Every year, over 200 million children under the age of five in low and middle-income countries will not attain their development potential due to poverty, nutritional deficiencies and inadequate care and learning opportunities. Most of these children live in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Due to this poor start in life, if they get the chance to go to school, they are likely to underachieve. Subsequently, they will perpetuate the cycle of poverty, with low income jobs as adults, likely to have children themselves at a very early age, and provide poor health care, nutrition and stimulation to another generation.

Every child has the right to education, and these rights start from birth. By ignoring the right to education, millions more children will be condemned to the same fate.

Why is it important to campaign for early childhood care and education?

All children are rights bearers – they are entitled to the right to education, among other rights, and States are responsible for this delivery. It is one of the most neglected Education For All goals and, through continued neglect, it is unlikely that EFA will be achieved by 2015. Education empowers people, strengthens democracies and economies, enables people to protect themselves and their families from HIV and illness and to become the person they wish to become. Without a sound basis from the start, children have less chance of succeeding in school and are more likely to be in low-paid jobs as adults. This perpetuates the cycle of poverty. By campaigning for ECCE we can break this and work towards an end to aid dependency.

The Global Campaign for Education is calling on world leaders to keep their promises and ensure early childhood care and education for every child – right from the start.

Join ACCESS in supporting this campaign at globalactionweek.org.

As part of Global Action Week, ACCESS is hosting the Youth Making a Difference Conference on April 26 in Mississauga, Ontario. Details are available at YMAD.ca.

Donations towards education can be made to ACCESS online here.

The ChangeTheWorld: Ontario Youth Volunteer Challenge runs for 3 weeks (April 15 to May 6, 2012) and coincides with the Youth Making a Difference Conference (April 26, 2012) and National Volunteer Week (April 15 to 21, 2012).

ACCESS invites all youth in the Peel Region to register for the fourth annual Youth Making a Difference Conference being hosted April 26 in Mississauga, online today. This is a great way for youth to network with community organizations, be inspired by other youth activists, and obtain the tools to make a difference in their own community.

This year, ACCESS has joined Volunteer MBC’s ChangeTheWorld 2012 Campaign with our Youth Making a Difference Conference. Interested Volunteers can sign-up to help at the conference online through Volunteer MBC here. The challenge provides the opportunity for youth to connect to community organizations and provides an awesome experience and incredible memories.

Youth are the future of our communities. ACCESS is youth-run organization aiming to inspire and empower other youth.

Facts About Volunteering in Ontario

• In 2011, close to 15,000 youth participated in ChangeTheWorld with nearly 45,000 volunteer hours.
• To date, the ChangeTheWorld challenge has seen 35,218 youth volunteer a total of 141,435 hours.
• Ontario students must complete 40 volunteer hours to graduate from high school
• Each year, over five million Ontarians volunteer in their communities
• ChangeTheWorld’s success supports Imagine Canada’s recent findings that Canada’s voluntary and non-profit sector is the 2nd largest in the world

About ChangeTheWorld
ChangeTheWorld is delivered in partnership between the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration (MCI) and the Ontario Volunteer Centre Network (OVCN). It is a call to action for youth aged 14 to 18 years to volunteer through a wide variety of exciting community initiatives. The goal is to inspire youth to volunteer in our communities, develop new skills, and broaden their awareness of community service organizations.

About Volunteer MBC
Volunteer MBC is a volunteer centre serving the cities of Mississauga and Brampton, and the Town of Caledon. The centre offers a referral and matching service for volunteer placement within the community for all ages. They also provide education and support for volunteers and community service agencies and organizations, and serve the corporate community with various programming services that engage individual and team volunteering. Additionally, the centre strives to be a strong voice to support and promote volunteerism. For more on Volunteer MBC and to find volunteer opportunities, visit www.volunteermbc.org.

About ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education
ACCESS is a youth-run organization aiming to provide children in the developing world with opportunity through education. Locally, ACCESS educates youth about related world issues, and to inspire them to make a difference globally. ACCESS envisions the empowerment of generations of leaders through education in order to inspire meaningful development in their own communities. For more information about ACCESS, visit www.accesscharity.ca or to learn more about Youth Making a Difference, visit YMAD.ca.

At this year’s special event on March 25, ACCESS is thrilled to recognize the major Ontario Trillium Foundation Grant the organization has been awarded to expand local youth programming, as well as the Youth in Action Grant to host Arts for Change.

Please join us for this free event for music, prizes and refreshments:

6th Anniversary & Grant Recognition Ceremony
Sunday, March 25, 2012
3:00 – 5:00 PM
Brampton City Hall – Atrium
2 Wellington Street West

ACCESS thanks the Office of the Mayor, City of Brampton for providing the venue, to our door prize donations of Nitro Fitness (1 Month Ultimate Pass) and Second Cup Brampton (Gift Package), and to Belinda Sipcic who will be performing at the event.

Visit the Facebook Event Page to RSVP, share and invite others, or link to accesscharity.ca/anniversary.

About ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, Inc.
ACCESS is a youth-run organization aiming to provide needy children in the developing world with school uniforms and necessary school supplies, enabling them with the opportunity to obtain an education for a successful life. ACCESS also aims to educate North American youth about related world issues, and to inspire them to make a difference globally. More information about ACCESS is available here.

Media Inquires: info@accesscharity.ca | 647-893-7504
Partnership or Sponsorship: mark@accesscharity.ca

The aim of Youth Making a Difference is to educate, empower and inspire local youth to make positive change in their community and beyond. Students are given the opportunity to discover their inner passions for social change and transform their ideas into positive action.

The theme of this year’s conference is Desire to Inspire. The event aims to be the catalyst that allows students to discover their passions, by providing the tools and inspiration to take their ideas and turn them into action plans. To assist youth in doing so, a key feature of the 2012 conference involves a session by Kanika Gupta of SoJo. SoJo is an online collection of tools and informational resources to inspire and empower youth to transform your ideas for social change into reality.

The conference promises to be an exciting day of inspiring workshops, performances and presentations. Students will engage in sessions on discovering their own leadership skills and will have the chance to network with a variety of community organizations.

Youth speakers at the conference include a keynote by Abid Virani, Co-Founder and CEO of I Have Hope who shares a message of youth empowerment and hope; Daniel Francavilla, Founder and President of ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, a student-run organization that focuses on the importance of education and local youth activism; along with Aian Binlayo, DPCDSB Student Trustee and environmental advocate; and Akhina Mooken, Miss India Canada 2011. More details on the speakers is available here.

The YMAD conference will be held in Mississauga, Ontario at Blessed Trinity (2495 Credit Valley Road) between 9 am to 3 pm on April 26.

The conference is open to all high school students in the Region of Peel. Registration is now open online for students, who are asked to register as a group through an educator at their school here. A nominal fee of $5 per student includes a healthy lunch.

Local non-profit and community organizations are welcome to join ACCESS at YMAD to provide opportunities and information to the young activists in the making. Registration for organizations can be found at this link.

Funding for this year’s conference is provided in part by a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

Do you have the desire to inspire? Visit YouthMakingaDifference.ca.

About ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, Inc.
ACCESS is a youth-run organization aiming to provide needy children in the developing world with school uniforms and necessary school supplies, enabling them with the opportunity to obtain an education for a successful life. ACCESS also aims to educate North American youth about related world issues, and to inspire them to make a difference globally. More information about ACCESS is available here.

Conference Inquiries: ymad@accesscharity.ca
Media Inquires: mina@accesscharity.ca

In addition to supporting students in developing countries, ACCESS aims to engage and educate youth locally on social justice along with both global and local issues.

The Speak Up for Change Blog invites youth to contribute written or visual pieces on a variety of topics, which include Change, Education, Environment, Poverty, Social Justice, Technology for Good, and Youth Issues.

The all-new Speak Up for Change homepage highlights the latest content on the blog, a new menu allows easy-access to now categorized articles, and tools have been added to easily comment and share posts. A mobile site has also been developed to allow easier access on smartphones and tablets, key to reach the increasing percentage of worldwide Internet users that access the web solely on mobile devices.

To kick-off this launch, Speak Up for Change is featuring a motivational video about Change, available here.

Youth and organizations that are inspired to write or create pieces for the blog are invited to sign up to contribute here or by emailing editor@speakupforchange.ca. More information on the program is available on the about page.

ACCESS thanks Syed Kamran, Speak Up for Change’s Online Communications Coordinator for implementing the design and new features and Naomi Leanage, Editor of Speak Up for Change for articles and blog content development.

To stay connected with the latest SpeakUpforChange.ca content: subscribe via email, follow the Twitter feed or like the Facebook page.

Annually the Youth in Action Grant is awarded to recognize youth in Peel between ages 14 and 24 that are making a positive impact in their community through various projects. This marks the third consecutive year that these grants have been awarded; in 2010 ACCESS received the grant for its Youth Making a Difference Workshop.

“It is great to see so many youth making a difference in their community,” says Amanda Bordonaro, Co-Chair of the Youth in Action Review Panel and Executive Member of United Way’s Young Leaders Council. “All of the grant recipients have demonstrated tremendous leadership and it is important that we recognize and nurture their achievements. The youth are the future leaders of Peel Region. It is an amazing feeling to know that there are so many young people dedicated to making a positive impact in the region.”

The grant in the amount of $2000 will fund this year’s Arts for Change Talent Show, with proceeds going towards local ACCESS projects. The community partner selected to administer the grant with ACCESS is Rapport Youth & Family Services.

The program was developed by United Way of Peel Region’s Young Leaders Council, a group of volunteers between the ages of 20-35 years old who are committed to creating a legacy of volunteerism and spirited giving within the Peel Region.

Details on the 2012 spring Arts for Change Talent Show will be announced in the coming months. For more information on ACCESS’ local projects, visit the Youth Programming page and check accesscharity.ca/artsforchange for show updates.

About ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, Inc.
ACCESS is a youth-run organization aiming to provide needy children in the developing world with school uniforms and necessary school supplies, enabling them with the opportunity to obtain an education for a successful life. ACCESS also aims to educate North American youth about related world issues, and to inspire them to make a difference globally. More information about ACCESS is available here.

Media Inquires: info@accesscharity.ca | 647-893-7504
Partnership or Sponsorship: mark@accesscharity.ca
Talent Show + Youth Programs: ann@accesscharity.ca 

The funding, to be granted over two years, will build the capacity of this youth-led organization to expand local programming, including the Speak Up for Change program and the spring Youth Making a Difference Conference, so that youth will become more socially aware and engaged in the Region of Peel. Funding will also support staffing and operational expenses to further organizational growth and program delivery.

“The Ontario Trillium Foundation is helping to empower young people to become problem solvers in their own communities, said Louroz Mercader, Board Chair. “This grant will maximize the impact of our efforts, encourage innovation and inspire life-long engagements through volunteerism.”

ACCESS, which celebrated its fifth anniversary in March 2011, has a dedicated team of youth and advisors ready to take action and make a positive impact.

“Receiving significant financial support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation is a huge step forward for ACCESS, particularly as a youth-run organization,” stated Daniel Francavilla, who founded the organization as a high school student in 2006. “I am very excited about implementing the incredible ideas and initiatives our team has been planning.”

“I am pleased that this grant will provide ACCESS with funding for an office location, staffing and an opportunity to expand their youth programming,” said Linda Jeffrey, MPP for Brampton-Springdale. “Their dedication to help local students become active community members as well as assisting students in the developing world is commendable.”

ACCESS looks forward to expanding its programming as the organization continues to make positive change both locally and abroad.

Tanya Rumble of the Ontario Trillium Foundation's Halton-Peel Grant Review Team with ACCESS President Daniel Francavilla and Chair Louroz Mercader at ACCESS 6th Anniversary & Grant Appreciation Ceremony. (Photo: Matt Yeroschenko, March 2012).

About ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, Inc.
ACCESS is a youth-run organization aiming to provide needy children in the developing world with school uniforms and necessary school supplies, enabling them with the opportunity to obtain an education for a successful life. ACCESS also aims to educate North American youth about related world issues, and to inspire them to make a difference globally. More information about ACCESS is available here.

Media Inquires: info@accesscharity.ca | 647-893-7504
Partnership or Sponsorship: mark@accesscharity.ca

In July 2010, a few individual members of ACCESS travelled to Haiti to better understand the situation on the ground, as well as better direct fundraising initiatives to projects in Haiti.

Aminah Haghighi, who attended the trip to Haiti and has been a long-time supporter of ACCESS, shares her personal experience surrounding the trip.

“I remember when we first got on our bus that took us to Jacmel, the same thought pulsated through all our minds; almost 6 months later and you could still smell the death lingering in the air. The situation still looked uncertain and dangerous. With fear in our eyes, love and compassion in our hearts, we took in our surroundings as we visited tent communities, orphanages, prisons, and churches. It was a sense of hope that the people of Haiti taught us to have. And an unconditional love we had no choice but to embrace with open arms.”

The trip was also a learning experience, discovering the hope in the hearts of Haiti’s people, felt long after returning from the country.

“I don’t think I really knew what hope and faith truly meant until I let myself find these things in Haiti. From the words I scribbled in my journal to the flowers from the Bishop’s house I have dried and pressed, I can close my eyes and transport my mind back to Haiti. The children who went hungry but still just wanted to play, the parents whose only wish was to send their children to school, the families that walked up a steep hill to get to mass on Sundays; all of which taught me how resilient we are as humans. They were able to see the light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how precarious their situation may be. The common thread found throughout the Haitians? They all wanted a better future for their children and believed this could be achieved through education.”

Before the earthquake, ACCESS began sponsoring Phanuel, a Haitian student in attending University. Due to the damage to the school he was attending, Phanuel has resumed his post-secondary studies in the US, after which he is eager to return to Haiti to help his community.

ACCESS thanks everyone for their continued support in projects supporting education throughout developing countries, and more specifically Haiti on this 2-year anniversary of the devastation. Though it has been some time since the constant barrage of headlines regarding the quake, Haiti continues to suffer immensely and still needs the world’s support. ACCESS encourages supporters to have the same hope inspired by the Haitians to believe in a future paved through with education. Education is the key.

For more footage and journals from the 2010 Haiti Trip, please visit accesscharity.ca/haiti.