past INITIATIVES
Black culture Pop Culture (bcpc) Conference (winter 2024)
Funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage: The Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program
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Black Culture Pop Culture (BCPC) Conference is a youth-led community initiative that explored media-based, cultural and intersectional influences that form the social and digital world in which Black youth absorb and operate within.
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Led by a strong team of local youth facilitators, the attendees of the conference examined contemporary popular culture through the guidance of our facilitating team. The youth selected workshops 'post-secondary' style, in which they explored themes such as Afro-Futurism, Blackness in film & media, Blackness on social media, and Blackness in gaming.
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In addition to the workshops, the conference included 'swag' bags of Black self-care products such as bonnets, durags, hair oil, deodorants, lip balms, and snacks.
The conference also featured two highlight tables, We Buy Black, which included Black-owned products across North America; and Books & Beats, which included five different playlists and a variety of novels written by Black authors.
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Conference Schedule
Workshop Descriptions
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engaging girls:
Safe Return to Class Program (Summer 2021)
Funded by the Ministry of Education's Safe Return to School Grant
This program, funded by the government of Ontario, helped to mitigate potential learning gaps caused by COVID-19 by supporting the learning, health, and well-being of Black girls entering grades 8, 9, and 10. Participants took part in series of activities starting with online group engagement from July 21st to 30th 2021. The program ended with a 4-night overnight camp in Blue Mountain, Ontario.
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Retreat activities include: daily tutoring and learning support, mindfulness and self-development workshops, physical activities, peer-peer socialization, and mentoring - all tailored to the specific and unique needs of Black girls.
BREAKING THE CYCLE AND EMPOWERING GIRLS
Engaging Girls: Empowerment, Leadership, Development & Action (EGELDA)
The Engaging Girls: Empowerment, Leadership, Development, and Action (EGELDA) program addressed the challenges that participants face in developing their social identity and maintaining positive healthy relationships with their peers. It also helped to encourage gender equity and development through youth civic engagement on social issues that are youth-driven and led.
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EGELDA was a yearlong mentorship and leadership program that focuses on empowerment for girls of color through critical engagement with information communication technology (ICT), social media and civic engagement. Our participant group was girls from marginalized groups between the ages of 14-18 in the Pickering/Ajax.
youth programs
infrastructure builds
Community Builds
The Power to Be International continues to work toward its goal through investing in the future of youth with our community build program. PTBI has completed four community builds to date, in an effort to alleviate the lack of adequate space or facilities, which support the education and development of youth.
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Our community builds are paired with other community leadership development programs to increase sustainability and promote civic engagement of community youth.
Completed Projects
Negril All Age School (2012): Two-room classroom extension
Partner: Centennial College
Additional funding provided by Elementary Teachers of Toronto
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Mt. Airy All Age School (2013): Two-room classroom extension
Partner: Centennial College
Additional funding provided by Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario
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Risen Messiah Early Childhood Institute (2014): ECE Playground
Partner: Centennial College
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Prickly Pole Primary School (2015): Two Site Playground
Partner: S.M.I.L.E. (Single Mothers Inspiring Leadership in Education)
Working Together Creating Change
Through the support of program partners and funders such as Centennial College, Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, The Elementary Teachers of Toronto, and The Rotary Club of Negril, The Power to Be International is able to work with members of the Westmoreland community to assist in meeting education development goals.
INTERESTED IN BEING INVOLVED IN A COMMUNITY BUILD?
We are actively seeking new opportunities to engage in community, youth focused infrastructure development. Email us if you have any questions, ideas, or interest in collaborating on a project at info@thepowertobe.org
lumIfi for literacy: Digital Reading Improvement Program
The Lumifi for Literacy - Digital Reading Engagement Program (D-REP) is a 10 week intensive and incentive-based reading program that provides support for struggling and unmotivated high school students to develop basic decoding, fluency, and comprehension skills. It is a one-on-one program in which a teacher works closely with a student for 45 minutes while the student engages in reading and writing activities. This program is the result of a unique social innovation partnership between The Power to Be International, Enactus-LUMIFI, University of Toronto, and two high schools, Little London and Rhodes Hall, in Westmoreland, Jamaica.
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The goal of this partnership was to bring together technology, teacher training, and high quality literacy resources to support high school students who are reading three to four levels below their grade level.
