Get in touch
160 Chalkfarm Drive, Unit 101, North York, Ontario, M3L 2J1
Contacts: Kwame | Daisy
647-343-5533
BTA After School Program Report 2017
Sep 15, 2017
Believe to Achieve was able to raise the number of participants of the After School program yet again, due to assistance from Greenwin, Focus on Youth and the UNAC. The partnership with these organizations has been really positive for BTA. The participants are now able to receive the assistance that some may require and we now have many more options as to how to conduct the program.
Second Harvest has also been immensely helpful and for the second year in a row, has fed the participants all year from September to August. Our monthly food budget is now spent on other aspects of the program, which has positively affected everyone. Second Harvest provides a food delivery truck every Tuesday morning, fully stocked with fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy products and dry goods, which feeds the participants for that week and allows them to enjoy healthy food continuously – on a daily basis. The junior chef program is now more valuable than ever, due to the abundance of food provided by Second Harvest. The participants are now able to try making new dishes without feeling pressured to perform well and they have a joy for cooking, learning and competing with their peers during chef competitions.
The After School program has continued to flourish and still remains the most popular program within Believe to Achieve roster. This year, the number of participants has risen to 60, with more than 45 participants attending on a daily basis. Removal of the gym equipment has made a great difference in the way the program is conducted because we are now able to utilize the space more efficiently. More rigorous games and activities can be played due to the open space. The tables and chairs have a designated place to be stored and used when needed, but with the abundance of new participants, more tables and chairs are definitely needed to accommodate them. At the rate at which the program is growing, Spiders Web will need more space moving forward, due to tremendous public demand. Participants keep flowing in, as the waiting list gets longer and longer. Participants from the Chalkfarm Community Centre continue to flock to Believe to Achieve. The number of participants is definitely a positive matter but lacking the space to assist them is not.
The youth program that was started also continues to positively affect the older participants within the program, with new additions from the After School program and those from the Black Creek area, as well. The program is focused around keeping the older participants in a positive environment while opening their eyes to different ideas and visiting new places. The staff and youth continue to grow together and experience the world as a team, by discussing world affairs, through open debates and by going out into a world beyond the four Chalkfarm buildings they see every day.
Some of the youth who attend the program are volunteers with the After School program and thanks to UNAC and Greenwin; some of the Believe to Achieve youth will have the opportunity to become staff for the 2017 Believe to Achieve summer camp.
The outings and events that occur solidify the families’ trust in the program and staff. BTA has managed to make them feel that their kids are obtaining positive guidance through positive interactions. Spiders Jones has made it possible to continue our annual traditions of attending the Reptilia special event day and the Santa Clause parade, as well as ensuring that every participant goes home with a gift at Christmas
Even with the lack of space, the staff at BTA continues to make things work and we look forward to the many new things to come!
A big thank you to Daisy and Godwin for always working hard and believing in the goals Spider and I have set. Also would like to thank Greenwin and Sentry Investments for continuing to support the programs that we offer. Last but not least, thank you Jackie for all your hard work to make sure we stay open.
Kwame Agyemang
Believe To Achieve Program Program Coordinator
160 Chalkfarm Dr, North York, ON M3L 2J1
E-mail: kwame_agyemang@hotmail.com
Tel: (647) 343-5533 Cell: (647) 825-8530
Web: www.believetoachieve.ca
Godwin Larbi was slashed, stabbed and robbed multiple times while growing up in the Chalkfarm Drive area. “It was a little rough,” he says. “You always had to make sure that you had a couple of friends with you. You never go anywhere by yourself.” Larbi, who moved to Chalkfarm when he was four, said he was slashed during an altercation at age eight or nine, robbed three or four times during his high school years, and was stabbed multiple times during an attempted robbery at age 20. “(My) close friends got shot, stabbed, kidnapped,” he said. “Three friends (were) murdered.” Larbi, now 28 and still a Chalkfarm resident, works with neighbourhood children and youth in the hopes that they won’t go through what he endured in the area. Larbi is the youth co-ordinator at Spider’s Web Youth Empowerment Centre, which offers a range of after-school programs for young people aged six to late teens at 160 Chalkfarm, one of four residential highrises that make up the Chalkfarm complex, located northwest of Jane Street and Wilson Avenue. Larbi describes the centre as a “safe haven” where children and youth can “be themselves and not be ostracized.” The centre, which has been operating for the past nine years, provides homework help, healthy snacks, physical activities, field trips, computer access, and mentorship. It is run by Believe to Achieve, an organization founded by retired Canadian champion boxer Spider Jones. “We empower young people to deal with challenges. We teach them life skills. We teach them how to take responsibility,” Jones said. “This is not a glorified babysitting service. These children learn discipline here. We help them with their homework. We help strengthen their minds so that the lure of the streets will never get them.”
St. Josephine Bakhita Catholic School grade 5 to 8 students listened to inspirational speaker and National radio host Spider Jones. Jones talked about his life story at the Ajax school on February 21 as part of Black History Month
A visit to the “Spider’s Web Youth Empowerment Centre” by, our MP, Honourable Judy Sgro, and her daughter Deanna Sgro. The kids had a blast meeting them! Friday, July 27, 2018
We had 75 kids at our summer camp this year and were able to hire some of our youths that attend our “Youth Program” to work with us this summer. We were able to do this with the help of UNAC/GREEN CORPs.
A big thank you to all the volunteers from Greenwin Property Management & from Sentry Investments for helping out all day with the BBQ!