Regent Park Focus

Last month for Regent Park TV News, we went over to The Centre for Social innovation to find out more information about this community organization. Our host Josh Robinson had the opportunity to interview Lissette Rosado Ferrari who works with CSI and was kind enough to explain how the organization functions and how the community can get involved. Lisesette explained that CSI is just over a year old and it is already home to over 60 organizations that benefit the local and broader community. One of their larger initiatives is DECA (Desk Exchange Community Animator) that allows people to volunteer one day a week at one of the locations in exchange for full membership at CSI including their own workspace. I addition to the DECA program the community can also get involved by being an online community member or The Agents of Change Program which pics a winner who receives free space for their initiative within CSI.

Regent Park Focus recently completed a collaborative project with RadioZilla along with Facing History and students from the Toronto District School Board to create insightful, intelligent and meaningful radio documentaries. Facing History and Ourselves' mission is to engage students of diverse backgrounds to examine the contemporary perspective of youth on race, prejudice, and antisemitism in order to promote the development of a more informed and humane society. They use the power that teachers have in the classroom to connect young people to Canada's multicultural identity and how to be an active citizen in a democracy. The student groups examined a wide range of topics in their radio documentaries including: religion, upstanders vs. bystanders and life as a refugee. Religious freedom and expression can be a contentious subject within school environments and is often an issue that youth face as they mature and develop into young adulthood. The group from Radiozilla d...

Today the youth split off into their groups as usual, some of which were editing while the others recorded in the studio.  The group “TBD” (To be determined) went out to do film a new cast at the Christian Resource Centre (CRC) at 40 Oak Street. In the afternoon “NLLB” (Next Level Lego Bricks) recorded their Nerd to Nerd TV Show, a show based around tech/game review, and Sci-fi debates. By: Tresvonne Rose-Wilson

Today the youth pretty much did more editing on their radio interviews, which flowed into the afternoon. Later in the day the youth split into the regular groups, some of which recorded their radio shows in the two recording studios. It was a busy day, mainly comprised of audio editing. By: Tresvonne Rose-Wilson

Today started off with a recap of yesterdays video workshop. Afterwards the youth got their first hands on experience with the television studio. We recorded our first studio show of the summer program that starred 2 guest film producers Matt and Luca, for an episode of Interfaith Dialogue. They spoke about their documentary on a priest that is also a rock-star. Afterwards we were visited by a radio alumni representative, Onik, who shared with us his experience with Focus and the opportunities it presents to young people. He gave an inspiring speech on how the skills he attained here helped him with his speaking skills and added something very unique to his resume. We ended the day with a workshop on brainstorming radio topics and a tour of the radio booth where the youth will begin recording shortly. By: Tresvonne Rose-Wilson

Today marked the start of the Regent Park Focus 2014 summer program. The centre was filled with new, young faces all eager to learn about the media arts. Once everyone learned names and got settled in, the youth were toured around radio and T.V. studios.   At noon Emanuel held a video equipment workshop teaching everybody the basics of how to use a video camera, and how to set up a tripod. After that he covered the basic core camera angles which lead into the first field test: a video scavenger hunt. Lastly the youth were showed an animated short on street interviewing techniques which covered getting over the anxiety of talking to strangers. They also learned the appropriate way to approach a person with questions and to be aware of ones body language when interviewing people.

We were please to have one of the co-founders and president of the El-Tawhid Juma Circle or also known as The Toronto Unity Mosque, Troy Jackson in our studios to discuss progressive Muslim faith and looking at the religion from a gender equal, human positive perspective. From the beginning of the interview Troy made it clear that the mosque began with the understanding that women and men are equal in all aspects of ritual practice, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender orientation or various other categorical signifiers. Together with his partners El-Farouk Khaki and Dr. Laury Silvers they have created a welcoming space for people of all faiths who would like to become more informed about Islam. They usually have between 20-50 people for Friday prayer sessions. Their is a growing movement of Muslims who would like to find a place where they feel comfortable practicing their religion. Too often people think that they must leave a part of themselves at the door of the mosqu...

As part of our continued series on faith and spirituality, we had a member of The Regent Park Community Ministry come in and discuss what they do and what they hope to accomplish with their organization. Kevin Moore, who is connected to the United Church of Canada sat down with our host Omar and had an informative discussion about faith and Christianity. The Regent Park Community Minisitry is located at 40 Oak St., which is home to the CRC (Christian Resource Centre) and hosts a community hub that provides shared spaces to community service organizations that offer a range of support such as language instruction, job training, after-school programs and drop-in groups. The ministry hosts various discussion groups, such as their coffee discussion group which brings together people of various faiths such as: Hindu, Christian and Muslim. This group in particular talks about each person's faith journey and the obstacles and joys they have faced. During nice weather the mini...

The Divas have been really productive the last few weeks in producing and creating all kinds of media including photos and audio recordings. Last week the girls had a chance to edit their photos from the architectural photography workshop we did. We discussed ways on improving our photos and how to make them more interesting. To give the photographs an extra layer of meaning, we discussed our feelings surrounding the current revitalization project and how people come to understand it in many different ways. We have yet to discuss how or if we are going to present these in a more public matter. Below you will find some of the highlights from our excursion. The Divas also worked on Public Service announcements for a local Kingston radio station. The topics they chose to speak about were the pressures associated with school and parental pressure as well as the detrimental effects of bullying and teens. We will have them up and edited for you enjoyment soon. Stay tuned for more ...

It was time to get out and explore together as a group during the last Diva Girls session. The sun was shining and the skies were blue. So we packed up Focus' digital cameras and headed outside. The urban landscape of Regent Park is continuously changing around us as the demolition and revitalization process continues. As our radio dramas from the last week are being edited, I thought it would be a good time to have a brief class on outdoor architectural photography. Before heading out, we discussed 5 ways on how to improve shots of buildings and architectural forms. 1. Know Your Camera- Become familiar with the major settings on your camera and how to use them. If you see an interesting photo you want to take, try a variety of settings. It better to have more options than fewer ones. Keep in mind you are also going to edit these photos using software to make adjustments. 2. Think About Reflections- Many of the new condos have very shiny surfaces because they usual...

Last week's Divas Girls sessions marked the second installment of the series on emotional and mental health by our intern Erika from the University of Toronto. Since the girls started writing their radio dramas last week on peer pressure, this week's focus was on recording them!  With help from the radio co-coordinator Tyrone, the girls were able to use the latest recording software. They discussed the importance of using their voice to emphasize the characters that they created and other nuances that could make the dramas more successful. The girls worked in groups of three or four and developed tag lines, slogans and introductions.  The girls learned many things about radio production, including the time and patience it takes to successfully record a drama. They needed to work together and support one another in order to have a successful recording. All these groups were able to record their dramas and now it is time for the editing process. Stay tuned for...

Last Friday, May 9th marked the first class of a three week unit on social and emotional health lead by our new intern Erika Hughes, from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). Last week's class was about peer pressure, social expectation and ways to combat and deflect peer pressure. Erika started the class with warms-ups that stimulated conversation, and sought out any assumptions or beliefs the girls had on peer pressure. First, they defined the terminology; what is a peer and what forms can peer pressure take? Next they discussed and learned that peer pressure is often negative, but it can also have some positive aspects as well. The discussion concluded on the note that it is important to surround yourself with people with like minded views and beliefs, so that they can support your decisions and encourage you to pursue your goals and aspirations. After the discussion, Erika started the "Skills to Combat Peer Pressure" activity, where she han...

Tonight the students from Radiozilla came in to learn how to properly conduct interviews using handheld recorders and mics, how far you should be from your interviewee and how you should go about asking your questions to get quality answers. As part of the interview training the students conducted mock interviews using the remote recording equipment provided by Regent Park Focus.This process is to gear them up for when they are ready to interview people on the streets of Toronto for their audio documentaries. They did an awesome job! Funding for this project was provided by the Ontario Trillium Foundation and Mozilla Hive Toronto.

Regent Park filmed an episode of Interfaith Dialogue. This episode of interfaith dialogue was about the Muslim religion. The guest was a student who is currently taking the Chaplin program at the University of Toronto. During the interview, the topics that were touched on were: What does Chaplaincy mean to you? How do you see yourself as a Muslim? How do you practice your religion? The production team consisted of the Director (Horace) The Host (Kamal), Switcher (Joanne) and Camera (Omar, Isaac, Tyrone). dialogue

Inspired by HiveNYC's Radio Rookies, Regent Park Focus and Facing History are collaborating to produce youth-led internet radio series, school curriculum guide, audiovisual slideshows using web-maker tools, and a project documentary. Working with 5 different TDSB high schools the project will be contributed by 20 students in the first phase. Today marks the first day of the RadioZilla Project.We spent most of the day doing introductions and tours of the Regent Park Focus space, TV studio and radio studios. We also presented some examples of radio documentaries produced by HiveNYC's Radio Rookies to give them a better idea of the project and how to incorporate visual theme with their audio. Funding for this project was provided by the Ontario Trillium Foundation and Mozilla Hive Toronto.

As part of my involvement in the RDYL “Common Grounds Media Project” at Regent Park Focus Youth Media Arts Centre (RPF) I worked on producing an interview. The theme of the interview was pluralism, and I was given much freedom in deciding on which issue I would specifically focus on. RPF offered several options, however, the one I found especially interesting was the issue of violence against Muslim women. I choose this topic because I felt it would have the benefit of touching on not only themes of religious diversity, but would also speak to a very serious social issue. I was fortunate enough to be able to conduct an interview with Sahar Zaidi. The following is some background information on her. Sahar holds a Masters in Public Administration from the Schulich School of Business (2012), a Masters in Business Administration from the American University of Sharjah (2010), and a BS in Accounting from Purdue University (2004). She has had over 4 years of experience in leadersh...

April 9th, 2014 marked Pink Shirt Day for Bully Free Alberta, a campaign to raise awareness about bullying. In honor of this, we decided to screen the documentary, “Bully” directed by Sundance and Emmy-award winning filmmaker Lee Hirsh. The film follows the lives of five students who face bullying on a daily basis. A glimpse into the classroom, the home and the principles office, this documentary offers insight into the cruel world of bullied children. This film examines the consequences of bullying and shines a light on how we need to change in the way we deal with bullying as children, teachers, parents and society as a whole. After the screening of “Bully”, we had a discussion about the film and many of the youth were very taken back by how much bullying is still going on and how much even just name-calling can affect someone. We discussed the different types of bullying and how even joking around can be very hurtful to people. The youth discussed how bullying has gone to a...

I joined Camilla, Aidan, Omar and our guest Mona. Our topic of discussion was line 9. Line 9 is a 30-year-old cement based pipeline running between Montreal and Sarnia. During our discussion we covered the health risks involved and also how it affects not only our water system but also our airways. We also debated both the negative and positive aspects as one of the panel members was arguing that even though there are negative aspects, there is also a positive side for it being built.  - Mark

On this episode of Interfaith Dialogue, Sahar Zaidi joined me to discuss violence and abuse against Muslim women. Sahar holds a Masters in Public Administration from the Schulich School of Business, a Masters in Business Administration from the American University of Sharjah and a B.S. in Accounting from Purdue University. Sahar has worked closely with Springtide Resources, the North York Women’s Shelter and the Canadian Urban Institute. While completing her Masters, Sahar worked on several research papers looking into immigration policies and their effects on victims of abuse. In addition, she works at the Canadian Council of Muslim Women as a Project Coordinator, where she carries out government funded projects. She educated us about the differences between physical, mental/emotional, verbal, economic, and sexual abuse put on Muslim woman. We discussed that there are many stereotypes within the Muslim community that must be challenged and lastly, she let us know what people i...

Today the Divas were visited by a group of George Brown students who have organized a campaign and educational seminar about the Tar Sands and Pipeline 9. The youth listened to a presentation, watched videos and took part in interactive activities. They learned about the Tar Sands, Enbridge’s pipeline plans, previous oil spills, health risks and the environmental impact of the Tar Sands and these pipelines. A few girls in the group were very interested in the topic and have decided to write articles for Catch the Flava magazine about how they feel Line 9 will affect Ontarians. Many of the youth had not heard of the Tar Sands before, and could not believe that an environmental disaster of that level existed in Canada. This presentation sparked conversation between the girls about environmental justice and living in a healthy environment. This environmental topic interested the girls so much we will be planning another class where we discuss our own environment footprint and small...

I joined Camila and Brandon to discuss what changes we would make in Toronto if we were elected mayor. Without question, all of us agreed instantaneously that the first thing that we would change is the transit system and extending it further into the GTA so that it is more accessible to come downtown from other areas. Another thing we would like to see change is make Toronto more appealing for tourists visually and also add more tourist attractions. One panel member also mentioned that he would like to see more funding in Toronto’s sports teams. Overall, the main focus would be to designate more money into the TTC and to make Toronto a bigger tourist attraction.  - Mark

On Friday, February 21 st , we shot the first episode of Boys 2 Men What Makes You A Man for Regent Park TV. The focus of this show is to challenging the common notions of masculinity. The topic that was discussed were issues surrounding ones self-worth Vs. ones self-concept. Our host Horace Spence alongside our panelist Travis Anthony, Ronnie Rowe, and Tha CaptialE shared there views on this topic. The production team involved with filming this episode was Adonis, Isaac, Emanuel, Tyrone and Mark. On Thursday, march 13 th , we shot the second episode of Boys 2 Men was show, What Makes You A Man for Regent Park TV . This is a show where we discuss and challenge common notion of male masculinity. The topic of this show was the “Be a Man” statement. Our host Horace Spence along side our guest Travis Anthony had a great discussion about the effects the “Be A Man” statement has in the male community. Our production team included Mark, Nicole, Immanuel, Pierce, and Joshua. ...

During the March Break programing, the youth were able to leave the studio and go shoot news clips around the Regent Park area. We decided to go do an interview with one of the employees at the Toronto Birthing Centre. A Birth Centre is a regulated, community-based health care facility that offers women a safe, comfortable, family-centered place to give birth. The facility just opened on January 15 th , 2014 and is the first of its kind in Ontario. In order to give birth at the Toronto Birth Centre you need to be registered with a midwifery group, but there are no extra costs to give birth at the Centre. Nicole Moore

Today's radio show involved a majority of the Regent Park Focus staff in a friendly debate called “The Focus choice awards.” In this radio show each focus member picked a movie that was nominated in the 2014 Oscars, and pitched why it deserved to win or justified why it won. After everyone stated the reasons why their picked film was the best, we all took a consensus vote to narrow down the movies until we had a top 3. It was a lengthy in-depth discussion, we decided that the top 3 movies were: Frozen, Wolf on Wall Street and Gravity.  - Mark

I was joined by a panel, which included: Horace, Travis, Nicole and Josh. The topic of today's radio show was youth homelessness. To start off the broadcast, Travis who is the founder of the homeless incentive gave multiple facts as to how youth in Toronto become homeless: i.e abusive homes, drug abuse, neglect, or because of sexual orientation. It was surprising to see the percentage of homeless youth, as I personally was not aware of the percentage being that high. Our guest Travis also talked about his organization and about all the work he is doing in order to form a greater awareness about the issues being presented. This radio show opened the mindsets of all the participants and made them all aware of the increasing rate of not only homeless youth, but also homeless individuals in general. We were also informed about services available that can temporarily help. - Mark

This Tuesday, March 3rd Regent Park Focus Youth Media Arts Centre was very busy producing a radio show for Radio Regent. The topic for this week’s radio show was Alternative Schools. The show was hosted by Essen, and Annie-Marie, and the technician was Isaac. Radio Regent was also joined by four panel guest. We started the show by introducing what an alternative schools is, and talking about the various alternative schools the panel members had gone to and what their experiences were like. We then talked about the purpose of Alternative Schools, which brought up opposing points of view. One of our panelist believed the purpose of alternative schools was to act as a last effort to help kids who dropped out of “regular” schools. Other panelists thought the main aim of alternative schools was to offer different learning experiences for interested students. The panelists also discussed the Afrocentric Alternative School and whether this was a helpful initiative for black students. ...

On Today's radio show the panel discussed issues surrounding the 2014 Sochi Olympics. During the show we covered various topics relating to the Olympics like: living conditions for tourists watching the games, LGBTQ rights of gay athletes competing, and controversial issues related to past Olympic games. The whole panel was unanimous in the fact that athletes and humans in general should be treated with equal amounts of respect, and should not be judged based on anything less of the norm.  With tourists, living conditions were not only dangerous but also unsanitary. We all agreed that the tourists should have been well accommodated for, and the hotel staff should have been more prepared knowing how much people would be traveling to that area.  Other topics which was carried out in the discussion was the Paralympic games. It was discussed that there should be an equal amount of attention to the Paralympic games, and the panel felt that it is lacking support from the media. Ove...

Some of the Divas talk about what Black History Month means to them: I think black history month is amazing and should be acknowledged more! There are a bunch of amazing black people that have changed the world because of their actions. It's kind of sad that we aren't doing anything in school about it though. - Thusany  Me being here today proves that my people made it though slavery. They fought for freedom and succeded. I am Black History. - Tajah  For many, many years black people were discriminated for their race.But now black people are treated the same as any other race. For us to get to where they are, many people such as Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr, Jackie Robins, and Emit Till and others help black people to have their rights. If it wasn't for them I wouldn't have the family I have, the friends I have, the safety I have, the education, freedom, confidence, and opportunities I have now. Black history month is to remember what bl...

The divas got together to celebrate and multiple important occasions. With regards to black history month, there were numerous outlets of information provided to the Divas in order for them to obtain more knowledge about Black history. The girls all submerged their attention in documentaries about various Black activists who strongly impacted anti-oppressed groups for the better. After viewing these biographies, the Divas discussed what they have learned and also were amazed how individuals can have such a big impact not only while they’re here on Earth, but also many generations that have followed them afterwards. All the divas also wrote a quiz that was Black history month themed, to see how much they knew prior to watching the documentaries and the discussion. Another topic of interest for this weeks program was discussing all of the events during the Sochi Olympics, and also the inconvenient events in Russia surrounding the anti-gay laws. After all of these discussions, the Div...