NOISE taught me that you can make something out of nothing. All you need is an idea and this idea can spark into a huge success story.
My name is Daniel Coley. I am a NOISE Alumni who started with NOISE in grade 12. At the time, I was attending Emery Collegiate High School. I remember that I was walking past an information table where I saw two NOISE members talking about the program and asking people to join. Not surprisingly, I was not interested at the time and I went to my drama class.
My drama teacher mentioned to me that there was an information desk downstairs that was very interesting and would be great for me. I told her I just wanted to enjoy my summer and do my own thing. Without me knowing, she signed me up and I received a call from NOISE later on. I was shocked, but they told me someone signed me up and I decided to join because I thought she must be right, that NOISE would be a great opportunity. If I said no, it would be the biggest regret of my life. That is how I became a NOISE member. Not the way I wanted it to go, but it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
My experience with NOISE made me a better leader and inspired me to help others succeed. I met such amazing people and learned a lot more knowledge about the Jane and Finch community. The POD I worked with was so loving, knowledgeable, intelligent and they were simply my after school family. The biggest memory is that we would always hang out after our pod meetings and stay back late. In addition, our ideas brought forth our final project, which was our Jane and Finch concert.
The biggest thing I took away from this entire experience of putting together an event like this was that when we all work together, we can create a safe and welcoming environment for everyone in the community. Furthermore, a lot of people were scared to even come near the Jane and Finch area until we showed that it could be a welcoming area; all the negative news and media reports about the community are caused by a handful of individuals and not the community as a whole. NOISE also taught me that you can make something out of nothing. All you need is an idea and this idea can spark into a huge success story.
I want to personally thank NOISE for this opportunity and I will never forget this experience.
Blog prepared by Daniel Coley
NOISE Alum