2017 was a year of fighting the good fight, and our members had many meaningful wins that created real impact. They secured grants, hired more employees, and had big, productive collaborations with each other.
We chatted with 18 of them to hear about some of their goals for 2018 and get the lowdown on their great 2017 memories. We’re going to spend the rest of the year telling you about what they had to say.
Next up is Adonis, Executive Director for Regent Park Focus Youth Media Arts Centre
Regent Park Focus Youth Media Arts Centre was established to counter negative press and stigmatization of the community by encouraging youth to produce and broadcast their own messages about the community through print, radio and television. Regent Park Focus strives to promote the idea that media broadcast communication can, if used effectively, help provide people with the information they need to make the best possible decisions about their lives, their communities, their societies, and their governments. With a commitment to media literacy, Regent Park Focus allows individuals to better interpret, decode and decipher media messaging.
What was your greatest success in 2017?
In 2017, Regent Park Focus Youth Media Arts Centre successfully expanded its innovative content on Radio Regent, a digital station ranked in the top #38 of a national WonderShare survey and accessed by 143 countries and counting! Shows include Megenagna Radio, a weekly hour-long show that serves Ethiopians from across the Ethiopian diaspora. Megenaga features Ethiopian culture, literature, philosophy, social and current affairs and is broadcast primarily in Amharic, which is one of Ethiopia’s official languages. In addition, Regent Park Focus celebrated its community partnership with local agencies, such as Toronto Council Fire’s Youth Wellness sector, which presents Indigenous Youth Radio, aiming to feature an inclusive array of Visual and Recording Artists, Storytellers, Singers, Dancers, Scholars and Survivors who have a journey to share with the world.
Regent Park Focus welcomes engaging more community members and groups on Radio Regent and with Regent Park TV, Canada’s first neighbourhood-linked and youth-engaged tv station-channel!
2018 micro-goal:
Regent Park Focus is enthusiastic about co-coordinating its first major fundraising event, called “I Heart Neighbourhood Charity Auction”. The event brought together five (!) amazing charities to celebrate the building of inclusive, just, and resilient neighbourhoods! It featured youth-designed videos about the participating groups as well as local performances.
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