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JOIN THE SCENE

CREATE THE SCENE

BE SCENEBE SCENEyouth magazine is a collaboration between the RegentPark Focus Youth Media Arts Centres Catch da Flava magazine,Flemingdon Health Centre and other local community agencies

servicing the OConnor, Thorncliffe & Flemingdon Park neighbourhoods. Themagazine is distributed free to libraries, community

groups, and selected schools in the mentioned communitiesand across Toronto.

BE SCENE welcomes letters, articles, stories & poems fromyoung people (up to 24 years of age)

Submissions should beNO LONGER THAN 1000 WORDS IN LENGTH

If you would like more information about how you cancontribute to BE SCENE, call us at (416) 863-1074

or e-mail [email protected]

Guest Editor: Tavila Haque

outh Contributers: Abdullah Ayaz, Brennan Amofah, Fozi Ahmed, Hufsa Akbar,Mazin Kanuga, Bisma Amir, Iram Ali, OConnor Media Group, Qurrat Ansari,

Rabeea Siddique, Rehma Amir, Shaili Chibba, and Tavila Haque

Project Staff: Adonis Huggins, Steve Blair, Myia Davar & Azza Abbaro

E SCENE reserves the right to edit submitted articles for space and clarity. Theopinions expressed in BE SCENE do not necessarily reect those of RegentPark Focus Youth Media Arts Centre, Flemingdon Health Centre, or its otherartners. Any use or reprinting of content from BE SCENE is strictly prohibitedthout the express permission of Regent Park Focus Youth Media Arts Centre.

44 - Flemingdon Park54 - OConnor-

Parkview

55 - Thorncliffe Park

From the City of

Tornto: Neighbour-

hood Map

Fozi Ahmed

This summer is my second year work-

ing with the Grafti Transformation Proj-ect in the Parma Court/O Connor area.My experience in the project so far hasbeen familiar to me, since I was a part

of it last year as well. We did a lot ofthe same things but this time we were

lucky enough to have a lead artist at the

beginning of the project, so our ride intothe project is a lot smoother. Examplesof things we have done so far include

researching images, contacting other

mural projects about major issues in-volved in creating a mural, communityconsultations, getting the basic materi-

als for painting the mural, and a lot of

prep work. Though all this preparationseems to be a hassle, it is all worth it in

the end. Since this mural must repre-sent Parma Court, community consul-tation is a very important component.During the community consultation we

walked around Parma Court and sur-veyed residents about where they think

the mural

should be

located, how

this mural

will help, and

what they

would like to

see on the

mural.

As you can

see, so far

we are on a

roll, but right

now we stilldont havea sketch of

the mural.Ho we v e r ,

we do have a basic idea of how the

mural will look and this time last year

we still didnt have a lead artist. So fromthat I can see a very successful project,and with the extra time we have, we will

make this mural much more beautiful

and go up and above everyones ex-

pectations of us, I can guaranAlso great thanks goes to the

of the residents in Parma Cthe interns working on this provana, Ezekiel, Isse and Melikathem this project wouldnt be p

Grafti Transformation Project 2008 in the OConnor Community


3/9

avila Haque

long, long time ago, before Thornc-

e became T-Park, Flemingdon be-me Flemo and the local Popeyes

ecame a hang out spot, there was a

rmland, with just trees, grass, andesh manure. No buildings had beennstructed, no cars were polluting

e air, and no Ontario Science Centeras getting tourists from all around the

orld. So now the thought is, how did

ese two areas come to be what theye presently known as?

riginally named Thorn Cliff in the800s, this piece of land was owned

George Taylor, on which he planned

build a farm. However, as he grewder and became too physically ill to

ke care of the farm, his daughter Mar-

aret and her husband Robert Davies

ecided to purchase the big farmland

1888. Soon after the purchase wasade, more farms were built to breed

the many horses that the couple owned

and in

no time

Marga-

ret and

Ro b e r t

Da v ie s

became

the lead-

ing breeders of racehorses in Canada.

Years went by and the area started be-

coming more well-known, attracting au-

diences for the races from all over Can-ada. After the death of Robert Davies in1916, his sons decided to sell the prop-

erty to a group of investors from Balti-

more, Maryland. From 1920-1952 theproperty was purchased by the OntarioJockey Club and the investors led andoperated a very successful horse race

site, but started losing business soon

after. In the end, when business hadfailed, Thorncliffe was resold to Thorn-

cliffe Park Ltd and since then the areastarted to develop into the neighbour-

hood that is presently known as Thorn-

cliffe Park Drive.

The Flemingdon Park area seemsquite new, but is just as historic asThorncliffe. Named after the owner ofthe farmland at the time, John Flem-ing, the Don was later added to hisname in reference to the Don River that

owed down the hill. Flemingdon waspicked as the rst Apartment City tobe made in all of Canada, making thearea a very signicant and historic site.After the World Wars many immigrantswere pouring into this great nation ev-

ery month. With barely any places forthem to live, the city counsellors looked

to John Flemings farmland as a pieceof land to create a living environment

for these newcomers.However, this was not a very easy task.With so much debate about the highdensity in the area, how city services

would be provided and nancial issues,the making of the apartment city wasput off for quite some time until 1959when the plan was nally approved bycity legislators. The city counsellorseven went as far as England, Sweden,and Copenhagen (in Denmark), wherethe apartment cities had already beenmade, for inspiration. Fully completedin the early 1970s, who would have

thought that the area that is now so di-

verse and largely populated p

a signicant role in the develoCanadas culture and diversity

Thorncliffe and Flemingdon not only neighbourhoods, or

thousands; the areas are also

uential to the growth of commother areas in Canada. The ar

grown and have evolved throuyears, with shopping centers,

and tourist sites all within wa

tance; it is safe to say that T-Flemo are great places to gro

The Leaside Towers have been around since 1970!

The Ontario Science Centre has been a great part of the community since 1969!

A beautiful view of the Overlea Bridge at night!

Photograph taken by Tavila Haque.

Photograph taken by Tavila

Photograph taken by Tavila Haque.Photograph taken by Shaili Chibba.

RANDOM fac

Flemingdon is on lowe

land than Thorncliffe!

RANDOMfact!

LeasideTowers-95 and

85canbeviewed clearly

fromtheCNTower!

The Valley surrounds the neighbourhoods in a vast and beautiful greenness.


4/9

Robert Fros

The OConnor Media Group (OMG) is a group of 12 youth i n the OConnor community who met during the month of

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.

Kirishan SureshKajan Thayananthan

Venushan SadachaharamKazhal Janfeshan

Mojgan AziziArash Taheri-Dezfouli


5/9

Should a Canadian Prime Minister have to be Canadian-born or not?

98% of the Canadian population ismade up of immigrants: people whohave originally come from afar, settled

in Canada, and become a part of Ca -nadian society. They have added to theever-growing population and it is de -nitely because of them that we have

such a diverse society today. However,before one can enrich a community,they must understand and accept it. Asan immigrant raised in Canada, I ndthat rst generations have a hard timeadjusting to the diverse Canadianculture. While they accept and love apersons individuality and their way oflife, it is difcult for someone to fall intothat culture and also start following the

general population. Thus culture is sounique and savoured in Canada.It is the second generations who are

born in Canada and brought up herefrom birth who truly understand the

values of a typical Canadian. And isntthat what we all look for in a leader a

typical Canadian who will properly rep-resent us? Someone who understandsthe needs of all Canadians rather thansomeone who will probably be more

biased towards his/her own people?Someone who prides themselves asCanadian instead of the country that

they were born in? What if this newleader was Canadian-born, but had ex-perience in embracing new culture and

its people from all around the world?

Not too long ago, our neighbours inthe South, who go by the nationally-born rule, brought someone like thisinto presidency: Barack Obama. For-get the USA; people all over the worldcan connect with this man! Diversity

and national pride come together best

in Canada, so lets bring that out in aCanadian-born Prime Minister!

Canada has always prided itself on itsopen arms to immigration, and the new

globalized world does and will continueto look at our great example of diversi-

cation. So far, Canada has had aboutfour foreign-born Prime Ministers, in-cluding Sir John A Macdonald (the rstPrime Minister of Canada), who wasborn in Scotland. It is in the core ofCanadas beliefs that all residents whohave attained citizenship are equaland shall thus have the world of op-

portunities open to them. Immigrantshave long supplied Canada with skills,techniques and experiences that make

our country so greatly unique. Immi-grant families and individuals travel

every year to Canada, and often valueour resources more than we do, and

at the end of the day, except First Na-

tions people, we are all immigrants. Ifthe next individual to run our country is

foreign-born, it will just mean that theyhave had more than one experience of

the world, can relate to both the immi-

grant and citizen population, and arejust that much more ready to face theglobalized world.

For all those who think that a foreign-born prime minister should be banned,

I say: such a law is truly un-Canadian

from the core, and goes against every-thing Canada stands for. It is muchmore of the philosophy of our neigh-

bour to the south. Canadian beliefs andculture should be specially kept distinct

from those of Americans, and we should

be proud of what we believe in. If crit-ics still think its a bad idea, I nally sayto them, trust the democratic process,

and if the voters do not feel represent-

ed, they may choose not to vote for a

foreign born prime minister. However, areminder that there is nothing more un-

Canadian, and nothing more Athan to not even let foreign-bo

ministers run for ofce, and fpath of such great prime min

Sir John A Macdonald and AMackenzie.

CON: Canadian-

born Prime Minister

PRO: Canadian-

born Prime Minister

Post your comments Be Scenes Blog:

http://bescenemag.wordp

bdullah Ayaz and Rabeea Siddique

f all the debate topics possi-e, why did we choose ShouldCanadian Prime Minister be

anadian-born or not? Simple,ally: it was controversial. Itade us receive dirty looks fromose who did not agree with us.was a genuine face-off that got

eoples attention. Questionske these are what truly make

s realize how different we areterms of our opinions and ex-

eriences, and how they affect

e way we view the world. Inis case, the view involves the

election of a future Prime Min-ter.

Photograph from Stock Exchange. Photograph from Stock E


6/9

Blessed John XXIII Catholic Elementary Schoo

UntitledQurrat Ansari

UntitledQurrat Ansari

Artificial BeautyHufsa Akbar Bloom

Hufsa Akbar

Photographs taken and collaged by Mazin Kanuga.


7/9

ehma Amir

he fourth annual carnival, Neighboursght Out, took place at Thorncliffeark School on June 27, 2009 and wast again a huge success. Residents of

easide and Thorncliffe of all cultures

united with Afghani, Indian and Paki-ani songs. Many were unable to standll and danced whole heartedly, as

ell as requesting their favorite songs. around people were tuning into the

lliant local artists: Danyal Wani, Numand, and many more. Also, the tradi-nal Indian Dhol (a drum-like instru-ent) was professionally played byyoung child in his rst ofcial show.part from the melodious singing, there

ere speeches and a poetry presenta-

n. The younger generation had their

amusement with The Jumping Castle,and there were rafe tickets for variousitems like gift certicates and winning anew bike. The free event started from4:00 pm and people dropped by fora while to check out the stalls of deli-

cious Indian food like the famous Biry-

ani, Kebab, and Naan (bread). Therewere many other stalls that includedthe cultural clothing shalwar kameez,headscarves, summer skirts and jew-elry. Even the political gure KathleenWynne (MPP for Don Valley West)dropped by, and Rob Oliphant (MP forDon Valley West) expressed his grati-tude for being a part of the community.

Mostly, people enjoyed spending timewith one another, whether it was due

to similar taste in music or clothing. Ee-

eryone came together as a big family.At the end of the show, many people

volunteered to pick up garbage to keep

the parking lot clean. The eventful nightwas yet again successful to bring to-

gether members of the Thorncliffe and

Leaside community. The team intends

to have this event every year due to itspositive outcome.I, like many others that attended, got a

chance to hang out with my best buds. Ifound the atmosphere friendly and wel-

coming and realized that by the end ofit, everyone was so tuned into the show

that they were reluctant to leave until

the very end. The event was truly awonderful rst-time experience for meand an overall success.

The big attraction, the jumping castle!

Photograph taken by Hufsa Akbar.

Photographs taken by Hufsa Akbar.

RANDOMfact!Studentsfrom47differentcountriesattendThornc-liffePublicSchool!

RANDOM

Thorncliffe

Pub

containing190

isthelargest

schoolinNo

RANDOMfact!ThorncliffePublicSc

hoolwasbuiltin1961!


8/9

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), ArafKhaled is ghting an eternal battle to alert the community about this disease, and is making adifference in his community. The club YSI was started by him to fundraise for and raise aware-ness about sarcoma. After the clubs rst year experience, Be Scene decided it was necessary

to interview this inuential community gure.

What inspired you to start this club?

I am a sarcoma cancer survivor and I attended

a symposium last year at Sick Kids Hospital. Itwas the rst annual sarcoma awareness sym-posium. After the symposium, I knew I hadto do something about it partly because I was

a victim of sarcoma and the treatment that is

available for the current sarcoma patients isnt

all that amazing. It has improved over the past20 years or so; however it is horric and stillhas a long way to go. Also a lot of people maynot be aware of the fact that Terry Fox was avictim of sarcoma. The fact is that sarcomais a cancer that impacts youth and not a lot of

people are aware of it, so there is a need of in-

forming people. In Canada, there isnt enoughawareness or fundraising done for sarcoma

compared to other cancers such as breast

cancer.

What type of events does the club plan?

We are largely an awareness and fundraisinggroup. In our rst year, which was the pastyear, we had a sushi bake sale at Leaside. Alot of students really got into it and baked the

sushi themselves and sold it. At Parents Nightat Marc Garneau we had a samosa sale. Wealso sold YSI bracelets as well as sarcoma

bracelets that came from the Liddy ShriverSarcoma Initiative in New York. We sold someof the bracelets for $5 and some for $3.50 tofundraise. As for awareness, there are youthand students working on a website and we es-

tablished pamphlets. Since every cancer hasits ribbon, we created yellow sarcoma aware-

ness ribbons for awareness week at Leaside.

What is YSI and what is the purpose of the club?

YSI stands for Youth Sarcoma Initiative. Its a youth-based club that intendsto fundraise and increase awareness about sarcoma, and aims to do this by

incorporating youth because sarcoma is a cancer that mainly affects youth. I nfact 20% of all childhood cancers are sarcomas. So I thought that because itsrelated to us, we can have youth help out other youth indirectly by fundraising,

because this is a cancer that a lot of youth may be familiar with.

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 lledwith at least 60 kids for our rst meeting. This was partly due to the fact that the Terry Fox Run hadtaken place recentl y and I gave a speech for the run. Th is way the whole school got a chance to hearabout sarcoma. It was well-received by students in the beginning, but this was my rst year leadinga club that I established. By the end of the year, our club attendance did drop a bit, but it was largelydue to the fact that we had to stop things for a few months due to a conict with the administration.I learned a lot about leading YSI and how to keep the club interesting and enjoyable for all. I feelthat there are a lot of people who feel impacted by sarcoma and YSI, so now Ive got a good groupof dedicated individuals. Next year there is Relay for Life thats going to take place and YSI will tryits best to help that out because it has to do with cancer. There are also teachers that help run theclub during events such as Parents 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 hasthis event thats geared for high school students. 10 schools from the Toronto District School Boardwere selected to attend the event where award-winning scientists give speeches and let everyone

know whats happening in the latest research. Students missed two complete school days; thereforeteachers did support us well. The Vice Principal was also very into it, too.

Is YSI only offered in Marc Garneauor has it expanded to other schools?

My initial plan was to expand YSI, therefore creatingas many satellite YSIs throughout the Toronto Dis-trict School Board as possible. In our rst year, westarted off with YSI at Marc Garneau, Leaside, andVictoria Park Collegiate Institute. Now we are aim-ing to extend YSI to northern secondary schools. Iplan to make this at least a 10 year project, so afterIm done high school, I really want to make this aregistered charity in Canada. It is independent rightnow, but we donate to the Sick Kids Foundation.We fundraise for other different, big organizations,and because we are independent, we get to choose

which organization we fundraise for. The moneydonated to Sick Kids is specically for sarcoma re -search.

How do students benet from or arerecognized for being part of YS

This year a bunch of students got volunteer h

that were issued by Sick Kids Foundation. there is a lot of volunteering that is involved, t

fore students can receive volunteer hours this Students had a huge experience at the SciExtravaganza, theyve denitely learned a lot asarcoma. Because this is our rst year, its pmuch in the establishment process. We also out certicates to specic members of the clubwe felt deserved extra recognition for their con

tion. YSI is also developing a website that feaspecic members who have made contributiothe club.

RANDOMfact!Sarcomacanbemisdiag-nosedbecauseitisoftenmistakentobeasportsinjury.

Is there anything else that you would like us to know about YSI?

What I really want is for YSI is as much as possible to be a student-based club.I would also like to reach out to the community. I believe that awareness bestexpresses itself when it is really entrenched and rooted in the community. I thinkcommunity is really important, so we really want to reach out. This year Flem-ingdon Health Center helped us a lot by donating to us and covered a lot of ourexpenses that we had for our fundraising events. This year YSI fundraised $1,163 in total, and exactly $800 was donated towards the Sick Kids Foundationand the rest went toward t he Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative in New York.

RANDOM

fa

15-20%of

allcancers

affectchild

renaresa

rc

whileonly

1%ofca

thataffecta

dultsare

mas.

RANDOMfact!

Sarcomaisacancerof

connectivetissues,such

as

nerves,muscles,cartilag

e,

joints,bone,or

bloodvessels.


9/9

Youve seen the cover now check it out: Weve hidden a bunch of tools of the trade in our cover picture, tools thatmany youth in the community use to express themselves. See how many you can nd!

Paintbrush -Old school mic -

Computer -Test tubes -

Stethoscope -

- Books

- Basketball

- Camera- Newspaper- Quill and parchment

Check out BeScenes Blog at htttp://www.bescenemag.wordpress.com

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