Celebrate #backtoschool season with redseven! 

Are you active on Facebook?  If so, send an e-mail to foujan@redseven.ca with a primary school photo of you from Picture Day.  In the e-mail, include one sentence describing your favourite thing about #backtoschool.  Your photo will then be posted to our #backtoschool Facebook album.  Tag yourself, share your story with your friends, and encourage them to participate as well. 

Are you active on Twitter?  Use the hashtag #backtoschool to tell us about your favourite thing about the #backtoschool season.  If you have character space, try @mentioning us: @redsevencf.

Do you want to give the gift of #backtoschool?  For as little as $20 you can send one child to school for an ENTIRE school year.  Click here to donate today.

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.

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 here.  And 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!

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

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.

TORONTO, ON, May 27, 2010 - redseven charitable foundation (redseven) proudly announces it inaugural event:imagine a world on Friday, May 28, 2010 at the Berkeley Church Field House. Join redseven in raising $12,000 for Free the Children, to build a primary school in Lai Gow, India for 40 primary students.

“We would not be where we are without our right to education. Unfortunately, not all children have that right,” said Jay Hamilton, founder and executive director of redseven. “We are determined to create a community of young Canadians who feel empowered to support the cause for youth education globally, whether it by spreading awareness or raising funds.”

Started by young Toronto philanthropists, redseven charitable foundation is focused on harnessing the power of Toronto youth to rally behind the cause for youth education globally.

“Together, youth can create a powerful wave of change and further the cause for youth education globally,” adds Hamilton. “I urge every young Canadian to imagine a world where education is a right. It’s only fair that every child get the same opportunities we did.”

imagine a world will be filled with music, dancing, live art and an art auction, comprised of pieces from the Toronto artist community.

Che Kothari, Executive Director of Manifesto Art Festival has contributed a piece of art to the auction, and will also be present at the event. Beginning at 8pm, imagine a world will feature a live art show by notable Toronto artists, including Liz Diker, Patrick Thompson, Steven Henderson, Clem Watson and José-Gabriel.

Event Details

When: Friday, May 28, 2010

Time: 8:00pm

Where: Berkeley Church Field House, 315 Queen Street East, Toronto, ON

Campaign Goal: Raise $12,000 for Free the Children, to build a primary school for children in Lai Gow, India

Ticket Price to imagine a world: $50

About redseven charitable foundation

redseven charitable foundation is a Toronto-based organization started by young Canadians. redseven believes every child should have the right to education, because education will lead to a more peaceful and progressive world. Its mission is to engage young Canadians to support charitable organizations that further youth education globally. redseven stands for ‘responsible’, ‘empowered’ and ‘dedicated’ citizens across the seven continents. Its goal is to create global citizens by empowering youth to rally around the cause for youth education globally.

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For more redseven, please visit www.redseven.ca or email Sabrina Sdao at sabrina@redseven.ca

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

First, purchase your ticket or donate on or before Thursday, May 27.

Then, twitter users tweet one of the following (whichever is applicable):
“I just purchased my ticket for #imagineaworld with @redsevencf”
“I just donated to #imagineaworld through @redsevencf”

Facebook users, you can also take part! Once you’ve purchased or donated change your facebook status to the following (whichever is applicable):
“I just purchased my ticket for @imagine a world with @redseven charitable foundation”
“I just donated to @imagine a world through @redseven charitable foundation”

Note: Please MAKE CERTAIN you’re including the “at mentions” for both facebook and twitter because that is the only way we’ll be able to enter you to win. If you’re confused about how to “at mention” on facebook read the bottom of this post for detailed instructions.

Once you’ve changed your (facebook/twitter) status to the above mentioned, your name will automatically be put in to win a brand spanking new DJ Hero (for Wii).

We’ll announce the winner on Friday May 28th at the imagine a world event!

@ mentions – facebook:
- Things you can @ mention include: your facebook friends, facebook groups you’re a part of, facebook fan pages you’ve ‘liked’, facebook events you’re attending.

- while typing your status type the symbol ‘@’ where you’d like to insert the mention.
- without including a space start typing whatever it is you want to link, in this case start typing @imagin (facebook will auto-complete and the event will show up in a scroll down list), then do the same for @redseven (facebook will again auto-complete and give you a scroll down list to choose from).
- click on the event from the scroll down list and it will be hyperlinked into your status and will show up on the ‘imagine a world’ facebook invite page.

*all donors and those who have purchased tickets can participate in the contest, with the exception of the redseven team listed on redseven.ca. The winner will be announced by redseven charitable foundation on May 28th at the imagine a world event at the Berkeley Church in Toronto, and only one person will be named the recipient of the DJ Hero game. The name of the facebook/twitter user must match the name of the person who donated money (at the Free the Children link)/name of the person attending imagine a world (as listed on the event guestlist), in order to be eligible to win.

Wondering what to wear to imagine a world?

Wonder no longer.

A few weeks back, we asked a group of amazing volunteer models, a very talented make-up artist, and a beyond brilliant photographer to join us on a project affectionately dubbed: the imagine a world look-book.

Lots of people have asked what appropriate attire is for Friday, and the look-book is a visual representation to help guide you through your closet to find the perfect outfit.

imagine a world is our inaugural event, almost like our first fancy date with our philanthropic community. The dress-code, with this idea in mind, is first date friendly. The night will be a grande celebration of our community coming together to help achieve our goal of raising $12,000 to build a primary school in India. We are excited to have you, your giving spirit and own personal sense of style present this Friday. Fun, flirtatious, sexy, dapper, suave – how would you best describe your style?

For more photos from the shoot, check out our facebook album. To check out Marcia’s website click here, and to see Nikki’s work check out her personal website and Westside Studio’s website.

If you haven’t yet purchased your ticket, do so here. (Also, stay tuned tomorrow for the start of a contest involving DJ Hero!)

Special thanks to our models (from left to right):

David Singh
Lisa Kendrick
Aileen Baran
Gerry Sieben
Jessie Migneault
Tristan Armstrong

Special thanks to our talented creative team:

Make-up Artist: Marcia Garnes
Art Director: Foujan Ziadlou
Photographer: Nikki Ormerod
Gracious Hosts: Westside Studios

We can’t wait to see you on Friday!

Sabrina