Change calls for action. That’s why hundreds of people will lace up their sneakers on Saturday, November 12 and literally take steps toward change by participating in the Covenant House Step Up for Street Kids 5K walk, an event that raises money and awareness in support of homeless youth.

Why walk the walk? The 2,000 or so kids who sleep on Toronto’s streets are 2,000 or so good reasons. And last year, about 4,000 kids found shelter and support at Covenant House, an organization that relies on donors for more than 80% of its $18.8-million operating budget. Covenant House provides 24/7 crisis care 365 days a year, as well as services like education, health care, counselling, and employment assistance.

Kids who make it out there are the lucky ones. The street is a perilous place for young people, many of whom are desperate and alone after fleeing or being forced from homes where they’ve experienced abuse or neglect. Sometimes kids just fall in with the wrong crowd and end up trapped in a cycle of substance abuse and crime.

Just about anyone can wind up on the street. Homeless youth come from every part of the country and every background. About half come from middle- and upper-class homes – like Michelle, the leader of the Covenant House Step Up team. Michelle is a former resident who was able to turn her life around because of the support she received at Covenant House.

Michelle grew up in the GTA, got good grades, and didn’t get into trouble until she got to high school, where she met a new crowd and started using drugs. Once she was hooked, Michelle began to steal from her family to get her fix. She shares more about her story here.

Thankfully, Michelle found her way to Covenant House, where she spent a year getting back on track. Now she’s a college graduate looking for work in community support services. Michelle is dedicated to supporting the people and the place that helped her find her way through troubled times.

If you can’t walk the walk this year, you can still step up by sponsoring Michelle and her team. The event takes place on Saturday, November 12 at 3pm at Yonge and Dundas Square. For more information, check out http://www.covenanthouse.ca/walk or visit Covenant House on Facebook and Twitter.

On October 20th, from 7-9pm at the Isabel Bader Theatre, VUSAC’s Education and Equity Commission and Invisible Children are screening ‘Tony’, a 50-minute documentary that will open your eyes to a world of terror in Northern Uganda.

Northern Uganda has been a war zone due to the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) for the past 25 years. The LRA is largely comprised of child soldiers who were violently abducted from their homes.

Watch the movie, discuss the content, meet the Invisible Children staff, and buy some Invisible Children gear to support their work.

Click here to RSVP on Facebook.

For the last four years, I have faithfully attended Nuit Blanche so, this year, I decided to do something a little different. During the Orientation Clubs Fair, my friends and I had signed up to be part of the Hart House Art Committee. I’m not sure why, considering none of us are particularly knowledgeable about art. But, as I’m sure you’re aware, the Clubs Fair involves a lot of writing down your name/email on various organizations’ lists – sometimes out of interest, other times just to be polite. It turns out that one of the sheets I wrote my information on was not only for the Art Committee, but to volunteer for Nuit Blanche as well. At first I was a little apprehensive but then I thought, why not? There’s no real harm to be had.

Days later, my friends and I received emails informing us of the volunteer time and location: 7pm to 11pm at the Coach House. The Coach House? Where in the world is that? We wondered the same thing. It’s a small structure in the middle of a parking lot behind the Faculty of Law building, across from Queen’s Park. We had received word to meet at Hart House beforehand to figure out what we were supposed to. After scarfing down sandwiches from Timmy’s and racing across campus, we eventually found ourselves in a room filled with high school children covered in gold glitter and wearing aprons. It turns out these were some kids from Parkdale who were volunteering at the artisan farmer’s market in the courtyard. They were supposed to encourage people to eat crickets (which were being cooked and served there), seeing as crickets are the food of the future… according to the exhibit. I’m not quite sure where the glitter came into play but, when it comes to Nuit Blanche, I’ve learned not to ask.

Eventually we were directed to the right people, given volunteer tags, and sent on our way to the Coach House. The exhibit we were volunteering at was called ‘All That is Solid Melts into Air’ by Mark Boulos. Here is the description from the Nuit Blanche website:

Two films projected on opposing walls feature intensely conflicting, yet inextricably intertwined forces: one shows frenzied stock traders at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange speculating on the futures of oil; the other shows guerrilla fighters in the Niger Delta preparing for battle against oil companies that extract and export oil from their land.

It was actually quite an interesting piece that seemed to invoke mixed emotional reactions from the audience.

Basically, our job was to make sure there weren’t too many people in the film room at one time, answer questions, and keep track of how many people came in and out. After the first 20 minutes or so, we noticed that the few people who were coming through seemed to have a hard time finding the place; they tended to walk down an alley and hop a fence just to get to the door. That’s when we realized that someone should be out there, guiding people in. The building is sort of hidden and the map in the Nuit Blanche booklet was not particularly helpful.

We started taking shifts, with someone staying inside the toasty-warm and brightly-lit room while two others directed people through the bushes and around a building to the Coach House. Despite the chilly weather, it was a fun four hours. Standing outside, we were able to watch some intense people watch the films while, at the same time, we could talk to friends, fellow students and/or family members that showed up over the hours. At slower times, we kept ourselves entertained by partaking in a slightly altered version of Sheldon Cooper’s ‘Soft Kitty; and texting people to come see the exhibit. At one point, while resting inside, we had a lovely conversation with an Italian woman about the beauty of her mother tongue and about her daughter, who is a professor of Rehabilitation Sciences here at U of T.

Overall, the volunteer experience was fun.  The time went by pretty quickly and there were still hours left afterward to go and enjoy the rest of what the city had to offer. Unfortunately, we never managed to visit the Parkdale kids and eat some crickets. But, then again, there’s always next year.

The sisters of the Xi Chapter of Alpha Phi invite you to join them in supporting the Heart & Stroke Foundation.

La semaine dernière notre merveilleuse Anna vous a introduit à EFUT, le club français de l’UofT. Aujourd’hui je voudrais vous parler d’une autre organisation francophone dont vous n’avez pas peut-être entendu. Savez-vous ce que c’est la SPECQUE?

Mes chers amis, la SPECQUE c’est la Simulation du parlement européen Canada-Québec-Europe. Ne vous laissez pas être détournés par le mot “parliament” (ou “simulation”, ou quoi que ce soit). En fait la SPECQUE présente à chacun une opportunité inoubliable de pousser ses limites, apprendre beacoup sur le monde et les actualités, et finalement voyager et rencontrer des gens inspirants!

Il s’agit d’une semaine intense passée en débats, en commissions, en sessions plénières…on dort peu, on boit beaucoup de caffé…On joue le rôle d’un eurodéputé au sein du parlement européen, ou bien un commissaire qui propose une pièce de législation, ou un rapporteur qui la critique dans son rapport. On peut également être un lobbyiste, un journaliste, un photographe, le président de commission – il y a plein de rôles pour tous les goûts! Donc si vous vous intéressez aux questions de politique européen, la SPECQUE est pour vous!

Elle est peut-être plus chère aux canadiens qu’aux autres, parce que elle a été fondée au Québec en 1998. C’est vrai, la simulation du parlement européen a été proposée par une étudiante de l’Université Laval. La SPECQUE a lieu dans un endroit different chaque an, alternativement en Europe et au Canada. Cet été la ville hôte était Luxembourg, tandis qu’en 2012 Montréal aura ce privilège.

Voilà ce que le site web officiel de la SPECQUE en dit:

“En tant que simulation parlementaire, la SPECQUE permet à ses participants de se développer. Les qualités oratoires, le sens de l’initiative et de la négociation, l’art de la persuasion ainsi que la capacité à analyser en profondeur des questions sensibles, et les aborder sous un angle législatif, sont certaines compétences que la SPECQUE permet de cultiver. La Simulation permet aussi à ses participants d’élargir leurs horizons par la découverte de jeunes issus de milieux et de cultures différentes. Cette découverte, et l’ouverture d’esprit qui en découle, sont d’une valeur inestimable dans le contexte de mondialisation que nous connaissons actuellement.”

Je pourrai ajouter de ma part que je n’aurai jamais imaginé combien la SPECQUE pourrait être intéressante, stimulante et comment elle peut créer une dépendence. Si on y participe une fois, on veut retourner, c’est sûr!

Alors, si vous croyez que la SPECQUE c’est pour vous, contactez-moi pour plus de détails.

Le batîment de la commission européenne où la SPECQUE se déroulait cet été. Je mens pas quand je dis que c’est impressionnant!

Post written by Kara Naklicki.

U of T Greens is a political advocacy club on campus that is affiliated with the Green Party of Canada and of Ontario. However, our primary concern is not converting every U of T student to ‘Green’, but doing our best to encourage every student to become more politically aware and especially to vote.

When meetings happen, they are usually e-meetings focused around either planning for specific events or discussion in response to political factors (ex. the dropping of the writ in the federal election, election day, etc.). Items of discussion include planning different events and approaches to canvassing in order to get students more politically engaged, aware of the Green Party, and excited to vote in upcoming elections. We frame political issues through a ‘Green’ perspective, where priorities include, but are not limited to: sustainable energy; representation of women and other minorities in politics; accessible education and healthcare; public transit; and a economy focused on efficiency and innovation.

This year, U of T Greens organized events that included a documentary night screening environmental/social justice piece Wasteland, as well as a meet-the-candidate pub night. Members of the Greens also participated in U of T’s Vote Mob (video).

U of T Greens is currently working with the Green Party of Ontario to prepare for the upcoming provincial election. Some events on the horizon include an informal pub-style political forum where students of all political leanings can meet and debate local Green candidates (late September), as well as a VIP fundraiser reception and dinner with Elizabeth May (early September) for which we are hoping to have student-priced tickets available.

For more information, please visit our website. If you have any further questions or would like to get involved, feel free to email the group or contact me directly.