June in Review by Kalsang
June’s highlight was the successful completion of youth project, STOM (Shake Tobacco off Movies) with its final event as the premier of the STOM documentary film and smoke-free movies AD held at the Parkdale Library Auditorium attended by over 85 people.
Wednesday Weekly ESL – Language Skills Development Program /workshops
Only two language sessions were held in June due to the exam weeks at the schools.
On June 1st, orientation session for all volunteers.............................Click here to read the full review
Wednesday Weekly ESL – Language Skills Development Program /workshops
Only two language sessions were held in June due to the exam weeks at the schools.
On June 1st, orientation session for all volunteers.............................Click here to read the full review
Success story of the month
Youth take aim at smoking on the silver screen
by Erin Hatfield (staff reporter for "the Villager")
by Erin Hatfield (staff reporter for "the Villager")
Youth take aim at smoking on the silver screen. Students Ngawang Rigden Lhawang, Kalsang Dolma (a Youth Settlement Worker with PCIC) Abisarikka Pillaiyinar and Vinothan Sarvananthan are members of the Shake Tobacco off Movies anti-smoking group pose with some of their educational posters. Staff photo/ERIN HATFIELD
STOM and PNYC featured in Parkdale Local Paper, "The Villager" on July 18
Read the full article on inside Toronto site
For some newcomers to Parkdale, the prevalence of the smell of cigarette smoke and the evidence of butts littering the sidewalk came as somewhat of a surprise.
Seventeen-year-old Ngawang Rigden Lhawang moved to Canada from India in 2010 and said he was taken aback how common place smoking is.
"Smoking sets a really bad image for the community because if a newcomer like me moves to Parkdale and looks around they see cigarette butts everywhere," he said.
He added newcomers might also see so many people smoking that they might think that is what they need to do to fit in their new home.
But Ngawang and some of his friends in the Parkdale Newcomer Youth Committee have taken aim at smoking. Parkdale Newcomer Youth Committee (PNYC) began an anti-smoking movement in 2010 after the group went to a Healthy Empowered Youth (HEY!) training conference.
"At the time there were 12 of us from PNYC," said Kalsang Dolma, a youth settlement worker. "That conference gave a lot of workshops around health advocacy on different topics."
From there some of the youth came together to participate in workshops on tobacco-free sports and recreation.
"The youth at that time were very interested in the smoking issue because a lot of youth in Parkdale are smoking," Dolma said. "The majority of our youth did not smoke, but they knew someone who smoked or their parents were smokers."
Students planned an event to educate fellow youth about the harmful effects of smoking.
"The event focused on sports," Vinothan Sarvananthan, 17, said. "And then there was a dance-a-thon for people to enjoy."
Vinothan said more people showed up than he expected and it made him feel like youth could make a difference and possibly help prevent others from starting smoking.
"It made it more worthwhile to do this event," Vinothan said.
The tobacco free sports and recreation project lead into the second project, which focused on smoking on the silver screen.
STOM, or Shake Tobacco Off Movies, began in January 2011 and recently wrapped up with a movie screening.
Abisarikka Pillaiyinar, 17, said participating in the PNYC anti-smoking initiatives served as a bit of a wake-up call.
"STOM is about media and how they are using that to put the idea of smoking and that it is actually cool," she said. " Because if your favorite movie star smokes, you want to be just like them."
Because seeing smoking at school and in movies is so prevalent for the youth, Dolma said it normalizes it.
"One of the outcomes we hope will come about by the youth working on these projects is to de-normalize tobacco use and also make people think about the psychological impacts of brand placement including smoking," Dolma said.
Abisarikka agreed.
"It's not like an ad where there is a brand name so you know it is being advertised to you. It is just happening and you don't even realize it."
The youth made a documentary about their STOM project, which explores solutions to the problem of young people taking up smoking. They also made an anti-smoking advertisement, both of which are posted online.
There is a third round of anti-smoking work on the horizon, depending on whether they secure a grant for the project from Toronto Public Health. Dolma said they will again focus on STOM and working to see their anti-smoking movement gain momentum.
"The next thing the group will work on will revolve around youth reviewing movies with smoking," Dolma said.
The Parkdale Newcomer Youth Committee is offered by the Parkdale Community Information Centre (PCIC) and the Parkdale Intercultural Association (PIA).
The committee offers a platform for youth to get more engaged in the youth community and community at large by taking on leadership roles.
The documentary and advertisement created by the PNYC can be seen at www.vimeo.com/ympp
Seventeen-year-old Ngawang Rigden Lhawang moved to Canada from India in 2010 and said he was taken aback how common place smoking is.
"Smoking sets a really bad image for the community because if a newcomer like me moves to Parkdale and looks around they see cigarette butts everywhere," he said.
He added newcomers might also see so many people smoking that they might think that is what they need to do to fit in their new home.
But Ngawang and some of his friends in the Parkdale Newcomer Youth Committee have taken aim at smoking. Parkdale Newcomer Youth Committee (PNYC) began an anti-smoking movement in 2010 after the group went to a Healthy Empowered Youth (HEY!) training conference.
"At the time there were 12 of us from PNYC," said Kalsang Dolma, a youth settlement worker. "That conference gave a lot of workshops around health advocacy on different topics."
From there some of the youth came together to participate in workshops on tobacco-free sports and recreation.
"The youth at that time were very interested in the smoking issue because a lot of youth in Parkdale are smoking," Dolma said. "The majority of our youth did not smoke, but they knew someone who smoked or their parents were smokers."
Students planned an event to educate fellow youth about the harmful effects of smoking.
"The event focused on sports," Vinothan Sarvananthan, 17, said. "And then there was a dance-a-thon for people to enjoy."
Vinothan said more people showed up than he expected and it made him feel like youth could make a difference and possibly help prevent others from starting smoking.
"It made it more worthwhile to do this event," Vinothan said.
The tobacco free sports and recreation project lead into the second project, which focused on smoking on the silver screen.
STOM, or Shake Tobacco Off Movies, began in January 2011 and recently wrapped up with a movie screening.
Abisarikka Pillaiyinar, 17, said participating in the PNYC anti-smoking initiatives served as a bit of a wake-up call.
"STOM is about media and how they are using that to put the idea of smoking and that it is actually cool," she said. " Because if your favorite movie star smokes, you want to be just like them."
Because seeing smoking at school and in movies is so prevalent for the youth, Dolma said it normalizes it.
"One of the outcomes we hope will come about by the youth working on these projects is to de-normalize tobacco use and also make people think about the psychological impacts of brand placement including smoking," Dolma said.
Abisarikka agreed.
"It's not like an ad where there is a brand name so you know it is being advertised to you. It is just happening and you don't even realize it."
The youth made a documentary about their STOM project, which explores solutions to the problem of young people taking up smoking. They also made an anti-smoking advertisement, both of which are posted online.
There is a third round of anti-smoking work on the horizon, depending on whether they secure a grant for the project from Toronto Public Health. Dolma said they will again focus on STOM and working to see their anti-smoking movement gain momentum.
"The next thing the group will work on will revolve around youth reviewing movies with smoking," Dolma said.
The Parkdale Newcomer Youth Committee is offered by the Parkdale Community Information Centre (PCIC) and the Parkdale Intercultural Association (PIA).
The committee offers a platform for youth to get more engaged in the youth community and community at large by taking on leadership roles.
The documentary and advertisement created by the PNYC can be seen at www.vimeo.com/ympp
Opportunity
JOB - Child and Youth Program Coordinator at Greenest City!
For more details including how to apply, click here.
The Child and Youth Program Coordinator is responsible for planning, managing and implementing Greenest City’s youth and children’s programs, including the Youth Garden Drop-Ins, the Youth Community Kitchen, Growing the Future (an after-school food program for youth) and our new weekly after-school children’s program. The Program Coordinator will provide programming for youth and children that builds skills and knowledge around food preparation, food systems and gardening and empowers them to become more engaged in the community. Job Posting in PDF JOB - Life Guide Required ASAP!
Unity Conference Callout
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Check Out NEW PHOTO ID CARD NOW AVAILABLE
You can now apply for a new government-issued photo identification card. If you are 16 and over and do not drive you will be able to use this card for travel, open a bank account, and any other activities that require official ID. http://www.settlement.org/sys/link_redirect.asp?anno_id=2010306 For list of Identity documents in order to receive the Ontario Photo card, click on link below: http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/driver/photo-card/identity-documents.shtml How do I apply for a health (OHIP) Card?
To get a Health (OHIP) Card, you have to fill out an application. You also need to collect some documents to submit with your application.
http://www.settlement.org/sys/faqs_detail.asp?faq_id=4001242 For more information about health (OHIP) cards, visit: http://www.settlement.org/topics.asp?section=HE:OHIP:HEALTHINS_CARD Change to the Permanent Resident and Sponsorship Applications
Effective July 18, 2011, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will launch new application forms for permanent resident and sponsorship applications.
http://www.settlement.org/sys/whatshappen_detail.asp?anno_id=2010297 For more news for and about newcomers in Ontario, visit: http://settlement.org/site/news.asp PNYC's "Youth Media Project Parkdale" Launched on You Tube and Vimeo!
To share the success of the past two youth projects supported by our newcomer youth leadership group, PNYC (Pardale Newcomer Youth Committee), and funded by Toronto Public Health, we have launched the project videos online.
The STOM documentary, AD and Parkdale Youth for Tobacco Free Sports and Recreation videos can be now watched on youtube and vimeo at: Vimeo: www.vimeo.com/ympp Youtube: www.youtube.com/YMPParkdale To read the full speech and opening remarks at the STOM movie premiere night on Thursday June 2nd 2011, click below: Kalsang’s Opening Remarks Youth STOM leader Tsewang’s Remarks Survival Info for Young Newcomers in Ontario... |
Literature
Battle of the Balls! Football Vs Basket Ball- by Rigden
Though the topic of the ideal sport is highly debatable, and probably always will be, it is in my opinion that basketball and football (or soccer as “they” call it) come closest to taking the prize. But even with these two, I believe one has the edge over the other. With its speed, excitement and creativity, basketball is not only one of the most enjoyable to watch, but also to play. So due to these well thought reasons, I believe basketball should be crowned ‘The’ ideal sport.
Unlike many other sports including football, basketball is a very fast paced game. It doesn’t take too long for a game to start getting competitive and dropping guard for even a split second can prove disastrous. It is not like soccer where we have to wait for a considerable amount of time for the game start flowing and yet even sometimes after having to wait for a full 90 minutes, fail to see even a single goal!! The game of basketball, in fact is so fast paced that the competition usually doesn’t end till the very last buzzer as it has been proven time and time again that the entire landscape of the game can be changed in just a matter of seconds. It is speed like this which never fails to keep us glued to the edge of our seats, pumping adrenaline of sheer excitement. Such is the sport of basketball, the epitome of speed and excitement.
Basketball being played with mostly our hands makes it quite easier and thus allows for more creativity as compared to soccer. Human beings are accustomed to using our hands in many different tasks in our day to day life so much so that we have acquired some dexterity with them. So if we desire to play a game of basketball for the very first time, it wouldn’t be that hard to pick up and can enjoy game of basketball without much effort of learning it. This ease also allows us to use the little skill that we already have to come up with new trick moves. As for the feet however, which are only generally used for walking or running, isn’t quite used to the many different techniques soccer requires us to have. So even if we get the urge to play soccer for the first time, we have to spend some time developing the basic skills before we can actually use our creativity in the game, thus making it slightly more boring than basketball.
Many may argue that football earns much more money or that the football players are richer than the basketball players, but I believe that even if they’re right, their argument would be invalid as money has nothing to do with either one of them as sports should be treated like sports and not businesses where multinational corporations can squeeze their profits out from. Actually football players earning more could be a disadvantage as they might even get greedier and lose their passion for the game and consider it to be just work. This has happened many times before where players refuse to play unless they get paid enough money or god forbid, even lead to match fixing. I’m not saying that this doesn’t happen in basketball too, but logically speaking, since they are paid less, the greed for money would be comparatively less.
There may be a few who would disagree with me...heck, there are probably tons! But with the points I have, and the reasoning I have given, I’d find it hard to believe that these people wouldn’t give a second thought to my logically sound argument. Sports, whether we’re playing or viewing gets high points from its speed, excitement and creativity, which basketball is unmatched in. So in this “battle of the balls”, basketball takes the prize and IS the ideal sport.
Unlike many other sports including football, basketball is a very fast paced game. It doesn’t take too long for a game to start getting competitive and dropping guard for even a split second can prove disastrous. It is not like soccer where we have to wait for a considerable amount of time for the game start flowing and yet even sometimes after having to wait for a full 90 minutes, fail to see even a single goal!! The game of basketball, in fact is so fast paced that the competition usually doesn’t end till the very last buzzer as it has been proven time and time again that the entire landscape of the game can be changed in just a matter of seconds. It is speed like this which never fails to keep us glued to the edge of our seats, pumping adrenaline of sheer excitement. Such is the sport of basketball, the epitome of speed and excitement.
Basketball being played with mostly our hands makes it quite easier and thus allows for more creativity as compared to soccer. Human beings are accustomed to using our hands in many different tasks in our day to day life so much so that we have acquired some dexterity with them. So if we desire to play a game of basketball for the very first time, it wouldn’t be that hard to pick up and can enjoy game of basketball without much effort of learning it. This ease also allows us to use the little skill that we already have to come up with new trick moves. As for the feet however, which are only generally used for walking or running, isn’t quite used to the many different techniques soccer requires us to have. So even if we get the urge to play soccer for the first time, we have to spend some time developing the basic skills before we can actually use our creativity in the game, thus making it slightly more boring than basketball.
Many may argue that football earns much more money or that the football players are richer than the basketball players, but I believe that even if they’re right, their argument would be invalid as money has nothing to do with either one of them as sports should be treated like sports and not businesses where multinational corporations can squeeze their profits out from. Actually football players earning more could be a disadvantage as they might even get greedier and lose their passion for the game and consider it to be just work. This has happened many times before where players refuse to play unless they get paid enough money or god forbid, even lead to match fixing. I’m not saying that this doesn’t happen in basketball too, but logically speaking, since they are paid less, the greed for money would be comparatively less.
There may be a few who would disagree with me...heck, there are probably tons! But with the points I have, and the reasoning I have given, I’d find it hard to believe that these people wouldn’t give a second thought to my logically sound argument. Sports, whether we’re playing or viewing gets high points from its speed, excitement and creativity, which basketball is unmatched in. So in this “battle of the balls”, basketball takes the prize and IS the ideal sport.
CALENDAR: Weekly Programs & Workshops
Click on July/August for summer Program Schedules
© Copyright 2010 - 2011: Newcomer Youth Program of PIA/PCIC partnership. All rights reserved.
Managing Editor: Kalsang Dolma (Youth Settlement Worker, ISAP)
Editorial Board: Communications Department of PNYC (April 2011 to March 2012)
Editorial Board: Communications Department of PNYC (April 2011 to March 2012)
- Karma Gyatso
- Tsewang Dhargyal
- Tenzin Thabkhae
- Tenzin Choewang
- Dudoul Tenzin
- Rigden Lhawang
- Vinothan Sarvananthan
- Abisarikka Pillaiyinar
- Anastasia Mangar