Batter up!

July 30th, 2010

S-drive is hosting its Second Annual Charity Baseball tournament in support of KidSport on Saturday, August 21 at Coronation Park in Toronto.  

Over the past 12 months, S-drive has grown and continues to work towards engaging young professionals through networking, philanthropy and community engagement.

Similar to redseven, S-drive is a new organization looking to connect young professionals who believe in a cause. S-drive has contributed to a variety of charities including the Haiti Relief Fund, the Steve Nash Foundation, Bloorview Kids Rehab, KidSport Ontario and Right to Play.

redseven will be participating in this year’s tournament and you can too! Teams will be comprised of 10 players and friendly competition will be in full force. The winner of the tournament will receive a prize courtesy of Steam Whistle Brewery.  For more details or to sign up, click here!

To learn more about S-drive, follow them on Twitter and ‘like’ them on Facebook.

Angels in the Dust

July 6th, 2010

Angels in the Dust serves as a necessary reminder that we are all accountable for the nature of the world we create, and though our impact may seem small and irrelevant, our positive actions inevitably contribute to a more sustainable and equitable world. The documentary Angels in the Dust is easily the most profound and moving film I have ever had the pleasure of viewing.  Through the power of education, the children in the film are given a real chance at overcoming their circumstances and becoming empowered citizens of the world.

The documentary follows the daily struggles of the Cloete family; Marion, her husband and her two daughters abandoned a life of wealth in Johannesburg to move to the rural village of Magaleisberg and establish a school and orphanage for more than 500 children.  The residents of the area are victims of extreme poverty, malnutrition and the  HIV/AIDS epidemic.  Throughout the film, we see Marion adopt the roles of healer, educator, protector, parent, friend and sister.

The film does not have a tidy ending and this makes Angels in the Dust a somewhat difficult film to watch. It is not meant to reaffirm our belief that we are principled young people who are affected by the stories within the film.  Ultimately, we are only as principled as our actions, not our thoughts.  This film serves as extreme evidence of the positive impact education has amongst children from all walks of life.  If the Cloete family can dedicate their lives to this cause, surely we all have the ability to contribute to the cause for global youth education, even in small ways, within our own communities.

To read more about the film, click hereAnd if you’ve seen any other documentaries that you think we should talk about, let us know!

This review was written by Neha Chandrachud – one of our very own volunteers.  Want to join the team? Click here and lend your voice to this important cause!

1GOAL: Primary education for all

June 16th, 2010

An international celebration of sport and camaraderie started this week. The World Cup has people of all cultures and ages leaving work early and gathering around TV screens in bars, cafes, living rooms and even foyers of office buildings. The talent is colossal, the competition is fierce and watching the World Cup is the one thing that might keep people inside on a hot and sunny day this summer.

Not only does the 2010 FIFA World Cup support global soccer competition, but it, too, believes education is a right. So, FIFA has partnered with the Campaign for Global Education for its 1GOAL campaign. The purpose of this campaign is to hold world leaders accountable for achieving the UN Millennium Goal, that all children will receive primary education by 2015.

1GOAL is seeking support from those who want to see all children receive the right to an education. Over 9 million people, including these World Cup players,  have already joined.

There are a few ways you can get involved:

1. Learn about 1GOAL

2. Join the movement by signing your name, engaging in social media outlets to show your support, etc.

Yours in youth education,

Sabrina

40 children in India are going to school

June 9th, 2010

…thanks to $14,553 raised through the imagine a world campaign.
 
redseven charitable foundation is privileged to have had the support of over 400 Canadians, for the imagine a world campaign. Through  imagine a world ticket sales, event attendance, online donations or silent auction contributions, our collective efforts have raised $14,553- exceeding our goal of raising $12,000! We are truly humbled by our very generous community.

These funds will be donated to Free the Children to build a school for 40 children in Lai Gow, India. 40 more children will be afforded the opportunity to an education, so that they can contribute to the advancement of their community.
 
Donation Breakdown
$12,000 will go toward building the school and includes all labour and supplies to construct the building as well as furnish the school. All funds exceeding $12,000 will go toward more supplies for the school. This includes basic school supplies, hand washing stations and latrines. We will continue to accept online donations for the next short while, to contribute to school supplies and the overall sustainability of the school. 

Thanks for your generous support!
 

What’s Next
redseven’s next campaign is focused on education through sport. In partnership with S-Drive, redseven will be hosting a softball tournament on August 21st. Please save the date and more info will be coming soon. The tournament is in support of KidSport which gives grants to Canadian youth ages 4-18 to eliminate financial barriers to participating in sport. Grants cover registration and equipment costs.
 
Thank you again for helping further the cause for youth education in India. Now 40 children will have the chance to dream big and become responsible, empowered and dedicated global citizens.

Yours in youth education,

Sabrina

*All photos courtesy of AJ Messier.

Free the Children, India & education: what this campaign is all about

May 27th, 2010

redseven believes education is a right. And that young people have the power to create change. Together, young people have the power to support global youth education, in hopes of fostering a more peaceful and progressive world.

Free The Children shares similar beliefs on the cause for youth education globally, which is why we are donating $12,000, to support its initiative to build a school in Lai Gow, India.  This school will ensure that 40 children have a safe place to learn and the access to education they deserve. Through education, these children will help break the cycle of poverty in India and have the skills and knowledge to empower future generations. And educated citizens will help Lai Gow prosper.

But why Free the Children, you ask? Don’t other charities build schools and support primary education as well? redseven is ecstatic to support a charity whose values align so closely with our own and whose reputation will ensure that the funds donated will give 40 students in Lai Gow, India access to primary education.

Free the Children is the world’s largest network of children helping children through education, with more than one million youth involved in its innovative education and development programs in 45 countries. It was founded in 1995 by 12-year-old international child rights activist Craig Kielburger – a testament to the prolific impact one young person can make to change the world.

The primary goals of the organization are to free children from poverty and exploitation and free young people from the notion that they are powerless to affect positive change in the world. Through domestic empowerment programs and leadership training, Free The Children inspires young people to develop as socially conscious global citizens and become agents of change for their peers around the world.

So why are we building a school in India?

Unfortunately, there are more illiterate children in India than any country in the world. And we want to see an end to this staggering fact.

We chose to support building a school in Lai Gow, because the impact of this school will directly contribute to one of the biggest barriers children face in achieving primary education. Survey data from 40 countries show that, in 32 of them, school attendance is higher in urban than in rural areas. But the most determinant factor is that these children are poor. Lai Gow is a rural community in India, where poverty is rampant.

Imagine if all children in India had access to primary education. All Indian children could have a chance to be community leaders, pilots, inventors and teachers. A whole population of educated children in India could create sustainable environmental programs or could solve economic problems that plague impoverished communities. The possibilities for these children are endless. And so are the possibilities presented when one community comes together to support a cause.

There’s one day left to buy tickets to imagine a world and make this vision of youth education in India, a reality.

We hope to see you all tomorrow night,

Sabrina