Beyond at Risk represents a growing movement of leaders dedicated to research and actions focused on empowering youth, dis-establishing stereotypes and harmful narratives that surround marginalized neighbourhoods. – Beyond at Risk Mission
This past Saturday, YouthREX was lucky to be a sponsor for “The Launch”, a basketball tournament hosted by Beyond at Risk (BAR). This basketball tournament was Beyond at Risk’s first public event, and it also marked their first anniversary! We were excited to show our support for this great organization and have a couple NOISE youth from our Central Hub attend as well!
The folks over at Beyond at Risk recognize that the term “at-risk” is typically used to describe populations that are racialized and living in marginalized neighbourhoods. With this in mind, Beyond at Risk is a registered non-profit organization whose mission “represents a growing movement of leaders dedicated to research and actions focused on empowering youth, dis-establishing stereotypes and harmful narratives that surround marginalized neighbourhoods.”
The basketball tournament was a physical representation of Beyond at Risk’s mission, bringing together various different people, all working towards a common goal. The six teams competing were incredibly diverse, made up of different races, ages, and genders. When talking to Tiffany Ford, Beyond at Risk’s founder and TDSB Trustee, she shared why the diverse representation of players was so key, pointing out that there was a team of eighth graders there competing against teams much older than them, embodying the idea that anything is possible.
The basketball game was very entertaining! It was a good use of time to attend and was very fun. – Lisa (NOISE Fellow)
The tournament had a hashtag associated with it, #IAMBAR, asking people to share on Twitter, Instagram, and SnapChat reasons why they are more than just the label “at-risk”. You can see some of the responses, as well as some great photos from the day here.
One of the best parts of the day, besides the exciting final (which went into overtime it was so close!), was having some of NOISE youth at the event. Since they spend a lot of their own time advocating for the youth of Jane and Finch, it was a great opportunity for them to see and experience other community organizations that share their vision.
We had a fantastic time and are excited to be supporting Beyond at Risk with Customized Evaluation Supports this year!