Do More Mondays - #40 - "UNITY Charity"

I grew up in Scarborough for a part of my youth ~ where I'm from, people jokingly refer to it as 'Scarberia' and 'Scarlem'.  We consider that part of the city crime-ridden and filled with visible minorities and immigrants.  Graffiti on people's property was a common sight to see.  I've never personally experienced violent or gang-related crime, but it's something I frequently heard about on the news.  On one occasion, the house were I remember living in the most had been broken into. 

I no longer live in Scarborough and I don't think anything negative about the place I once called home ~ I later studied in university there.  I think there is vibrant multiculturalism and potential for building strong communities.  The fact that there are scarier places in Toronto leads me to make this weeks donation to 'UNITY Charity: Urban Non-Violent Initiatives Through Youth' ~ an arts based alternative education organization.  They engage youth 10 to 18 through school inspirational performance assemblies and follow up artistic development workshops.  UNITY provides positive artistic outlets for youth to express themselves instead of expressing themselves through violence, drug use, stereotyping, bullying and other negative forms of self-expression.  Some of their programs include after school clubs, art-based classes in break dancing, graffiti art, spoken word poetry and beat boxing, participating in city festivals, and mentorship opportunities.  By using urban arts to engage and tell real stories that others can identify with, it increases mutual understanding among youth on relevant community issues and fosters an atmosphere of collaboration.

I challenge anyone to do more.