1. I volunteer because… empowering youth to achieve their highest potential brings me joy. I’ve had good mentors in the past that really helped me become the person I am today; I think it’s important to pay it forward.

2. My experience with Kids Now has been… great. I particularly enjoy facilitating the last few sessions of each term because I get to see how much the kids have opened up and I see them actually apply the lessons from our sessions to their personal lives. The more classes I deliver, the more I learn about the students and about myself – I apply the concepts from Kids Now to my life and career on a regular basis!

Volunteering with kids now gives people an opportunity to motivate young kids to become good leaders.

3. Volunteering with kids now gives people… an opportunity to motivate young kids to become good leaders. At the end of the day, it is very rewarding for me to be able to say that I’ve helped a group of kids discover how to be successful and how to become a positive influence in their community.

Pictured from the left: Nicola Campbell, State Farm Marketing Analyst, Constable William Arniel, York Regional Police, Paula Sanchez, Kids Now Director of Programs and Operations. Kneeling: Tammy Winter, Supervisor, State Farm Payment Plan.

Bullying is real; it’s plaguing our youth. Too many tragic stories of young lives lost have made headlines and we all have a part to play if we want to these stories to stop.

Our friend and long-time partner State Farm Canada, not only protects your belongings but it is also interested in protecting our youth against the dangers of bullying. They recently hosted a Lunch & Learn session on Bullying and invited Kids Now to take part in the event alongside a representative from the York Region police.

Constable William Arniel teamed up with Paula Sanchez, Director of Programs at Kids Now, to give advice to State Farm employees on how to build resiliency in today’s youth.

How do we build resiliency?

1. Our youth need someone who will listen. Having someone who cares can make all the difference and mentors care. By listening, mentors help youth build the self-confidence they need in order to standup against bullies and not fall prey to the pressures that a bully can inflict.

2. Communication and relationship skills are crucial for building resiliency. Learning how to vocalize your feelings and communicating them to others is part of standing up against negative actions or behaviours. Abuse can only be stopped by saying “no” and by not being afraid to interact with others.

3. When a problem arises resilient youth know how to deal with the situation. Conflict resolution is a skill that is used throughout our lifetime. The earlier we learn how to resolve conflicts in a healthy manner, the easier it will be to stand up for what is right. Conflict resolution is achieved by communicating and by seeking help if the situation gets out of hand.

4. Bullying causes stress on everyone that it touches. Stress gets us down and doesn’t allow us to act in our best interests. Stress management is something that both young and old need to learn in order to be successful. How to manage stress can vary, but the key is to find an outlet that helps release the stress. Playing sports or talking to a friend or mentor can help us get rid of the negative effects of stress.

5. Set goals. That’s right, setting goals helps us become resilient and stand up against bullying because when we are focused nothing can stop us. Having a clear vision of what we want is necessary for success and a sure way to stop negative behaviours getting the best of us.

* Our friends at the York Region police have more great advice for parents to work closely with their children and can be read here.

State Farm has a long-standing relationship as a Champion supporter of Kids Now, helping us to empower youth with the key tools to build resilience and reach for success. Thank you State Farm.

Band The Grams: (L to R) Ryan O’Rourke, Jacob Rosenberg, Tal Bibla Eben-Ezra and Eric Noble-Marks.

On Friday, April 13, things were “Really Rocking” at Crescent School’s Centre For Creating Learning as they hosted the Crescent Centennial Rock Benefit Concert.  In total, 12 acts took the stage with 20-member jazz band to a lone performer–just doing my thing–on his set of drums. State Farm, Kids Now Champion supporter, was the key sponsor of this event.

“We had some great talent take part in the concert,” said Crescent School student Robert Halperin, who not only was the drummer in one the performing group Post, but chaired the organizing committee for the event assisted by fellow students Eric Noble-Marks, Michael Venier and Hytham Farah. “The crowd attending got a little taste of everything—jazz, pop rock, percussion and some ‘light’ heavy metal.  It was all good.”

The evening’s 12 performing acts included the Crescent School Jazz Band and their female counterpart–the 14 ladies making up the Havergal College Jazz Band, the Kool-Aid Jammers, Evan and Zach,  The Offbeats, Bon Echo, Pamfrit, Boardwalk, The Grams, Post, Clear Distortion and solo drummer Matt Kowal.

The bands were not only students  from Crescent School and their friends, but also talented scholars from neighbouring schools.

Combining riffs on stage: (L to R) guitarists Eric Noble-Marks, Jacob Rosenberg, Ryan O’Rourke and drummer Tal Bibla Eben-Ezra

Halperin, although he had his hand in every aspect of organizing the entire event, denied he was a “one man band” when putting all the pieces together.

“There has been a bunch of hard working guys putting in many hours on this event over the past three months,” Halperin added.  “We had great support from the school body and dozens of students provided the expertise and manpower in putting together the lighting, sound and staging (as well as front of house duties).”

Fellow Crescent student Ian Ko helped direct marketing elements for the event which saw revenues generated from sponsorships, ticket sales, a 50/50 draw, refreshments and ancillary fundraising activities leading up to the concert.  “We had a ‘grub day’ at school the day of the concert and students didn’t have to wear their uniforms; so we had them donate money to dress casual,” Ko explained

Proceeds were donated to Kids Now, a long-time Canadian charity who “mentors youth to make positive choices”.  Kids Now’s volunteer-mentors deliver after-school programs aimed at building self-esteem, handling stress, developing communication skills, eliminating bullying, teaching conflict resolution, eliminating peer pressure, goal-setting and team building.

Relaxing after a successful event (Lto R): Cas Legrand, Chair Alumni Committee Kids Now, along with Crescent School’s Crescent Centennial Rock Benefit Committee members Eric Noble-Marks, Robert, Halperin, Chair; Michael Venier and Hytham Farah.

“Kids Now is very fortunate to have groups of students like Robert and his associates from Crescent School who come forward and select Kids Now as their charity of choice to receive the proceeds in staging third-party events like the Crescent Centennial Rock Benefit Concert,” said Janet King Founder and President, Kids Now.  “Kids Now is very grateful to be the beneficiary of an event that takes a great number of individuals providing hundreds of volunteer hours to put it together.  Kids Now has been the recipient of a few of these events held over the past couple of years and we hope to be on the receiving end of proceeds from other events like this that will be staged by similar groups in the immediate future.”

King also pointed out that the Kids Now philosophy is “you have to give to get” and in this light, a member of the Kids Now staff as well as a volunteer on the Kids Now board of directors provided some guidance and sponsorship support to the committee as in progressed in staging the event.

Kids Now would like to send a special thank you the committee of the Crescent School Centennial Rock Benefit Concert for all of their hard work and outstanding performance!

TD prides itself in giving to organizations that make a difference in local communities across Canada.  TD is committed to supporting the communities in which TD employees live and work and their focus is on 3 funding areas including education and financial literacy, creating opportunities for young people, and the environment.

Kids Now is a youth organization that is fueled by the energy and commitment of mentors, TD Canada Trust has been proudly represented in the Kids Now team since 2003. Every year, we’ve had mentors from TD running programs, and that’s because of TD’s unique culture that encourages their employees to give back to their local community. This type of encouragement is evident through one of our mentors and trainer extraordinaire, Melissa Occhione, a seven-time mentor and going strong!

Amanda Grieco, another dedicated TD employee, has mentored 15 Kids Now programs over the past several years! Hear her speak about the benefits of Kids Now here.  Lauren Miele and Andrea Robertson are also recent Kids Now volunteer mentors from TD.

With TD’s financial support and incredible manpower, Kids Now has and will continue to make a difference. We want to thank TD for all of its support throughout the years. With the generous support and help , our organization will continue to empower more youth in more communities. Thank you!

Cas Legrand, past Kids Now participant and current Chair of the Youth Advisory Committee, with Rosie MacLennan, Canadian Olympic gold medalist

In Grade 7, I had an amazing teacher that knew that taking advantage of opportunities could lead to bigger opportunities. She encouraged a couple of us in my grade to sign up for a TDSB supported leadership program called Kids Now.  What a good move that turned out to be for me!

At our first meeting, I remember being a little reluctant about participating in the team-building activities when I found myself partnered up with a group of grade 8 students. It was nerve racking since I didn’t know any of them or had ever talked to them before. But our coach, Richard, took us through the program, gradually engaging us, teaching us how to communicate, to gain self-confidence, and to trust each other. Over time, a sort of intermolecular bonding started to happen. We got to know each other’s stories and respect each other for them.  We seemed to understand each other so well that by the end of the 12-week sessions, we felt that as a team we could conquer the world.

Kids Now was my springboard into the world of leadership.  Kids Now led me to participate in People to People, a program whose goal is to bring young people together from around the world to get to know each other through leadership activities and the study of history and current events, in order to foster international understanding. A group of 30 kids met in Washington, D.C. where we spent a week together visiting historical sites and learning about American political systems. I learned a lot, but more importantly, it was practically the best week of my life. I am still in touch with most of the kids I met.

People to People made me take an interest in international affairs and truly understand what Former Prime Minister Trudeau meant by “citizen of the world”. I met so many kids from different countries and found their stories fascinating – so much so that I want to continue learning about all things international.  This interest is what encouraged me to take up the Student Exchange Program. I went for 3 months to live with a Spanish family in Madrid. I went to school there and had a blast. Six months later, my exchange partner, Marcos, spent 3 months with us. We took him on holiday to Niagara Falls, Montreal, New York City and Washington, D.C.  You wouldn’t believe how much Spanish I picked up! For the first month, I think everyone in class thought I was both deaf and dumb. But they stuck with me and by month two, I was just one of the gang, although I know the teachers were generous with my written assignments!

All the exposure to leadership training made me interested in Student government. I have been a Students Council rep throughout high school and I am now the Grad Committee Co-Chair for my high school.

From grade 8, fast-forward to grade 12, and by a happy circumstance Kids Now is back in my life! I answered the call to attend an alumni Kids Now training meeting and I am now the Chair of the Youth Advisory Committee.

I am thrilled to have this opportunity to work with motivated, dynamic individuals across the city and province, to keep past-participants of the program engaged and promote fun and innovating events for the Kids Now family.

Cas Legrand

Top 5 Tips | Get Organized

1. Have a vision

Close your eyes and envision what you’d like to achieve today and for the whole year. Write it down and keep it visible. This will be a great reminder to keep you organized.

2. Clean your desk and room 

When we keep things around that we don’t need, they distract us from achieving our goals. Start your Spring cleaning and donate things that you haven’t used in the past year. Remember that a clean space makes us feel peaceful.

3. Give everything a home

Once you are done cleaning, it is time to give everything a home. Organize your belongings by function or colour, and begin to notice how much faster you get things done.

4. Make a list

With so many distractions around, it is very important to write down what you need to do. Be sure to carry a colourful pen and check off what you get done. You will feel great when you see all the check marks.

5. Help others and practice

Try helping your parents, siblings or friends with a task. Practice makes perfect, and the more you practice being organized, the quicker you will reach success. Plus, helping others makes us feel great.

Kids Now program at RL Hyslop Bishop School getting busy!

Kids Now is pleased to announce a new grant from the Hamilton Community Foundation, Edith Turner Foundation Fund. Our programs have been very well received in Hamilton, and we are currently running 20+ programs each year. The interest from our local Hamilton schools has been very encouraging, and we currently have a further 26 Equal Opportunity schools on a waiting list to receive our program. With this strong demand, we hope to  increase our presence in the community  and we are very thankful for the support from the Edith Turner Foundation Fund.

Hamilton Mayor, Bob Bratina, said in a recent article that the Kids Now program addresses the key problems that can prevent youth from reaching their full potential and encourages people to get involved and inspire kids. (Stoney Creek News)

The Hamilton Community Foundation’s mission is to drive positive change by connecting people, ideas and resources in order to have a vibrant, inclusive Hamilton. The purpose of the Edith H. Turner Foundation Fund is to assist and provide funds in the fields of education, health, humanities and social development in Hamilton. This is why Kids Now is so thankful for their support in helping us be part of the positive change happening in Hamilton and Hamilton area, alongside inspiring mentors.

Kids Now would like to give a special thank you to the Hamilton Community Foundation and the Edith Turner Foundation Fund for their support and to the people of Hamilton for welcoming Kids Now with warmth and positivity! We look forward to working many more years in Hamilton.

 Bell Let’s Talk Day is a great way to get the conversation started but let’s keep it going! I think that this conversation can start with kids so that as they grow, they are able to have the strength to have difficult conversations and they are not constrained by the same limitations that many adults face today. This is one of many goals of the organization Kids Now  - a program that I have a great deal of heart for.

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Lauren represents what Kids Now is all about and shares her passion with pride. Lauren gave a presentation about Kids Now to her class for The Give Back Project, and her speech was so heart-filled that she inspired her entire class and raised the bar. Lauren used her communication and leadership skills, which she’s developed through Kids Now principles, and delivered a stellar speech.

The Give Back Project leader, Ellen Schwartz, wrote a phenomenal letter about Lauren’s presentation and the impact it had on her class. Read about it below and please join us as we salute Lauren for her awesome job as a Kids Now ambassador. Thanks, Lauren!

Lauren Kidd – Project Give Back

Peer pressure is a harsh reality for many young people, and sadly many girls are falling victim to the pressures of ‘thinspiration’ because they lack the self-confidence to believe that they are beautiful just the way they are. As a youth organization that works to help kids build their self-esteem, and acquire the skills to overcome these challenges, Kids Now is speaking up on the ‘thinspriation’ craze in hopes to overcome it together with mentors and parents.

What’s Thinspiration?

According to the site The controversial lifestyle of thinspiration, they describe thinspiration as following: Thinspiration, also known as thinspo, is multimedia transferred over the internet that helps ‘inspire’ girls (and some guys) to be thin. It has characteristics of a religion in which thinness is considered pure and good, while food and the act of eating are considered sins. Most thinspo is Pro-Anorexia (Pro-Ana) or Pro-Bulimia (Pro-Mia) and condones practices as starvation, purging and excessive exercise.

Where is it?

There are blogs, tumblr accounts and instagram feeds dedicated to promoting thinspo ideals. There are many online sources and support groups for thinspo followers, so how do we deal with this expanding problem?

5 Tips to tackle ‘Thinspiration’

1.  Be multimedia literate 

Get to know the facts. Be aware of the sites, pages and messages that ‘thinspiration’ shares, so that you can recognize any behaviours in your teens.

2. Watch for signs

• Shifts in eating habits – have they cut out their favorite snacks? Are portions drastically different? Are they obsessing over calories?
• Exercise routine – an active lifestyle is necessary but in moderation. Note if they are exercising multiple times a day.
• Mood swings – this can be tricky because mood swings are a natural part of being an adolescent, but hunger can make anyone very grumpy.
• Washroom breaks - if right after they finish eating they go straight to the washroom you may want to pay close attention.

3. Listen 

Make it a point to have daily conversations with your kids. It may take a while to get things flowing, but be patient and get ready to listen. You are aware of the pressures youth deal with, so let your child know that you understand and you are there to support them.

4. Encourage and empower

What are your kids good at? Encourage them to explore their talents and abilities. This will help them build their skills and confidence. Kids Now believes that with your support, kids will feel empowered to realize their full potential. Self-confidence and self-esteem are vital for kids not to fall into peer pressures and negative behaviours. Empower your child to be a leader and not a follower. Remember that the best example of what a healthy lifestyle looks like comes from you.

5. Praise

Let your child know how beautiful they are. Highlight their individuality and let them know how much you care.