ABOUT US
Speak Up Youth Forums offers a space where youth can discuss the social issues that affect them most. They can share
experiences, learn from each other and inspire others in a safe and supportive environment. They have the opportunity to speak up, be heard, inspire others and create change. Through our forums, youth can see the commonalities amongst themselves. They will find they are not alone with their problems, thoughts or ideas for change.
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“Youth are usually told what to do, not asked what they think they should do”
Our forums bring young people together to share ideas, discuss a problem and come up with potential solutions. The goal is to turn these solutions into tools they can use at home, school, or in their communities.
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Special guests, such as film or musical artists (who have a connection to one of our topics), or guest speakers (such as experts on a topic), can join the forum live or via Skype. Omari Newton and Nicole Leier have joined us as guests. Jesse Lipscombe from “#makeitawkward” joined us, via Skype, from Edmonton, Alberta. In another forum, we included a music video, from Terrence Richmond. Students have also joined us via Skype or sent in video messages from other cities and countries.
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Our forums are filmed as a video series. They can be used as a discussion tool for friends, families, support groups and in schools anywhere in the world. For our educational series, there will be a suggested lesson plan, project list and discussion questions for the class, after the video. Once complete, educators can download individual videos or the full series.
“Personal” “Controversial” “Heartfelt”
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Our website compliments our forums by providing a place where our videos can be viewed, new forums can be promoted and chat-rooms are available to “continue the conversation” afterwards. For each of the topics, we will post helpful information, resources and links for further support – A one stop shop for youth.
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Youth who want to implement their ideas for change can ask for support or resources for their project. If you have a project in mind, let us know and we'll promote it here! This could be a support group, mentorship program, short film collaboration, artwork, poem or other endeavour.
We are currently working on gathering sponsors and partners who can help with products and services. This could be free or discounted space for activities, film or music studio space, computers or tablets, software (for organization, script writing, etc.), film equipment loan-outs, art supplies and more.
“Their challenges, their solutions, their actions”
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Future goals: We would like to recognize youth who have made a difference, with awards for top leaders, programs, films and other projects.
Marie Tate: Producer and Program director
Marie was born and raised in Vancouver, BC and has a multi-cultural background. She has always been involved in her community, volunteering on boards, including the HSBC Child Run, hosting events, such as the Caribbean Festival and has worked with youth in other capacities, including work programs, youth awards and other community youth forums. Her goal is to make a difference for youth by giving them a voice and a place to be heard, create and inspire. By combining her community work with her film work of over 35 years, she hopes to bring Speak Up videos to a wider audience.
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