New Social Innovation Hub gives Jane and Finch students a space to call their own

York University students from the Jane and Finch neighbourhood have been voicing a need for a place of their own on campus, to gather, build stronger connections with each other, foster mentorship, share resources and continue to build their leadership skills. That’s how the new Jane Finch Student Innovation Hub, designed for and by the students whose unique needs it serves, was born.

Launched on Jan. 30 at an event attended by faculty, staff, partners and members of the community, the hub will provide students with access to study groups, tutoring, information workshops and trips, all with an eye to helping them navigate the academic, social and administrative elements of university life.

The hub, located in the Centre for Public Sociology in Ross Building (N141) at Keele Campus, is a result of a partnership between York University Faculty Association’s (YUFA) Community Projects Committee, the Resource Centre for Public Sociology, Success Beyond Limits and the Department of Sociology at York. It builds on the work of Success Beyond Limits and York University – TD Community Engagement Centre’s First Year Network which focuses on supporting youth in their transition from high school to post-secondary education.

Lorna Erwin, Co-Chair of YUFA Community Projects, spearheaded the initiative to bring together the partners to collaborate to develop the hub. The new space will help students with a range of academic supports and help incoming students navigate university life.

“Through the support of our partners we finally have a space on campus that is dedicated to supporting the transition and leadership abilities of students form our local high schools,” said Talisha Ramsaroop, Community Project Coordinator with the TD Community Engagement Centre. “I’m excited to see the new opportunities and innovative ideas that will grow out of the space.”

Khadar Hilowle, is a forth-year history major at York University and the Jane Finch Innovation Hub Coordinator. He was motivated to take on a mentorship role because he remembers the challenges he faced as a new student. “It’s kind of like a pay it forward, because when I came to York University, my first year, I had a lot of help because my sisters came here beforehand, and I was able to tap into the resources that they had,” he said.

To learn more about getting involved with the Jane Finch Social Innovation Hub, contact the York University – TD Community Engagement Centre’s Community Projects coordinator Talisha Ramsaroop or Success Beyond Limits Executive Director Mohamed Ahmed.

A full calendar of events organized by the York University – TD Community Engagement Centre can be found on the centre’s website. Visit York’s community engagement website to discover the many ways York University engages and serves the community.

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Our summer was filled with excitement and learning. Check out our recap video that highlights some of our greatest moments and memories!

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Our annual March Break Career Exploration Program is always evolving, growing and changing. 2019’s version was no different. We always endeavor to design our March Break Program new every year and tailor it to the interests and aspirations of our young people. This year we focused on careers in law, tech, and politics.

March Break Report 2019

Our Youth Space is dedicated to the young people who need it. Operating out of this space, located at Westview C.S.S, we run various programs aimed at engaging youth. Each month we aim to go on a different trip. Those who participate in our homework club get first dibs on any events/trips that we go on.

We went to Skyzone; a place for youth to have fun playing dodge ball while jumping on a trampoline. A familiar trip for us but it is always refreshing to have a new group of youth each year! The obstacle course was a challenge but one of the best workouts for everyone who came.

You’ve seen the video now here is the report you’ve been waiting for. A closer look at what we’ve been up too this year and an opportunity for us to share some stories and profiles of the great people in our program.

Summer Report 2018

This summer was amazing and we had a young person who is also a former participant put together this video. Did I mention it was her first time making a video? She is an amazing photographer and did a great job capturing our summer experience in a short video. Look out for our Summer Report coming to a website near you!

You read the report, it painted a picture, now check out the video that highlights an engaging week.

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This year’s March Break Career Exploration Program focused on the increasingly technological nature of young people’s lives. More and more, growing up today means you are almost born with digital tech and grow up in a social media world. Hence, we wanted to focus on not only post-secondary trajectories, career exploration – as we do every year – but we also wanted to focus on young people, social media and digital technology. In doing that, we were able to really tap into the zeitgeist of the moment as it relates to young people who are, in so many ways, growing up in a whole new digitally interconnected world. The week focused on this new reality and made sure we instilled fun, education, technology and Hip Hop!

Check out the report below!

2018 March Break Report

The Toronto Maple Leafs are celebrating 100 years and have invited youth from across the city to join them in this celebration. Thanks to Kids Up Front, an organization that is dedicated in getting kids in seats for any sporting game happening in the city, we had the pleasure of being invited. 15 of us listened in on some of the notable comments made about the 100 years; we ate a spectacular meal and of course got to watch a mid day game at the Air Canada Centre. We are excited to always partner with Kids Up Front and look forward to more opportunities for youth from our community of Toronto.

The time has come for great films, fun moments and of course a chance to rub shoulders with celebrities. In partnership with tiff we are always excited to expose our youth to a world of film each and every September. This opportunity has allowed for some young people to think about film in a different way. Meaning a way that feels more attainable rather than thinking of film as only blockbuster screenplays that make it to Cineplex. Film can be a chance to tell our stories and share it with the community or the world through festivals such as this one. Please check out the tiff website for a complete list and just know that we hope to have some young SBL people on that list soon!