Here’s what happened at Adventure4Change from April-June 2024. The second quarter started very strong following a successful quarterly staff retreat held on April 12th. This was a good time for team members to stop working, sharpen their skills, and get ready for the new quarter. Enjoy the read!
What’s been happening inside A4C
Youth programs pause
Our Winter and Spring youth programs have ended. We celebrated the program pause with a vibrant get together that included a time of reflection over food. Summer programs have started and details about this will be in our next newsletter! Thank you to all the youth, volunteers, and staff, who made the winter and spring terms memorable. We look forward to an exciting summer ahead.
Cultural event
On May 2nd, 2024 Adventure 4Change held its first-ever cultural event. This was a chance for the organization to show its appreciation to donors, partners, volunteers, and other stakeholders who have contributed to the organization’s current growth and positioning.
The cultural event was a beautiful time of networking that included a fashion show. This displayed unique cultural items sewn by moms from the A4C sewing program. It was also the night of launching an A4C all-cast movie titled “A Journey into the Diaspora”.
It was a night to celebrate the creativity and kinship of the amazing people in the neighborhoods that we serve. The night was also an opportunity to introduce A4C’s soon-to-be-launched social enterprise. Watch out for this launch in the fall.
Cultural Event Reloaded
Our neighbors asked again and we listened, again. May 25th was an opportunity for our neighbors in North Waterloo to network and celebrate with family and friends. The night was an opportunity for a second-level fashion show that went beyond clothes made by A4C moms to include fashion displays from different cultures represented in our community.
It was also a time for neighbors to watch the movie that premiered earlier in the month. The community movie reminded attendees of their stories of resilience, hope, possibilities, and positive experiences through A4C programs and events.
Recognizing 20 years of service
In April 2024, A4C celebrated 20 years of contribution to neighbourhoods in North Waterloo. It was a time to celebrate the history of the organization, the many volunteers and staff who have contributed to the cause, and the impact of the work in our community. It was also a time to celebrate our Founding Director, Jeremy Horne for the sacrifices of starting the work, seeing it grow, and the courage to know when the time came to hand it over. This allowed it to become something new and different that has the opportunity to continue to do more in the communities served and beyond. Here is a another thank you to all our stakeholders.
Family events at A4C
On May 14th, Adventure4Change hosted 65 children and 30 moms at the Hub for a family event. These events are spaces for families to learn to play and spend time together. There were family-focused games and the winners of these games went home with prizes. Like every A4C event, meal time was special as families ate together and cleaned up together as well. These events have become a time of building strong and intentional family relationships.
Youth Impact Project Training
We are thrilled to share the success story of our recent participation in the Youth Impact Project crash course, organized by Smart Waterloo Region and the Child and Youth Planning Table. Over five weeks of thoughtfully structured learning and networking, three of our dedicated staff members gained valuable insights into fostering innovation with youth. This experience has equipped them with the knowledge and skills necessary to support young people in channeling their ideas into world-class innovations.
YIP Project- Voices 4 Youth
Seven talented A4C youths developed an exciting and innovative project titled “Voices 4 Youth.” The project was pitched at the Youth Impact Project (YIP) event, where their idea was evaluated by a panel of judges. We are proud to announce that “Voices 4 Youth” was awarded a $3,500 grant to design and implement the idea. This success has inspired our youths and given them a renewed sense of possibilities. With the cheque presentation done, planning meetings are underway and this idea will be launched soon.
Cedarbrae festival
In partnership with Cedarbrae Public School, A4C hosted about 400 community members at their annual school year-end BBQ festival on Thursday, June 20, 2024. We are grateful to Cedarbrae Public School for the continued partnership through the years and also appreciate Waterloo Pentecostal Assembly for releasing their huge Barbeque grills as well as providing volunteers to make the burgers and hotdogs for the event.
Kicking Off Summer Fun
In partnership with Creekside Church and House of Friendship, we launched our annual soccer program on June 5. Our neighbours came together to celebrate the start of the summer soccer season. Youth got to showcase their skills and sportsmanship as volunteers, coaches and parents cheered on. We look forward to a fantastic summer filled with sports and community building.
Black Student Unions
It’s been another successful school year hosting weekly Black Student Associations at two different High schools in the WRDSB. This opportunity is enabling A4C partner with the schools administrators to engage black students in healthy ways of dealing with their unique joys and challenges. Together we are creating solutions that would help them explore better futures while contributing to their school in positive ways that make them feel seen, heard, and supported them while simultaneously helping them increase their sense of belonging.
Welcoming New Staff
We’re delighted to welcome Mujidat Yusuf-Ajao and John Ogunsanya to our team! Mujidat is our new Social Enterprise Lead-Sewing program. She will be leading Adventure4change’s social enterprise launch and implementation.
John is our new Community Music Coordinator and will be piloting a 6-month Community Music Program at A4C. This program aims to engage our many male young adults ages 18-30 who have indicated that they have a passion for music and are looking to start a career in this path.
The project will include personal vision boarding, and life and career mentorship amongst other goals. The hope is that the engagement will validate the dreams of youth with musical talent as well as support those who have no path in this career to explore other identified opportunities through the workforce, trades or other educational pathways.