Wow, what a year!! The gratitude that I as an individual, and we as an organization, feel for your commitment and support this year is enormous. While standing in the face of so many changing landscapes and the growing needs of our students, you continued to stand with us. You recognized that the young people we serve matter. You committed to them. Our students, who needed you more than ever, heard your response. Because of you, we were able to meet the needs of young people across Canada in a way that is far greater than ever before.
Despite all of the challenges that arose in 2021, it was a year of strengthening for our organization. Financially it was a banner year with record revenues and a very healthy net position which increased our reserve, offering us improved sustainability.
I am so excited and honoured to take on the leadership role of Chair of the Board of Directors. DAREarts is poised for exponential growth and increased impact on the young people we serve. Thanks to the dedication of my predecessors and our CEO, we now have the team we need to scale up our organization and programs.
We found a way to feel together when apart. Creating a feeling of community and connection is not easy when you cannot be face to face. However, it is possible when you focus on the “can”, get creative and stay positive and optimistic.
I’m proud to be able to authentically use the word “resiliency” to describe the way our team and students responded and adapted to all of the challenges the world threw at us in 2021.
Leadership starts from within, with personal development. Our programs focus on developing self-confidence, self-awareness and life skills.
260% increase from 2020
1,212% increase from 2020
Compared to 5 in 2020
that they are more prepared for the workforce after participating in the Youth Leadership Institute (YLI) program
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Our efforts to generate increased support for our mission, and to decrease our spending, have resulted in: financial stability, organizational stability, mission-driven focus on service delivery, increased impact for youth and increased participant reach.
Advantage Parts Solutions
Benson Percival Brown LLP
Bosa Properties
Brad Miller
Branch MacMaster LLP
Burns & Wilcox
Canadian Brokers Network
Chubb Insurance Company of Canada
Claimspro
CSN Collision Centres
Dana Hospitality LP
Ernst and Young LLP
Evangelista, Barristers & Solicitors
Masters Insurance
NFP
Social Venture Partners Toronto (SVP)
The Lewis Cohen Family Foundation
The Magnes Group Inc.
Toronto Foundation
Lambert Morvan
Paul Battista – Ernst & Young
Tarik Muzaffar
BlueShore Financial
Michael Barone
Chad Robertson
Christopher Davenport
Donald K. Johnson O.C., LL.D
Robert Keilty
Wayne LeGear
Zlata Huddleston
Robert Agouri
Zoomer Radio AM 740
Paul Watanabe
Don Johnson
Jackman Foundation
Larry Lineker
Torys LLP
SSRU
Lorie Phair
Jennifer Perry
Agincourt Community Services Association
Blue Door
Building Roots
Eva’s
Native Child & Family Services Toronto
Prime Data
ReelAbilities Festival
Regent Park Community Health Early On Centre
Regent Park Film Festival
Stratford Festival
Women’s Habitat of Etobicoke
YouthLink
Aboriginal Friendship Centre
Ballet BC
Black Arts Vancouver
Britannia Elementary School
Directions Youth Shelter
Green Thumbs
Making A Mends
Misty River Community Arts Council
Rain City Housing’s youth shelter
Surrey Community Schools
Urban Native Youth Association
Vancouver School Board
Prime Data
Simon Jacob Memorial Education Centre
Kattawapiskak Elementary School
Vezina Secondary School
Going virtual didn’t slow us down! It was a wonderful event celebrating some remarkable young leaders. Our supporter engagement and generosity blew us away. We doubled the number of sponsors from last year and raised $226,000!
We received so many caring and thoughtful comments and questions from supporters during and after the event. The genuine interest and passion we heard from supporter attendees made us feel that anything was possible, and that the future was very bright for the young people we serve and the organization as a whole.
The coming year will focus on scalable growth across Canada to meet the rising demand for our services:
We were very fortunate to have such a dedicated and passionate team in 2021. These wonderful people made all of our tremendous achievements and impact possible.
Thank you to our:
Kristal Au-Yong, Co-Chair
Christopher Davenport, Co-Chair
Zlata Huddleston, Secretary
John Landry, Treasurer
Mark Baker, Director
Jannine Krish, Director
Lambert Morvan, Director
Tina Osen, Director
James Rausch, Director
Jennifer Wilson, President & CEO
Aniska Ali, VP Strategic Partnerships & Impact
Lori Collinge, Executive Assistant & Office Manager
Lisa Norton, National Program Manager
Jordan Donovan, Development Manager & Program Facilitator, GTA
Naveen Abeysinghe, Manager, Communications
Glenn Marais, Remote Programs Lead
Heather Prost, Regional Lead Western Canada
Mackenzy Willis, Regional Lead GTA
Emilie De Caen, Program Facilitator GTA
Monte Neufeld, Program Facilitator, GTA
Alejandro Lazzari, Program Co-Facilitator Western Canada
Sarah Thompson, Program Co-Facilitator Western Canada
Lavinia Butuza, Substitute Facilitator, GTA
Shahla Lafeer, Substitute Facilitator, GTA
Rachel Scrivo, Substitute Facilitator, GTA
Zoe Cheng, Marketing Assistant
Sarah Mughal, Evaluations Consultant
Minhaj Ali Khan
Tayman Armatrading
Aileen Bahmanipour
Iris Benedikt
Selina Boan
Morgan Bocknek
Christie Carriere
Aiken Chau
Cassandra Cross
Bug Cru
Kurt Cuffy
Desiree Dawson
Tristan D’Souza
Yasmine El-Hamamsy
Em/Pen
Robin Frigeri
Alexandra Henao on behalf of Fuerza Migrante
Megan Fulton
Chantelle Gabino
Felix Gilliliand
Trevor Goodyear
Alyssa Harms-Wiebe
Taylah Harris-Mungo
Jennyfer Hatch
Alia Hijaab
Connie Ho
Gloria Hope
Ceilidh Isadore
Michelle Jamieson
Charlene Johnny
Cynthia Jumenez-Hicks
Lynette La Fontaine
Alexandra Lainfiesta
Andy Lee
Brintha Manoharan
Jonathan Mason
Beverley McEwan
Meghan McKnight
Brennan Murray
Anushka Nagji
Roza Nozari
Mimi O’Bonsawin
Rod O’Hara
Alia Omelaniec
Jennifer Parr
Cindy Paul
Lee Pham
Amal Rana
Darla Rasmussen
Courtney Revie
Marion Roberts
Neena Robertson
Trey Robinson
Matt Rosen
Lorraine Roy
Sofia Sanchez
Devon Serket
Mike Shara
Ideet Sharon
Yi Shi
Robyn Sidhu
Lela Stairs
Eddy van Wyk (a.k.a. xoma-leon phîlip babur)
Joaquin Varela
Metro Vancouver teens honoured for improving their communities and own lives
ThriveYouth Development Canada
@ CSI Regent Park
585 Dundas Street East, 3rd Floor
Toronto, ON M5A 2B7
Email: info@darearts.com
Telephone: 1-866-229-3496