Youth Action Network (YAN) is a national non-profit organization dedicated to motivating and empowering youth to become more informed and actively involved in moving towards a more just and sustainable society. We strongly believe in the ability of youth to affect change in the world.

YAN is currently inviting interested youth, 26 and under, to join our Board of Directors. YAN is a fully youth-for-youth organization and the Board of Directors plays an integral role in the running of the organization and its projects. Among the responsibilities of Directors are attending monthly meetings, actively participating in decision-making and representing YAN. No experience is necessary - just a desire and willingness to meet and work with great people and to make change in our communities! Specific director positions that need to be filled include funding, financial management, communications, and volunteer coordination, but there are many other ways to contribute! Training is provided.

Check out our website for more information about YAN, our mandate and projects. To apply, please fill out the attached application form and send to Tia at tia@youthactionnetwork.org. You can also contact Tia if you would like more information about being a Board member.

Youth Action Forum is a national magazine published by and for Canadian youth ages 15-25. Forum’s mandate is to be a place for young people to share their thoughts, opinions and experiences with other youth across the country. Each issue of Forum is geared towards motivating and encouraging youth to educate themselves and be proactive in their communities.

Our next issue of Forum is on Building Alliances, and will focus on the ways in which youth activists are building links across oppression. We want to highlight the importance of allying different oppressed groups so that we can all work together rather than being segregated in the struggle. Whether it be racism, sexism, homophobia, or ableism, youth are learning and practicing new ways to act as allies, supporting each other in struggle. Send us stories about how you created alliances with other groups that have been oppressed. Write about any artists or groups that you know are working across different barriers of oppression.

We welcome your submissions in the form of articles, poetry, personal reflections, short stories, photography and art. Multimedia submissions (i.e. YouTube videos) are welcome and will be featured on our website. Written submissions should be around 600 words in length, with the exception of poetry. Please email all submissions by June 30th to forum@youthactionnetwork.org, as well as any other enquiries. New Editorial Collective members are always welcome!

http://www.youthactionnetwork.org/projects/forum/

Join us on Facebook!

Please share widely:

Ruckus Conference Co-ordinator

Part-time (20 hours per week)

Youth Action Network (YAN) is looking for a conference coordinator. YAN is dedicated to helping youth become more informed and actively involved in order to move towards a just and sustainable society. We strongly believe in the ability of youth to affect change in the world. We understand the need for a stronger voice and for greater participation in our local and global communities. The main functions of YAN are to provide information and promote action. YAN is always looking to develop the capacities of youth in a variety of different manners and through this position are interested in helping a young person develop organizing, outreach, planning, and marketing skills.

Your primary responsibilities as Ruckus Coordinator will involve planning and implementing Ruckus during November.

Ruckus! is a two-day, anti-racism conference for youth, and a week-long series of events leading up to the conference.

See full post for details on applying:

(more…)

For the second year in a row the Ontario Arts Council has awarded Nikki Goldman a grant to teach photography to inner city youth through LAMP Community Health Centre. The youth sponsored by the South Etobicoke Youth Assembly who participate in the project not only learn actual tangible skills in photography but also walk away with a sense of self-esteem and pride. The project allows youth to gain knowledge in black and white photography, portraiture, processing film, darkroom procedures, digital cameras and image manipulation.

The exhibition for the CONTACT Festival provides the youth a chance to also learn about organizing an exhibition and the process behind submitting your work to a gallery. Thus the youth further their tangible skills in acquiring knowledge in a gallery exhibition while concurrently they are continually building their self-esteem, as they are able to see their finished work mounted and framed on a gallery wall. The youth increase personal pride and confidence in their artistic abilities and express themselves through their art. For these youth this is a substantial experience, as they receive inner strength from the finished product.

The 2008 CONTACT festival is titled: Between Memory and History. This theme explores the power of photography by revealing the richness and complexity that photographs can depict, whether they are records of memories or moments of history etched into the film forever. The exhibition opens Wednesday May 7 at 6 pm at the Assembly hall and runs through May 22. It includes photographs from youth from LAMP Community health Centre, Father John Redmond Catholic High School and Lakeshore Collegiate Institute.For more information contact Nikki at nikki@circledream.com or by phone at 416-525-1387.

Click here for the full event flyer!

The Student Artists of the Lakeshore Area (SALA) Present:

The Unveiling Ceremony of their new community mural at Yummy Pizza, 196 Royal York Road, on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 from 6:30pm until 7:30pm.

At the Unveiling Ceremony SALA will present their mural as a gift to the Mimico community. A number of community members contributed to the design of the mural by attending SALA’s community consultation and sharing their knowledge of the history of Mimico. The mural consists of three panels; the first representing the past, the second the present and the third the future. The central focus of the mural is a tree, which ultimately comes to dwarf the city that has grown in around it. It’s presence symbolizes the power of the natural world, as well as the knowledge that can be gleaned from one’s history.

SALA is a LAMP student employment project funded by the City of Toronto’s Graffiti Transformation Program. Over the winter the SALA team, including six staff and three volunteers, completed two murals with the intention of transforming public spaces into vibrant outdoor galleries. SALA develops the employability of youth by providing relevant training and practical work experience. Youth attended an employability skills workshop, learned to write proper resumes, and were involved in community outreach and collaboration. Team-building and problem-solving were emphasized, and artistic skills were developed under the mentorship of an Artist Facilitator.

The SALA team includes Amir Akbari, Christian Bortey, Ali Lewis, Melissa McGrath, Heather McNiece, Nathan Trudel, Michael Falagario, Kasia Hurtado-Milewska and Sara McManus.

Think Peace & Issues in Tibet

Join us for an evening of films and discussion encouraging our community to think about peace and what we can do locally to make a difference globally.

When: Friday, May 9th

Time: Doors open at 7pm – show starts at 7:30

Where: Buddies at Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander Street (North of College, just East of Yonge)

Cost: $8 advance tickets online www.meowfilms.com (PLEASE PRINT RECEIPT)
$10 at the door (under/unemployed, seniors & students sliding scale seats available at the door)

(more…)

International Youth Week
May 3 - 10, 2008

What is Youth Week? Youth Week is held during the first week of May each year. Youth Week brings young people of various communities together to promote youth achievement, activism and volunteerism. Its goal is to motivate and inspire young people in Canada and internationally to contribute to their community year-round.

If you have an event planned, or would like to plan something, send an email to general@youthactionnetwork.org to let us know! For planning ideas and resources, visit www.youthactionnetwork.org/projects/youth-week

Big thanks to all the volunteers, facilitators, tablers, and participants at Ruckus!

YAN appreciates your energy and involvement!

Youth Action Network would like to especially thank Dr. June Larkin, Women and Gender Studies and Equity Studies Departments at New College and the facilities and residence staff at Wetmore and Wilson Hall.

YAN is also grateful to all the teachers, community workers and activists who made the conference possible.

To view more photos check out YAN’s Flickr site.

(more…)

set up lunch and snacks | keep the conference on schedule | give directions to washrooms and workshops | set up equipment and clean up afterwards | be a Ruckus journalist or media support person | and more!

Monday, November 19th | 4:30-5:30pm | Youth Action Network office
176 John St. suite 307

Set in LA, 2004, Crash introduces over a dozen racially and economically diverse characters whose experiences intersect in multiple ways over a 36 hour period. Some key themes include justice, racism, responsibility to family, friends and community, police, guilt and innocence. A compelling drama, this story can evoke a variety of emotions and responses.

See www.crashfilm.com for details about the film

Youth Empowerment Action (YEA) Centre
721 Palmerston Ave (enter from Barton Street)
6pm-9pm

Screening and discussion.
Open to all youth interested in discussing racism and challenging oppression. What does this movie say about racism? What are some of the problems the movie shows? What bothers you about this movie? What do you like about it?

Snacks provided, free.

For more information email Kathy or give us a call at: 416.368.2277!