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Youth Contributers: Fozi Ahmed, Hibbed, Mazin Kanuga, Bisma Amir, Iram Ali,
Rabeea Siddique, Rehma Amir, Tavila Haque
BE SCENE reserves the right to edit submitted articles for space and clarity. The
opinions expressed in BE SCENE do not necessarily reflect those of Regent
Park Focus Youth Media Arts Centre, Flemingdon Health Centre, or its other
partners. Any use or reprinting of content from BE SCENE is strictly prohibited
without the express permission of Regent Park Focus Youth Media Arts Centre.
Graffiti Transformation Project 2008 in the O’Connor Community
cliffe Park Ltd and since then the area
started to develop into the neighbour-
hood that is presently known as Thorn-
cliffe Park Drive.
RANDOM fact!
and in picked as the first “Apartment City” to
no time be made in all of Canada, making the
95 an d Marga- area a very significant and historic site.
Leaside Towers-
clea rly ret and After the World Wars many immigrants
85 can be viewed Robert were pouring into this great nation ev-
er!
from the CN Tow Davies ery month. With barely any places for
became them to live, the city counsellors looked
the lead- to John Fleming’s farmland as a piece
ing breeders of racehorses in Canada. of land to create a living environment
for these newcomers.
Years went by and the area started be- However, this was not a very easy task.
coming more well-known, attracting au- With so much debate about the high
diences for the races from all over Can- density in the area, how city services
ada. After the death of Robert Davies in would be provided and financial issues,
1916, his sons decided to sell the prop- the making of the “apartment city” was
erty to a group of investors from Balti- put off for quite some time until 1959
more, Maryland. From 1920-1952 the when the plan was finally approved by
property was purchased by the Ontario city legislators. The city counsellors
Jockey Club and the investors led and even went as far as England, Sweden,
Photograph taken by Tavila Haque. operated a very successful horse race and Copenhagen (in Denmark), where
The Leaside Towers have been around since 1970! site, but started losing business soon the “apartment cities” had already been
after. In the end, when business had made, for inspiration. Fully completed Photograph taken by Tavila Haque.
Tavila Haque the many horses that the couple owned failed, Thorncliffe was resold to Thorn- in the early 1970s, who would have
thought that the area that is now so di- A beautiful view of the Overlea Bridge at night!
A long, long time ago, before Thornc-
liffe became “T-Park”, Flemingdon be- verse and largely populated plays such
came “Flemo” and the local Popeyes a significant role in the development of
became a hang out spot, there was a Canada’s culture and diversity?
farmland, with just trees, grass, and
fresh manure. No buildings had been Thorncliffe and Flemingdon Park are
constructed, no cars were polluting not only neighbourhoods, or homes to
the air, and no Ontario Science Center thousands; the areas are also very in-
was getting tourists from all around the fluential to the growth of communities in
world. So now the thought is, how did other areas in Canada. The areas have
these two areas come to be what they grown and have evolved throughout the
are presently known as? years, with shopping centers, schools,
and tourist sites all within walking dis-
Originally named Thorn Cliff in the tance; it is safe to say that T-Park and
1800s, this piece of land was owned Flemo are great places to grow up in.
by George Taylor, on which he planned
to build a farm. However, as he grew
older and became too physically ill to RANDOM fact!
take care of the farm, his daughter Mar-
garet and her husband Robert Davies Flemingdon is on a lower
decided to purchase the big farmland Photograph taken by Shaili Chibba.
Photograph taken by Tavila Haque. land than Thorncliffe!
in 1888. Soon after the purchase was The Ontario Science Centre has been a great part of the community since 1969!
made, more farms were built to breed The Valley surrounds the neighbourhoods in a vast and beautiful greenness.
“
“
The O’Connor Media Group (OMG) is a group of 12 youth in the O’Connor community who met during the month of
is what is lost in
August, 2009 to learn how to shoot and produce videos and build creative writing skills. “Whatcha Know About We” is a
collective poem produced by the OMG.
Robert Frost
Abdullah Ayaz and Rabeea Siddique tions people, we are all immigrants. If Canadian, and nothing more American,
PRO: Canadian- born in Canada and brought up here CON: Canadian- the next individual to run our country is than to not even let foreign-born prime
from birth who truly understand the foreign-born, it will just mean that they ministers run for office, and follow the
Of all the debate topics possi- born Prime Minister values of a typical Canadian. And isn’t born Prime Minister have had more than one experience of path of such great prime ministers as
ble, why did we choose “Should that what we all look for in a leader – a the world, can relate to both the immi- Sir John A Macdonald and Alexander
a Canadian Prime Minister be 98% of the Canadian population is typical Canadian who will properly rep- Canada has always prided itself on its
grant and citizen population, and are Mackenzie.
made up of immigrants: people who resent us? Someone who understands open arms to immigration, and the new
Canadian-born or not?” Simple, just that much more ready to face the
have originally come from afar, settled the needs of all Canadians rather than globalized world does and will continue
really: it was controversial. It globalized world.
in Canada, and become a part of Ca- someone who will probably be more to look at our great example of diversi-
made us receive dirty looks from nadian society. They have added to the biased towards his/her own people? fication. So far, Canada has had about
For all those who think that a foreign- Post your comments on
those who did not agree with us. ever-growing population and it is defi- Someone who prides themselves as four foreign-born Prime Ministers, in-
born prime minister should be banned,
cluding Sir John A Macdonald (the first Be Scene’s Blog:
It was a genuine face-off that got nitely because of them that we have “Canadian” instead of the country that I say: such a law is truly un-Canadian
Prime Minister of Canada), who was http://bescenemag.wordpress.com
peoples’ attention. Questions such a diverse society today. However, they were born in? What if this new from the core, and goes against every-
born in Scotland. It is in the core of
like these are what truly make before one can enrich a community, leader was Canadian-born, but had ex- thing Canada stands for. It is much
Canada’s beliefs that all residents who
they must understand and accept it. As perience in embracing new culture and more of the philosophy of our neigh-
us realize how different we are have attained citizenship are equal
an immigrant raised in Canada, I find its people from all around the world? bour to the south. Canadian beliefs and
in terms of our opinions and ex- that first generations have a hard time Not too long ago, our neighbours in
and shall thus have the world of op-
culture should be specially kept distinct
periences, and how they affect portunities open to them. Immigrants
adjusting to the “diverse” Canadian the South, who go by the “nationally- from those of Americans, and we should
have long supplied Canada with skills,
the way we view the world. In culture. While they accept and love a born” rule, brought someone like this be proud of what we believe in. If crit-
techniques and experiences that make
this case, the view involves the person’s individuality and their way of into presidency: Barack Obama. For- ics still think it’s a bad idea, I finally say
our country so greatly unique. Immi-
selection of a future Prime Min- life, it is difficult for someone to fall into get the USA; people all over the world to them, trust the democratic process,
grant families and individuals travel
that culture and also start following the can connect with this man! Diversity and if the voters do not feel represent-
ister. general population. Thus culture is so and national pride come together best
every year to Canada, and often value
ed, they may choose not to vote for a
our resources more than we do, and
unique and savoured in Canada. in Canada, so let’s bring that out in a foreign born prime minister. However, a
at the end of the day, except First Na-
It is the “second generations” who are Canadian-born Prime Minister! reminder that there is nothing more un-
Blessed John XXIII Catholic Elementary School
RANDOM
fact!
Thorncliff
e Public
was buil Scho
t in 1961 ol
!
Rehma Amir amusement with The Jumping Castle, eryone came together as a big family.
and there were raffle tickets for various At the end of the show, many people
The fourth annual carnival, Neighbour’s items like gift certificates and winning a volunteered to pick up garbage to keep
Night Out, took place at Thorncliffe new bike. The free event started from the parking lot clean. The eventful night
fac t!
Park School on June 27, 2009 and was 4:00 pm and people dropped by for was yet again successful to bring to-
N D O M
yet again a huge success. Residents of a while to check out the stalls of deli- gether members of the Thorncliffe and RA u b l i
ool,
c Sch ts,
P
Leaside and Thorncliffe of all cultures cious Indian food like the famous Biry- Leaside community. The team intends cliffe tuden
reunited with Afghani, Indian and Paki- ani, Kebab, and Naan (bread). There to have this event every year due to its Thorn ing 1900 s entary
in m
stani songs. Many were unable to stand were many other stalls that included positive outcome. conta argest ele erica!
t h e l t m
h A
still and danced whole heartedly, as the cultural clothing shalwar kameez, I, like many others that attended, got a is
o o l i n Nor
well as requesting their favorite songs. headscarves, summer skirts and jew- chance to hang out with my best buds. I sch
All around people were tuning into the elry. Even the political figure Kathleen found the atmosphere friendly and wel-
brilliant local artists: Danyal Wani, Num Wynne (MPP for Don Valley West) coming and realized that by the end of
Band, and many more. Also, the tradi- dropped by, and Rob Oliphant (MP for it, everyone was so tuned into the show
tional Indian Dhol (a drum-like instru- Don Valley West) expressed his grati- that they were reluctant to leave until
ment) was professionally played by tude for being a part of the community. the very end. The event was truly a
a young child in his first official show. wonderful first-time experience for me
Apart from the melodious singing, there Mostly, people enjoyed spending time and an overall success.
were speeches and a poetry presenta- with one another, whether it was due
tion. The younger generation had their to similar taste in music or clothing. Ee-
Photograph taken by Hufsa Akbar.
RAN
Sarcoma is
DOM fact!
nerves, musc
cancer of co
nective tissu
joints, bone,
es, such
le
a
or blood ves-
sels.
n-
s
s, cartilage,
Bisma Amir
There are many individuals who dream of making a difference, but few of them come to make
that difference. Being a survivor of sarcoma (a type of cancer mainly affecting youth), Araf
: Araf Khaled
What types of responses do you receive from club members, peers, and teachers?
When the club started off at Marc Garneau, we received a strong response. There was a room filled
with at least 60 kids for our first meeting. This was partly due to the fact that the Terry Fox Run had
taken place recently and I gave a speech for the run. This way the whole school got a chance to hear
about sarcoma. It was well-received by students in the beginning, but this was my first year leading
a club that I established. By the end of the year, our club attendance did drop a bit, but it was largely
due to the fact that we had to stop things for a few months due to a conflict with the administration.
I learned a lot about leading YSI and how to keep the club interesting and enjoyable for all. I feel
Khaled is fighting an eternal battle to alert the community about this disease, and is making a that there are a lot of people who feel impacted by sarcoma and YSI, so now I’ve got a good group
difference in his community. The club YSI was started by him to fundraise for and raise aware- of dedicated individuals. Next year there is Relay for Life that’s going to take place and YSI will try
ness about sarcoma. After the club’s first year experience, Be Scene decided it was necessary its best to help that out because it has to do with cancer. There are also teachers that help run the
to interview this influential community figure. club during events such as Parent’s Night, as well as staff advisors from Marc Garneau. Two teach-
ers also took students to the Science Extravaganza at Sick Kids Hospital. Sick Kids always has
this event that’s geared for high school students. 10 schools from the Toronto District School Board
were selected to attend the event where award-winning scientists give speeches and let everyone
know what’s happening in the latest research. Students missed two complete school days; therefore
teachers did support us well. The Vice Principal was also very into it, too.
What is YSI and what is the purpose of the club? RAND
OM fa
YSI stands for Youth Sarcoma Initiative. It’s a youth-based club that intends Sarco
ma ct! Is YSI only offered in Marc Garneau How do students benefit from or are
to fundraise and increase awareness about sarcoma, and aims to do this by nosed can be m or has it expanded to other schools? recognized for being part of YSI?
becau isdiag
often -
incorporating youth because sarcoma is a cancer that mainly affects youth. In
mistak se they are
fact 20% of all childhood cancers are sarcomas. So I thought that because it’s en a
related to us, we can have youth help out other youth indirectly by fundraising, injurie s sports My initial plan was to expand YSI, therefore creating This year a bunch of students got volunteer hours
s. as many satellite YSIs throughout the Toronto Dis- that were issued by Sick Kids Foundation. So,
because this is a cancer that a lot of youth may be familiar with.
trict School Board as possible. In our first year, we there is a lot of volunteering that is involved, there-
started off with YSI at Marc Garneau, Leaside, and fore students can receive volunteer hours this way.
Victoria Park Collegiate Institute. Now we are aim- Students had a huge experience at the Science
ing to extend YSI to northern secondary schools. I Extravaganza, they’ve definitely learned a lot about
What inspired you to start this club? What type of events does the club plan? plan to make this at least a 10 year project, so after sarcoma. Because this is our first year, it’s pretty
I’m done high school, I really want to make this a much in the establishment process. We also gave
I am a sarcoma cancer survivor and I attended We are largely an awareness and fundraising registered charity in Canada. It is independent right out certificates to specific members of the club that
a symposium last year at Sick Kids Hospital. It group. In our first year, which was the past now, but we donate to the Sick Kids Foundation. we felt deserved extra recognition for their contribu-
was the first annual sarcoma awareness sym- year, we had a sushi bake sale at Leaside. A We fundraise for other different, big organizations, tion. YSI is also developing a website that features
posium. After the symposium, I knew I had lot of students really got into it and baked the and because we are independent, we get to choose specific members who have made contributions to
to do something about it partly because I was sushi themselves and sold it. At Parent’s Night which organization we fundraise for. The money the club.
a victim of sarcoma and the treatment that is at Marc Garneau we had a samosa sale. We donated to Sick Kids is specifically for sarcoma re-
available for the current sarcoma patients isn’t also sold YSI bracelets as well as sarcoma search.
all that amazing. It has improved over the past bracelets that came from the Liddy Shriver
20 years or so; however it is horrific and still Sarcoma Initiative in New York. We sold some
has a long way to go. Also a lot of people may of the bracelets for $5 and some for $3.50 to Is there anything else that you would like us to know about YSI?
not be aware of the fact that Terry Fox was a fundraise. As for awareness, there are youth
act !
OM f
victim of sarcoma. The fact is that sarcoma and students working on a website and we es- What I really want is for YSI is as much as possible to be a student-based club.
RANDall cancerscothmaat s,
is a cancer that impacts youth and not a lot of tablished pamphlets. Since every cancer has I would also like to reach out to the community. I believe that awareness best
people are aware of it, so there is a need of in- its ribbon, we created yellow sarcoma aware- expresses itself when it is really entrenched and rooted in the community. I think
community is really important, so we really want to reach out. This year Flem- f r
forming people. In Canada, there isn’t enough ness ribbons for awareness week at Leaside. 0% o re sa
awareness or fundraising done for sarcoma ingdon Health Center helped us a lot by donating to us and covered a lot of our 15-2 hildren a f cancers -
tc o co
compared to other cancers such as breast expenses that we had for our fundraising events. This year YSI fundraised $1, affec e only 1% s are sar
i l l t
163 in total, and exactly $800 was donated towards the Sick Kids Foundation wh t adu
cancer. affec mas.
and the rest went toward the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative in New York. that
How fast can you solve it?
ACROSS DOWN
1. A rap song connecting the communities of Flemingdon 1. Flemingdon Park’s slang name
Park and Parma Court
3. One of the three communities served by this
2. Flemingdon Park’s studio and radio organization magazine
*For solutions go to www.bescenemag.wordpress.com and 7. A centre for all your scientific explorations,
click on Issue 2 in the top navigation bar.
located in Flemingdon Park (abbreviation)
You’ve seen the cover… now check it out: We’ve hidden a bunch of “tools of the trade” in our cover picture, tools that
many youth in the community use to express themselves. See how many you can find!
Paintbrush - - Books
Old school mic - - Basketball
Computer - - Camera
Test tubes - - Newspaper
Stethoscope - - Quill and parchment