Westview, she has played an important role in the presence of SBL at Westview.

We wanted to share with you that this will be her last week as the After School Supervisor, as she is going back to school for Human Resource Management at Seneca College.   We are sad to see her go, but happy for her in this important step that she is taking.

She will still be working with SBL on a part-time basis as our Organizational Administrator, but her regular presence in ALL aspects of our programming and space will be deeply missed.

For all inquiries related to our After School Program, please contact Shanaz Ali (s.ali@successbl.com).  They have been working closely together running the program, so the transition should be a smooth one!

Presila Mason is a young African Canadian woman with lots of ambition and the will to do better. She grew up in the Jane – Finch community and knows how the negative stereo types of the community can be internalized by youth usually leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy. Presila remembers what she was like prior to her interaction with SBL of which she believed that she had to be rowdy and loud. However, today Presila is proud to say that she has matured tremendously from a person who had a don’t care attitude, to a young woman who wants to be a dedicated mentor for the SBL organization with the intention of giving back to her community. Presila feels SBL is invaluable to the community as the organization promotes a friendly but impactful space, which helps Jane-Finch youth develop an interest to be mentors for their community. After admitting that being around SBL staff has made her eager to get involved and serve young people.

As Presila has visions of one day becoming a prestigious lawyer, she encourages her peers to be and do better with their current situation. Finally, Presila highlights how SBL has helped her become more approachable, open minded, and willing to learn something new, while stepping out of her comfort zone. SBL commends her independent attitude and wishes nothing but the best for her, GO Presila!

Corrie Calliste is an intelligent African Canadian woman who is a vigorous athlete at Westview Centennial. Corrie is a powerful example of the reality of how student needs are diverse, and not every student is engaged in the same manner; as the needs of students must be intentionally considered when attempting to ensure their success. Corrie recalls that she was a shy and quiet person who was not doing well in school prior to her path crossing SBL’s. The lack of student engagement in the education system seemed to be something that immensely affected Corrie growing up in her middle school phase of the education system. Corrie being part of the summer program had been exposed to a more engaging atmosphere which has proven to be the catalyst to her having an enjoyable and successful high school experience. Currently in grade 10, Corrie recognizes that she has grown tremendously from a girl who was not interested in school to a young woman who takes pride in her educational experience as well as her performance. Corrie plans to study medicine with the intentions of being a medical doctor. SBL recognizes and encourages Corrie’s growth and cheering her on to keep on going! GO Corrie!