ACCESS presents the 5th Annual

Thank you in advance for taking the time to review this package. We have an exciting opportunity to present.

Throughout the next few pages, you will find background information about our youth-run non-profit organization, ACCESS; an overview of Youth Making a Difference; and the opportunities we have created for you to join us very in our fifth annual Youth Making a Difference Conference in February.

Our team has put together something very exciting this year – not only an inspirational conference, but an engaging community challenge where our students and their schools can make a real difference.

If you have any questions regarding these materials, or require any additional details, please feel free to contact us at any time!

Thank you for your support!

Daniel Francavilla | Founder + PresidentACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education

Package Contents

Introduction + Why Attend YMAD

YMAD Conference Vision + Social Justice Day

YMAD Details – Conference Day + Programming

Community Challenge Topic Overviews

Registration Instructions

Conference Schedule + Venue

Contact + Team Details

For more updates, visit ymad.ca.

Welcome!We’re making a difference in our community. You and your students are invited to join us!

Youth Making a Difference (YMAD) is a one-day conference hosted by ACCESS that aims to educate, empower and inspire local youth to make a difference. The conference has been attended by over 2000 students from Peel Region over the past 5 years. Students are encouraged to build their passion for social justice and transform it into positive action!

IntroductionWhat is YMAD?

Students will get to:

• Get connected with experts on social issues• Meet like-minded individuals passionate about social justice• Find meaningful volunteer experiences • Collaborate with other innovative and creative students• Create practical solutions for local issues

Educators will get to:• Attend an exclusive educator workshop• Integrate social justice issues into the classroom

• Make connections with community organizations• Connect with other socially-conscious educators• Access online Educator Resources

Why Attend YMAD?

After 5 years,our conferences have inspired over

2000 students and over

50 local non-profitorganizations

This year the YMAD Team has taken an unprecedented step forward and developed an innovative new vision for the conference. We are really excited to bring these changes to you and your students, because nothing just like this has been available for your community until now!

YMAD 2013 will be a results based conference that will directly engage students as active change-makers and not just passive listeners. The conference will consist of: opening ceremonies, topic talks, workshops, group presentations, organization fair and a closing ceremony in which awards for recognition will be presented to conclude the day.

At the YMAD conference, students will attend a workshop with a real world expert on a particular social issue.

Within their topic groups, participants will work with facilitators to discuss the issues, cooperate to develop ideas and imagine possible futures.

Students are encouraged to develop creative concepts for: an awareness campaign, fundraiser, or active volunteer initiative that could exist right here in Ontario and contribute to change in their topic area. Students will collaborate, think outside the box and look close to home for ways to contribute to social justice.

Participants will have the opportunity to meet like minded people, develop interpersonal skills, practice collaborative problem solving and engage with their local community through social innovation!

In honour of World Day of Social Justice, YMAD will be focusing on key Social Justice issues. Social Justice is an underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations. We uphold principles of social justice when we promote gender equality or the rights of indigenous peoples and migrants. We advance social justice when we remove barriers that people face due to gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability.

The UN General Assembly designated February 20 as World Day of Social Justice, inviting us to devote the day to promoting national activities in accordance with the objectives and goals of the World Summit for Social Development.

Observance of World Day of Social Justice should support efforts of the international community in poverty eradication, the promotion of full employment and decent work, gender equity and access to social well-being and justice for all.

The UN recognizes that social development and social justice are indispensable for the achievement and maintenance of peace and security within and among nations and that, in turn, social development and social justice cannot be attained in the absence of peace and security or in the absence of respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Join us for our Community Challenge, to not only be exposed to Social Justice issues, but to engage and create solutions.

World Day of Social Justice

Conference VisionYMAD 2013

Welcoming | Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremonies will get the students in the right frame of mind for the rest of the conference. The day will begin with welcome talks, an explanation of the significance of the World Day of Social Justice and a general keynote to set the general tone for the rest of the conference.

Educating | Topic Talks

Students will then move to their topic rooms where they will meet with their topic leader and learn about the issues pertaining to their topic, as well as opportunities for potential success. Each topic talk will conclude with an explanation of the activity handbooks and the process for the coming workshops. (Educator Workshop available).

Making | Workshops

In groups of 5, students will complete their activity handbooks which will guide them through their topic challenges. The handbook contains instructions, guidelines for their deliverables and a summary of the issues to keep them on track. The topic leader and workshop facilitator will float between groups to answer group questions and provide some direction where necessary.

Sharing | Presentations

At the end of the workshops the students will present their solution concepts in a dynamic way. The presentations should highlight the creativity of their idea and explain how the students could directly contribute if the idea was implemented.

Connecting | Organization Fair

Students will receive their lunches and move to the organization fair where they will have time to network, connect with peers, and engage with local organizations which are contributing to social good in Peel Region and beyond.

Recognizing | Closing Ceremony

The closing ceremonies will tie up the day with a concluding speaker, presentation of awards recognizing some of the most interesting solutions and a brief thank you to some of our contributors.

Continuing | Beyond YMAD

Share your progress and projects at SpeakUpForChange.ca and YMAD.ca.

The day of the conference will be packed with programming on a tight timeline so we encourage all participants to arrive on time! The conference doors will open at 8:30 am for sign-in and programming will run from 9:00 am – 1:30 pm. Parking is available on-site and details will be sent out to teachers as their school’s registration is confirmed.

YMAD DetailsConference Day

Programming Overview

Community Challenge TopicsWe’ve curated a broad range of topics this year. There are a variety of ways in which people of all ages and experience levels can get involved. In some topics, students may all agree on ways to contribute, while others will require compromise to find a solution that works as a group. All the topics, however, have a great deal of room for creative and innovative approaches, which is what YMAD is all about!

Diminish Deprivation | Poverty AlleviationNot many people know that 1 in 7 people and 1 in 5 children right here in Peel Region are living in poverty. This statistic is even more extreme if you account for “at risk” communities as well.

Students will learn about poverty in Peel region and confront these issues through discussion and the development of possible concepts for a resolution.

Earth Ethos | Environmental IssuesNow more than ever, the environment is an important focus of discussion. Climate change and environmental degradation are affecting communities worldwide. While awareness is growing, grassroots action in our communities is lagging behind.

Students will question the possibilities for change and develop concepts for practical local contributions.

Destroy Discrimination | Diversity & InclusionWe live in one of the most diverse communities in the world. Despite this, a variety of forms of discrimination and stigma exist that challenge people in our society. The future of inclusion is in the hands of youth who will be the policy makers of tomorrow.

Students will learn about inclusion and develop concepts to combat stereotypes and accept allkinds of people in our community.

Mental Matters | Mental HealthMental illnesses will be directly experienced by 20% of Canadians in their lifetimes. Challenges from ranging from anxiety to bipolar disorder can have a huge impact on individuals, families and communities. However, many people who feel they are suffering from mental health issues will not seek help, in part due to fear of public stigma.

Students will discuss mental health issues in Peel. They will then create concepts to challenge stigma and stereotypes amongst their peers.

Real Reservations | Aboriginal IssuesAlthough indigenous communities have played a very important role in the history of Peel Region, issues that affect Ontario indigenous communities are surprisingly often absent from public discussion. Many of the issues from the other YMAD topic areas are compounded for indigenous populations.

Students will learn about indigenous issues in Ontario and be challenged to question the possibilities of how they can collaborate to affect change.

Topic Overviews

The purpose of this event isn’t to tell youth what to think; it is to ask youth how they want to confront issues affecting their communities.

The collaborative nature of finding resolutions within the Community Challenge mimics the real world as a democratic collaborative space.

This conference outlines to youth how important it is for them to be empowered in decision-making and engaged in the future of their communities.”– Damon Pfaff, Youth Making a Difference Director

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1. Fill out the Online Form at ymad.ca/register

2. Receive a Confirmation Email

3. Download and Print your Student Registration Package and Forms

4. Mail your Payment ($10/Student) and Registration Forms to ACCESS ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, Inc. 7700 Hurontario Street, Unit 601, Brampton, ON, L6Y 4M3

We encourage you to find students that are looking for opportunities to get involved in their

schools, community, volunteer with non-profit organizations, or those that may want to start

their own projects. We have found that these students are particularly interested:

• Social Justice Club Members• Chaplaincy or Faith Team Members• World Issues and Leadership Classes• DECA, SAGE, Entrepreneurship Clubs• International Volunteer Trip Attendees• Student Council Executives & Volunteers

How Do I Register?Sign-up for YMAD

Who should you bring to this conference?

8:30 Arriving | Check-in

9:00 Welcoming | Opening

9:30 Educating | Topic Talks

9:55 Making | Workshops

11:45 Sharing | Presentations

12:35 Connecting | Organization Fair

1:15 Recognizing | Closing

School Sign-In and Materials Distributed

Welcome, Introductions, Keynote

Speakers Present Challenges in Breakout Groups

Students Create Solutions to Solve Challenges

Student Groups Present Challenge Solutions

Students + Educators Visit Booths

Closing Ceremonies + Departure

Wednesday, February 20, 20139:00 AM – 1:30 PMYMAD 2013

Schedule

LocationUniversity of Toronto Mississauga

Instructional Centre

3359 Mississauga Road N.

Mississauga, Ontario

Location details online:ymad.ca/venue

This conference was amazing! I love volunteering my time and donating to the community. Knowing I’m helping a cause for the youth of today and knowing I’m making a difference is amazing.”– Lindsay Lyall, student participant

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This year’s Youth Making a Difference is set to take place on February 20, 2013. We look forward to your response as soon as possible.

Book an in-school visit from ACCESS and feel free to connect with us at any time:

Aminah Haghighi mina@accesscharity.caCommunications & Outreach Director

ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, Inc.7700 Hurontario Street, Unit 601Brampton, ON L6Y 4M3

accesscharity.ca289-752-3381ymad.ca

About ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education

Founded in 2006 by high-school student Daniel Francavilla, ACCESS is a youth-run, non-profit organization based in Brampton. ACCESS envisions the empowerment of generations of leaders through education in order to inspire meaningful development in their own communities. ACCESS facilitates education and empathetic leadership development through initiatives that engage, inspire, and motivate youth to drive positive change, locally and globally.

About the Youth Making a Difference Director

Damon Pfaff is an artist and designer who is passionate about community work and arts programming with a social focus. He graduated from University of Toronto’s Engineering program and currently lives in Mississauga. Outside of ACCESS, Damon is a b-boy dancer and member of a hip-hop collective that has been awarded for Social Justice Through Arts & Culture. He hopes to inspire youth and help them confront challenges and social issues using the arts as a vehicle for change.

Making a Difference with ACCESS