Hope to see you there this Saturday!

Shouts to Ayah for putting this together, and to all those donating their $$, time and abilities towards this cause.

In light of the unfortunate, current climate in these regions, we are coming together to raise money. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and UNICEF. With your help, we will provide Medicaid, Food, and Shelter. By the people, for the people.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15th @ DAZZLING RESTAURANT + BARMUSIC BY SPECIAL GUEST DJS
BOOGEY M’AN + JESTER + DJ RICCACHET + DJ P PLUS + DJ NORA TONES
HOSTED BY
AYAH + TONADonation of $15 before 1130pm.
——–What’s happening?GAZA: http://www.palestinercs.org/reports/PRCS-Gaza-Appeal2012.pdfOn November 14,2012, Israel launched massive air raids on the Gaza Strip. Seven days after beginning of the military activities, the present humanitarian crisis in Gaza has already resulted into 160 dead and 1222 injured. Israeli ground forces have massed at the border wall between Israel and Gaza and Israeli sources announced that all military options remain open. (There is a ceasefire currently holding)Before the 14 of November, 30% of essential drugs and 60% of disposable were not available in the Gaza strip. In addition, several houses have been partially or seriously damaged or destroyed, although direct assessment could not take place so far due to restrictions of movement. Electricity cuts, usual for Gaza, are increasing as electricity production is relying on fuel supply form other countries; two transformers and distribution lines have been disrupted.The high number of airstrikes affected the psychosocial status of large numbers of Gaza population, already severely affected during the war of 2008-2009 and the consequences of a 5 year blockade. Limited population movements have been observed so far only internally within the Gaza Strip, and it will be necessary to monitor the situation closely as it evolved.SYRIA: http://www.unicef.org/media/media_66432.htmlFifteen months after the start of protests against the regime of President Bashar Assad, Syria is in a dire situation. Trapped in a bloody stalemate, it remains unclear where the country is headed.More than 12,000 people have lost their lives since March 2011, hundreds of Syrians are imprisoned in degrading conditions, and tens of thousands have fled to neighboring countries such as Lebanon and Jordan.Yet even as the violence intensifies — punctuated last Friday by a brutal massacre of women and children in Houla, Homs province — the international community has been unable to develop a unified response to the bloodshed. A UN-brokered peace plan and the presence of UN monitors in the country have done little to ease tensions. The Assad regime has failed to budge under international diplomatic and economic sanctions, and Syria’s opposition appears to be deeply divided. As the violence slips toward full-blown civil war, the situation in Syria becomes increasingly volatile, threatening to destabilize the entire region.
————-Special thanks to Original Concepts, Roundtable Ent, Noah ’40’ Shebib, Sweet Touch, Boogeyman, P Plus, Tona, Payne Designs

Shouts to everyone that’s out in the community actually making a difference in peoples’ lives. The Youth Challenge Fund has done some great work in the past 6 years so go find out more about the movement tomorrow afternoon. Here’s all the info or click here for more.

What kind of impact has the Youth Challenge Fund been able to make over the past 6 years within the city of Toronto? What are the tangible indicators of its success?

Join us on November 15th, 2012 – @ the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts – 1-5pm and see for yourself.

What happens when a handful of young people respond to a challenge, and in so doing mobilize and transform their city?

This 27-minute documentary answers that very question by capturing the work of the Youth Challenge Fund.

YCF is a collaborative pilot project with the Government of Ontario, United Way Toronto and community that was created to explore, develop and incubate new approaches to funding and facilitating youth development – one that puts young people in the driver’s seat.

Narrator Alica Hall escorts the viewer to several of Toronto’s “priority neighbourhoods”, targeted for investment, where we learn about the innovative work being done by youth and their adult and institutional allies, in a sampling of YCF-funded initiatives. The storyline is punctuated with personal stories from youth leaders, community allies and institutional partners, all of whom have played vital roles in this shared journey to achieve systemic transformation. Hall describes her personal story – from youth initiative leader to YCF Intern to United Way Communications Officer – as “part of the YCF legacy.”

Featuring
FLAVOURSHOP
SCRATCH (FROM THE ROOTS)

Executive Director
CHE KOTHARI

Programming Director
JESSE OHTAKE

Dance Directors
JON “DROPS” REID
DIANA “FLYLADYDI” REYES

Music Director
WAN LUV

Director of Video Documentation
CHAR LORO

Pre-Production Coordinator
ARTEM PASHKEVIC

Production Coordinator
TRAYNE ADJEI

Post-Production Coordinator
JAWN TABOIKA

Shooters
OZ FUTURA
JONNY PAGE
ELLIOT CLANCY-OSBERG
NICK KAZLOVSKIS
LUCAS JOSEPH
GRAHAM DUNNELL
TRAYNE ADJEI

Editors
JAWN TABOIKA
JASON PROVIDENCE

Audio
SIMON HEAD

Motion Graphics
ROB AITKEN – switchmediaonline.com

Year #6 of the craziness that always is the Manifesto Festival’s “Live At The Square” closer.

Pharoahe Monch meets BadBadNotGood; Rich Kidd & SonReal, Maestro Fresh Wes, Andreena Mill, Shi Wisdom, D-Sisive + sOooo much more..

Full details @ http://www.themanifesto.ca/festival/2012/live-at-the-square/

If you’re looking for me today you can find me here with many others..

On Sunday, September 23 Youth Arts Organizations from across the city will come together to march in solidarity from Yonge and Bloor to Yonge-Dundas square.  We are inviting all supporters of Youth, Arts & Cultural programs to come out in support of these programs that help build a vibrant city.  The march will begin promptly at 3 p.m. with the goal of arriving at the youth arts festival, the 6^th Annual Manifesto Festival of Community and Culture ‘Live at the Square’ by 3:45 p.m.

Lately there’s been a lot of speculation about the value of investing in young people and the arts. As Toronto’s creative young people whose lives have been positively impacted by our exposure and engagement with the arts, and as those who have the honour of working in the sector and serving our communities – we know just how valuable it is.

It’s time to mobilize. We are calling out artists, organizers, mentors, youth, elders, community leaders, community members, and visionaries to walk in solidarity for youth, arts, and cultural programs.  We are asking that they bring their communities and creativity out on Sunday, September 23rd and walk with us to:

• Celebrate the value of Youth, Arts & Cultural Programs in building healthy, empowered and resilient individuals & communities.
• Appreciate the energy and innovation of youth arts programs and the crucial role that they play in connecting our city.
• Recognize the 20th anniversary of Fresh Arts and other foundation community programs and the value of young people in all parts of Toronto being able to tell their stories.
• Develop, discuss and review ways to stabilize investment in young people.

Bring your artistic expression, rally your communities and add to a collective energy as we move down Yonge Street into Manifesto’s Live At The Square – an annual youth arts festival happening that day. Calling out participation from dancers, poets, street writers, emcees, beatboxers, visual artists, documentarians, drummers, percussionists & more – it’s time to write our story ourselves.

This is pretty much the only place to be today (Saturday September 22nd) for those looking to discuss Toronto’s past, present and future history of empowerment, expression, inspiration and commerce through art.

Get more details @ http://www.themanifesto.ca/festival/2012/fresh-arts-x-manifesto-summit/

This year, the Fresh Arts 20 X Manifesto Summit – a day-long conference focused on inspiring and educating youth through keynote speakers, mentor classes and discussion panels – will feature some of hip hop’s most influential artists in North America. Manifesto is also celebrating 20 years of Toronto’s Fresh Arts program, an initiative created to foster up and coming talent, including Toronto’s own, Kardinall Offishall and Saukrates. The Summit is the second day of the Manifesto Festival (Canada’s largest h

ip hop festival) and will begin at 12:30 p.m. at Ryerson University’s George Vari Engineering Building. The electrifying lineup of key speakers will include Jully Black, Kardinal Offishall, Shad, Solitaire, Rich Kidd and notable American rapper Pharoahe Monch.

The conference will kick-off with a keynote panel titled “Art is Power- A Dialogue on the Transformative Power of Art”, moderated by popular radio host Mark Strong and led by industry leaders Kardinall Offishall, Pharoahe Monch and poet and educator d’bi Young. Additional panel discussions will include “Toronto Generations, Knowledge is Power, Then & Now: 20 Years of Hip-Hop” and “The Art of Business” will run throughout the day between the hours of 2:45-7:30 p.m.

The Summit’s mentor classes will provide an enlightening learning experience for attendees both young and old. The classes will be held between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. with a second set of classes being held between 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The classes will provide perspective on the topics of the Art of Music Production, Spoken Word, Film and Video Direction and the Art of Performance, taught by groundbreaking artists Jully Black, Shad, J-Wyze, Rich Kidd, Cazhhmere, Quentin Vercetty and Solitaire.

This one-of-a-kind experience is part of Manifesto’s goal to bridge the gap between the artists their performances and the messages, stories and motivations behind their expressions. The Fresh Arts 20 x Manifesto Summit plays a key role in integrating a shared experience that not only challenges the status quo from a grassroots perspective, but to also help write the next chapter in hip hop’s discourse through group dialogue.

To sign-up for mentor classes, key note speakers and panel discussions visit the Manifesto Festival’s official website:
http://www.themanifesto.ca/festival/2012/fresh-arts-x-manifesto-summit/

For More Information:
Visit our website
www.themanifesto.ca/festival

or Contact
Christopher A. Trotman
Communications Coordinator, Manifesto Community Projects
christopher@themanifesto.ca
647-202-0114

For interview requests please fill out the form in the link below:
http://themanifesto.ca/submissions/manifesto-2012-interview-request-form/

The Torontist talks Manifesto 2012 going down this weekend. Get full details on the festival @ http://www.themanifesto.ca/festival/2012/.

Read the full article HERE!

If this year’s edition of the Manifesto festival feels oddly familiar, it’s because the festival is going back to its roots. Faced with a shrunken budget due to a fall-off in corporate sponsorship, and spurred by a desire to emphasize the other initiatives they run throughout the year, Manifesto’s organizing committee opted to make this edition of the festival a smaller affair, cutting it back to its original three-day length from last year’s high of 11 days.

Manifesto started in 2006 as a celebration of urban arts and youth culture, and especially to provide performing opportunities for musicians that fell outside the rock-oriented scope of many other local music festivals. As in previous years, the highlight of the festival is the closing concert, which will take place on Sunday at Yonge-Dundas Square.

For Immediate Release

(Toronto) 106 and York UrbanArts Youth Festival is an annual multi-disciplinary youth arts festival that happens in Toronto’s North-West communities. Now in its fifth year, this community event has grown from a one-day production, to a two-date festival, celebrating the talent of performers and visual artists from across the city.  Headliners for this year’s events include JD Era, (signed to the label of Raekwon, of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan), Juno-nominated Producer/MC Rich Kidd, one of Toronto’s most exciting new  vocalists, Shi Wisdom, and more.

The festival is divided into two distinct events:

Culture Shock, presented by UrbanArts & 106 and York

Saturday August 11th, 2012

1-8PM

Cover: FREE

Weston Road Farmers Market

Shi Wisdom is the headlining performance for this free outdoor community concert.

106 & York UrbanArts Festival
Friday August 31st, 2012

Doors open at 4 (food and red carpet pictures)

Show Starts at 6pm

Cover: $5 at the Door

Yorkwoods Theater – 1785 Finch Avenue West  
Performers include JD Era, Rich Kidd, Shi Wisdom, JD Keyz and more!

“The best part of the festival, is the energy at the show.”, says Show Producer, Leandra LeGendre. “It’s unmatched. It’s a fresh and fearless crowd with a grassroots energy.”

With the support of festival partners UrbanArts, N.I.S.E. Clothing, High Class, and Manifesto, the organizers have developed a stellar showcase of  Toronto’s talent and continues to give artists a platform from which they can build their careers. 106 and York also helps to build the capacity of the community to organize similar events by taking on community members as staff and interns.

In addition to performances, community merchandise/info tables allow local organizations and entrepreneurs to get involved by displaying information about their group.  Some of the groups represented at our festival are: Urbanology Magazine, Hip Hop Canada.com, and other Toronto vendors  will be selling their art and merchandise, so please feel free to bring the family enjoy the entertainment, and support this all ages event.

About 106 and York:

106 and York is a youth-led collaborative that supports youth in the urban arts through various initiatives. Our most prominent initiative is our multi-disciplinary youth urban arts festival that is presented in collaboration with other youth-led organizations such as Highclass and N.I.S.E. Clothing and larger organizations such as UrbanArts and Manifesto. This festival develops and showcases the talent of emerging musicians, recording artists, dancers, theatre groups, visual artists, film makers, photographers and fashion designers of North West Toronto.

Using mentorship to train younger and less experienced youth on the positions required to make the festival happen. This is not only a means of community building, but it also creates opportunities for youth to gain experience and employable skills within the arts sector. Additionally, the collective offers artist development workshops that train local emerging artists on art and business skills needed for their professional development. Beyond the festival, 106 and York supports and motivates young people who have been alienated from mainstream institutions to organize and create spaces for artistic expression in meaningful and professional ways.

For more information, please visit us online:

facebook.com/106ANDYORK

Twitter: @106andyork

Join us as F-YOU: The Forgiveness Project discusses “retaliation” to current violent events in the city.
Tuesday, June 12th 2012. 7:00pm sharp.
377 Dundas St, Downtown  Toronto, ON
Contact Tara Muldoon: tarasubstance@gmail.com
647-390-0352

Guest speakers include family members of murder victims, front line social workers, entertainers and members of the media.

About F-YOU:
Forgiveness is not permission, or predisposed justification – it is the release of detrimental feelings, thoughts and emotions that can consume us. F-You: The Forgiveness Project is an impassioned and inspiring event, featuring speakers who have overstepped the line between being a victim and being a survivor in the face of their own internal adversities. The F-YOU Project has been called “life changing” by the Toronto School Board and is set to be featured on Oprah’s OWN Network in July 2012.

Supported by: Gravity Affect, IMMNF, Heeling Soul, HipHopCanada, GYC and many more.