Across the Lens: Stories of You and Me Issue XI 用我的眼睛看你的世界

TABLE OF CONTENTS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF’S PREFACE CONTRIBUTORS COVER ART STORY: A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO OLD-FASHIONED DATING THE STORY OF...

YOUTH TO YOUTH REFLECTION ON INTERVIEW WITH NATALIE KWAN 你還會講中文嗎?

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NO FIXED ADDRESS: DISCOVERING HOMELESSNESS IN TORONTO EPILOGUE 38

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Samson Wong f 4ø’ Across U-hub Development Manager Editor-in-Chief

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PREFACE• B ¤

s the wind blows a little bit colder, autumn leaves drift to the ground where they slowly decompose to nourish the roots and soil.

Like leaves, our youth are supported by the nutrients from their roots. And like leaves, youth also bring in nutrients from its environment that contributes to the entire tree down to its roots.

A healthy tree in the environment thrives in this complex web of mutual contribution.

The calligraphy work on the cover of this issue demonstrates such a cycle. It shows a mastery of 1

traditional techniques applied to a contemporary artform, pop music. As viewers, how do we feel this choice of text impacts how we understand and appreciate Chinese calligraphy?

In Canada, there is a belief to appreciate different cultural heritages by encouraging public exchange and participation. Whether it is calligraphy, language, or traditional values and expectations, in what ways are Chinese Canadian youth making sense of the heritage being passed on to them, and how are they breathing new life to it?

I invite you to explore this question with us as you enjoy this issue of Across the Lens.

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CONTRIBUTORS PUBLISHER

ACROSS U-HUB

PUBLISHING SUPERVISOR NICOLE WONG

ADVISORY BOARD

MARIA YAU, NICOLE WONG

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF SAMSON WONG

EDITORS

MELODY HO, IVY LAM, KELLY LIANG, SONIA LUI, JOYCE MAK

TRANSLATOR MAY YU

DESIGNERS NICOLE WONG, TIFFANY ORE

The views, information and opinions expressed are those of the individuals and sponsors involved and do not represent the official views or opinions of Across U-hub. 本 刊 物 所 登 載 之 個 人 及 贊 助 者 表 達 的 觀 點、資 料 及 意 見，並 不 代 表 燃 動 青 年 的 機 構 意 見 或 立 場。

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COVER ART STORY: A GENTLEMANS GUIDE TO OLD-FASHIONED DATING

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atrick started dabbling in English calligraphy in 2015, experimenting with various scripts, such as Roman, uncial, italics, gothic, and etc.

He discovered that it was as much about learning the artform as it was exploring the evolution of handwriting.

He found a Chinese calligraphy class at the Chinese Culture Centre in 2016, and that kicked off his journey into Chinese calligraphy.

Can you tell us the main fonts of Chinese calligraphy?

There are five main scripts in Chinese calligraphy: seal script (篆 書 ),clerical script(隸 書 ), cursive script (草 書 ), regular script (楷 書 ) and running script (行 書 ). Each of them have a distinct feel and weight.

Since Chinese is written in logogram, and there are some 5,000 characters regularly in use, writing and arranging the characters on a canvas is more challenging.

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When writing, I would usually take a seat, and write very slowly, one character at a time. It is a very soothing and meditative process. The use of a single brush to control the thickness and density of strokes as well as the fact that ink is unerasable and unforgiving, makes writing a satisfactory piece of work more rewarding.

What inspired you to write MC Cheung’s ( 張 天 賦 ) song?

I did it for fun as I came across the challenge posted on the artist’s fan club Instagram page. I made sure I was looping the song A Gentleman’s Guide to Old-Fashioned Dating (老 派 約 會 之 必 要 ) while I was writing so I would get into the vibe and the mood of the song.

The song is about old-fashion dating of two young people, and the music video is set in the 1920s or 30s, so I chose to use the regular script with fairly thick strokes because it is less contemporary, but also because it is the script that students learn in school, which feels appropriate to represent the dating couple in the music video.

Do you have any new experiences in writing lyrics of pop music with Chinese calligraphy?

What I use is Qiyue Tie by Wang Xizhi ( 王 羲 之 ’s 七 月 帖 ), a cursive script, which is a calligraphy classic .

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I used a full-size paper for the first time, which is a bit over 2 feet wide and over 4 feet long. I wrote it standing up.

When practising a classic piece, the aim is to recreate the original as closely as possible.

Therefore, a lot of my mind went into looking at the original, studying how each stroke and each character was done, while practising them several times before writing it on paper.

I probably focused much more on the technique with that piece, as opposed to being more expressive and creative when I write pop music lyrics.

Among the many different art forms, what is it about calligraphy that interests you?

I have always loved beautiful handwriting, fonts, and typography in all kinds of writing

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systems. To me, words convey not only meaning, but they have the power to evoke feelings. Just like a good arrangement and suitable instruments can enhance the story conveyed by a song, using the appropriate script and style can accentuate the emotions conveyed by the words.

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View Video

“He has made everything beautiful in its time.”

- Ecclesiastes 3:11

YOUTH TO YOUTH

INTERVIEWED & WRITTEN BY Kelly Liang & Samson Wong 10

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ur interview was conducted on a sunny fall afternoon at Mel Lastman square in North York. Traversing the busy streets from downtown Toronto, Natalie arrived on an unconventional mode of transportation, a motorcycle.

We sat at a picnic table surrounded by buildings that represent civic participation and learning: the North York Civic Centre, a public library and the head office of the Toronto District School Board.

Leaving a comfort zone Natalie Kwan was born and raised in Hong Kong. Like most other children, she went to a local school, wore school uniforms and pursued STEM subjects which were popular among other students.

Natalie attended a local convent school. Its campus, a heritage building and landmark, nestled metres above one of the busiest

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intersections in Kowloon. While the girls’ school educated numerous notable alumnae over the decades, it was a comfort zone she wanted a change from, “I was in a huge comfort zone of knowing every single person in my grade, knowing all the teachers, knowing that my pathway was basically laid out in the STEM subjects”.

After 11 years, Natalie left the school where she called home since grade 1 to attend a Hong Kong-based international boarding school. That was where the world opened up before her eyes.

Opening a window to the world International schools in Hong Kong are known for their unconventional education method. But this school was special in that it hosted students from around the world. Sharing her room with 3 other students and spending many evenings in community events on campus, Natalie made friends with people from different continents.

Not only was the cultural exchange eyeopening, Natalie also discovered that a great deal of learning can take place outside the classroom. “A lot of those learning moments were conversations in people’s rooms or across dinner, where they would speak about what is happening back home, their language, and what they think of life in the city”.

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Some of the inspiration she gained from others include a friend from Israel who planned to put herself through med school by joining the army, and the German friend who later dropped out from university to create environmentally friendly products with scientists. These stories redefined for Natalie the notions for success and how to achieve them.

Natalie’s eye shone in the late afternoon sun as she recounted her friends and her exciting time during high school. This high school experience confirmed Natalie’s aspirations towards a different path, setting her direction towards studying and living abroad.

Surviving the pandemic overseas Two years into university and boarding life, COVID-19 hit. School and residences were

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closed and Natalie moved in with a distant relative in the Greater Toronto Area. As anticipation for school reopening extended from days to weeks to months, she saw the need to take charge of her situation.

Already dissatisfied with online learning in a humanities program, Natalie decided to take a break from studying, and use the year instead to figure out her direction. During that year, she took a residential program at a bible school. She took bible classes, made time to think, and also found time to work and experience Canadian culture and life.

When school reopened, she decided to stay in Toronto and transferred her studies to a Canadian university. She took up a job as a boarding advisor at a local boarding school, giving her a way to support herself and a place to stay.

It was during this period that Natalie teamed up with her cousin, Samantha, to start Music for Every Child (MFEC).

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Youth Initiative While staying with her relatives, Natalie learned about her cousin Samantha’s volunteer experience with special needs children and her hopes to support them in the disruption caused by the pandemic. Inspired by her cousin, she quickly came onboard to support the cause.

Being the only adult in the group, Natalie contributed her experience to manage and oversee anything from strategies, to recruitments and events. But it was not until she attended one of the therapy sessions, witnessing the impact of music on young people, that she truly felt the importance of the work.

So far, MFEC has organized several events to raise awareness and funds for their work with children with special needs. Seeing Natalie, Samantha and other youths taking charge, more young people have started to join as well. Looking at the expressions of the young

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volunteers on MFEC’s Instagram account, one can see a mix of nervous excitement and enjoyment.

Natalie explains one of their beliefs, “at Music for Every Child we encourage youths to take the lead. And it’s okay if there are mistakes. We all make mistakes but it’s the process of learning and doing it together. I think that’s what keeps them motivated to work towards more in the future”.

Nurturing and seeing growth in people It is not common to see events organized and executed by a team of teenagers and youths, but Natalie has witnessed that they can achieve much more than people realize. This is also something she believes in as a boarding advisor.

She trusts that the youths can grow to live responsibly.

While some parents may not even trust their children in taking care of themselves in university dorms, Natalie is coaching youths as young as 12 to develop self-care and social skills. In very small steps, she coaches them to go to class on time, do their own laundry, follow routines and be responsible for themselves.

Having lived in a boarding school helps Natalie to relate to how cultural adjustments, social hurdles and added personal responsibilities can be difficult for boarding school students.

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Natalie explains that sometimes students would lie about going to a nearby mall, but ends up going somewhere an hour away. Instead of taking a punitive approach, she would speak with them, “How do we restore this trust? What are some steps we can take together?”

Coaching youths to live responsibly and in harmony is no easy work, but Natalie’s voice emanated a sense of pride as she explains the joy of seeing ‘very real growth from people who’s not able to do their own laundry, who’s not able to wake up on time and go to classes’.

A bridging role A mix of Chinese and Canadian backgrounds often suggest very mixed attitudes towards youths’ independence. Sometimes it might reflect the saying ‘each generation is in decline’ (一 代 不 如 一 代 ), or, ‘you got to give young people room to spread

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their wings’. At the same time there are stories of parents who keep close track of their children even up to university age.

Natalie has observed that often “authority figures don’t trust students or younger people to do anything themselves. But it goes the other way that students don’t think that older people understand what they’re going through”.

As boarding advisor supervising students at a school residence, and as Executive Director coordinating youths at Music for Every Child, Natalie bridges this gap of trust to bring generations closer.

Going forward Natalie’s schedule shows someone that is driven and disciplined: Leading an organization and its volunteers, working full-time as a boarding advisor, completing a teaching certificate, and learning a new language in her spare time by watching Korean Peppa Pig. When asked what is in the horizon for her in the next five to ten years, Natalie says she will continue to support the work of Music for Every Child. She paused to think before continuing, “How can we get more people involved? How do we become a team? How do we grow together?

How do we acquire the skills we will need? I am still so young and I don’t have all the answers”.

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Natalie is looking forward to completing her teacher’s training and certification, to be able to teach in class. But it seems that the classroom will not be the only place where she will educate and impact youths.

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REFLECTION ON INTERVIEW WITH NATALIE KWAN WRITTEN BY Kelly Liang

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K

elly Liang is an immigrant from China currently in grade 11. Her hobbies and interests include writing, reading, running, learning languages and doing karate. Kelly is involved as a volunteer for Across the Lens and other Across activities.

Sitting in front of Natalie, I could feel her calmness that pacified and purified my soul.

Her assertiveness and her positivity steadily penetrated the air as if they were the only few sunbeams that lingered behind to rejuvenate the late afternoon. No matter how fiercely the wind blew, no matter how rapidly the darkness grew, there was always something seemingly eternal that stayed the same — the power of determination.

Just as we discussed shortly after the interview, I was stunned to see a person not many years older than me possessing such

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strong determination. She seemed to have a steadfast belief in the importance of helping people in her life. During the interview, in vain I tried to challenge the validity of helping people and caring for the society.

I clearly remember her saying that, if our lives are short and we are going to die anyway, then why don’t we actually do something that we aspire to, such as helping people? For a moment, I seemed persuaded that I would do more for others as well.

However, she later also expressed that she certainly did not seek to persuade people to believe in the virtue of helping others. She was only doing it because it had been such a rewarding aspect of her life.

Perhaps what was really attracting more people to join her could be as simple as seeing her

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helping others with a sweet smile. Sometimes, things could be as straight-forward as this. A positive effect on others in the community and inner gratifications are sufficient to keep one going.

Suddenly, some of the tangling questions about the world seemed trivial to me: I felt a bit more enlightened in my winding journey towards something far away in the mist. What is that? Something shapeless and intangible that I certainly won’t be able to tell yet when I’m at her age.

Looking back at her journey, her shift from STEM to political science, humanities, and education is surely something worthy to be reflected on. Due to the rapid development of science and technology in the recent centuries, careers related to STEM do seem more appealing and promising. So, I guess it was only with courage and a strong passion that she shifted her focus.

At the moment, I found myself in a pretty similar situation where I feel more “intimate” with literature and humanities than with mathematics and science. However, I do realize that I’m naturally better at the latter.

What will my path be? If only we can have more encouraging stories like hers to inspire us.

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相片由受訪者/ 粵語組提供

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WRITTEN BY Samson Wong 24

不

久 之 前，我 們 經 常 聽 說 差 不 多 每 個 華 裔 孩 子 曾 被

推 入 中 文 班。他 們 每 天 都 苦 著 臉 嚷 著 要 放 棄。誰

料 如 今，他 們 長 大 成 為 人 父 母 後，他 們 對 孩 子 學 中 文 更 加 著 急。

這 次 我 們 跟 三 位 親 子 粵 語 組 的 成 員，聽 聽 他 們 幫 助 孩

子 學 習 粵 語 的 故 事 吧！

親 子 粵 語 組 成 立 多 年，經 歷 不 同 階 段：由 最 初 在

Yorkville 圖 書 館 的 故 事 小 組 時 間，到 每 週 的 學 員 遊 戲 日

和 粵 語 學 習 聚 會。聚 會 有 時 在 教 會 舉 行，也 會 移 師 到 公 園 或 某 成 員 的 家，而 自 COVID-19 後，他 們 便 開 始 了 網 上 聚 會。

從 聚 會 的 相 片、影 片，和 網 上 課 堂，我 們 可 以 感 受 到 家

長 和 孩 子 之 間 的 密 切 聯 繫 —— 他 們 不 僅 是 興 趣 班，更 像 是 一 個 社 群。

在 訪 談 中，我 們 發 現 這 個 群 組 的 突 出 之 處 在 於，家 長

和 孩 子 們 一 樣 努 力 學 習 粵 語。

Terri – 在 安 省 London學 習 中 文 加 拿 大 出 生 的 Terri 在 安 省 London 成 長，她 的 父 母 經

營 中 餐 館，有 時 因 為 太 忙 而 連 續 好 幾 天 都 不 會 跟 她 碰 面。跟 很 多 新 移 民 一 樣，父 母 要 全 情 投 入 建 立 事 業 和 維 持 生 計，難 免 分 散 了 對 孩 子 的 關 注。

粵 語 是 Te r r i 在 家 溝 通 的 指 定 語 言，媽 媽 經 常 會 糾 正

Terri 的 中 文 發 音。除 了 在 餐 館 幫 忙 時 練 習 粵 語，Terri 從 小 在 家 裏 已 受 香 港 電 視 劇 和 中 文 書 籍 的 薰 陶。 25

Terri 會 講 和 讀 很 多 中 文 字，但 對 那 些 中 文 字 意 思 就 一

知 半 解，可 惜 家 人 通 常 對 她 的 發 問 支 吾 以 對。她 曾 在 週

六 的 中 文 學 校 讀 了 好 幾 年，惟 體 驗 欠 佳，父 母 也 沒 有 強

迫 她 繼 續 參 加。Terri 能 說 一 口 流 利 的 粵 語，但 能 認 出 的 中 文 字 較 少。她 最 近 在 粵 語 組 其 他 成 員 的 鼓 勵 下，重 新

逐 字 學 習 中 文，現 在 她 甚 至 能 給 孩 子 們 朗 讀 簡 單 的 中 文 書 了。

電 視 節 目 至 今 依 然 是 Terri 學 習 中 文 的 重 要 渠 道，她 喜

歡 如《延 禧 攻 略》的 古 裝 劇 集，讓 她 認 識 到 故 事 的 歷 史 背

景 和 傳 統 文 化。 「很 多 時 我 有 不 明 白 的 地 方，就 會 拍 照 然 後 問 Quin，她 會 回 覆 一 些 網 址 連 結 供 我 了 解 更 多。」

Quin – 少 年 時 期 來 到 加 拿 大 Quin 是 土 生 土 長 的 香 港 人，中 三 畢 業 後 來 到 渥 太 華 升

學，父 親 特 別 叮 囑 她 不 要 花 時 間 學 中 文，不 要 與 華 人 來 往，要 集 中 學 好 英 文，應 付 學 業。

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Quin 在 港 學 習 中 文 至 十 四 歲，所 以 她 的 語 文 程 度 還 可

以。她 在 一 個 冬 季 內 讀 畢 金 庸 小 說 全 集，是 她 提 升 中 文 水 平 的 秘 訣，也 延 續 了 她 對 中 國 歷 史 的 興 趣。讀 大 學 時 她 加 入 了 粵 語 辯 論 隊，進 一 步 鞏 固 她 的 口 語 溝 通 和 寫 作 技 巧，有 助 她 後 來 當 上 中 文 電 台 新 聞 廣 播 員。

初 為 人 母 的 時 候，她 對 孩 子 學 習 中 文 未 有 太 多 想 法。

偶 然 之 下，她 在 Yorkville 圖 書 館 遇 上 了 同 樣 是 母 親 的 教 育 家 Eveline，也 就 是 圖 書 館 粵 語 小 組 的 主 持 人。在 此 機 緣 下，Quin 參 與 籌 備 粵 語 組，並 與 其 他 信 念 相 近 的 家 長 如 Terri 和 Charing 一 起 慢 慢 擴 展 了 社 群。

Charing – 朋 友、漫 畫、廣 東 歌 「 我 絕 大 部 份 朋 輩 的 子 女 都 不 太 會 講 粵 語，但 粵 語 組

的 家 長 和 孩 子 們 讓 我 相 信 自 己 可 以 做 得 到！」來 自 香 港 的 Charing 小 學 二 年 級 後 就 移 居 加 拿 大。她 亦 曾 參 加 週 六 中 文 班， 「雖 然 有 學 到 一 點 東 西，但 學 習 卻 毫 不 起 勁」

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她 享 受 長 時 間 追 看 港 劇 和 中 文 翻 譯 的 日 本 漫 畫。就 讀

小 學 時 華 人 較 少，但 中 學 時 她 認 識 了 很 多 華 裔 新 移 民 朋

友，會 跟 他 們 一 起 聽 廣 東 歌、唱 卡 拉 ok、喝 珍 珠 奶 茶。在 社 交 活 動 中，她 學 到 更 多 中 文。

大 學 畢 業 後，投 身 工 作，改 變 了 她 的 社 交 圈，使 用 粵 語

的 機 會 再 次 減 少。最 後，她 跟 一 位 非 華 人 結 婚，幾 乎 放 棄 了 讓 孩 子 說 流 利 中 文 的 願 望。然 而，在 粵 語 組 遇 到 其 他 家 長，她 重 燃 起 幫 助 孩 子 講 粵 語 的 希 望。 一個學習社群的成立 談 到 粵 語 組 的 形 成，來 自 加 拿 大 註 冊 教 師 Eveline，她

希 望 女 兒 承 傳 學 習 粵 語 的 初 衷；但 粵 語 組 能 發 展 至 目 前

的 社 群，畢 竟 要 歸 功 於 各 位 家 長 的 構 想、塑 造、推 動 和 實 踐。

每 次 聚 會 前，家 長 都 會 討 論 學 習 內 容，協 定 由 誰 來 講

故 事、帶 領 遊 戲、唱 遊，或 帶 蛋 糕 來 分 享。聚 會 活 動 是 由

家 長 自 理 的，偶 爾 孩 子 們 都 會 幫 忙；這 種 經 驗 不 僅 代 表

互 動，也 讓 孩 子 們 開 始 在 粵 語 組 內 學 習 自 主 和 團 隊 合 作。

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Terri小 時 候 的 經 歷 讓 她 決 心 為 孩 子 們 塑 造 不 同 的 學

中 文 體 驗， 「任 何 人 都 可 以 到 週 六 中 文 學 校 任 教，而 他 們 對 學 生 幾 乎 沒 有 期 望。對 於 我 們 的 孩 子，我 最 不 希 望 就 是 令 他 們 討 厭 學 習 中 文。」

另 一 位 粵 語 組 成 員 Kitty 在 中 二 來 到 加 拿 大，她 形 容「

週 六 中 文 學 校 沿 用 傳 統 師 生 相 處 模 式，結 果 只 有 老 師 在 說 話」 。

相 反，粵 語 組 的 模 式 可 以 說 是 由 孩 子 作 主 導，意 思 是

家 長 會 根 據 孩 子 們 的 興 趣 和 狀 況 準 備、調 整 聚 會 流 程 與 教 材。

聚 會 社 交 或 許 是 粵 語 組 最 重 要 的 元 素，像 Charing 所

說： 「我 想 中 文 成 為 朋 輩 間 的 語 言，不 只 是 家 長 向 孩 子 傳 授的東西」 ，遊 戲 和 小 食 是 為 了 讓 孩 子（與 家 長）輕 鬆 玩

樂 和 以 粵 語 互 動 而 設。Quin 描 述 這 種 互 動 是「 作 為 一 個

群 體 的 共 同 學 習，孩 子 們 可 以 粵 語 聊 天、交 友，而 最 後 他 們 講 的 比 我 們 預 期 更 多」 。

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學習的動力 接 觸 到 其 他 背 景 相 似 的 人 後，家 長 們 有 感 本 地 出 生 的

華 人 雖 然 有 興 趣 為 自 己 和 孩 子 學 習 中 文 和 文 化，但 往 往 錯 失 了 學 習 機 會。

Charing 於 2020 年 開 設 使 用 英 語 的 網 上 華 文 兒 童 書

店，售 賣 來 自 亞 洲 的 中 文 兒 童 書 籍。她 花 了 很 多 心 力 把 圖 書 的 中 文 簡 介 翻 譯 成 英 語，因 為 很 多 客 人 都 是 正 在 跟

孩 子 一 起 學 習 中 文 的 家 長。家 長 和 孩 子 共 同 學 習，加 強 了 彼 此 的 學 習 動 力。

這 次 訪 談 迸 發 了 豐 富 討 論，談 到 學 習 粵 語 的 動 機，我

們 不 能 一 概 而 論：跟 親 戚 和 祖 父 母 說 粵 語 或 華 語 固 然

是 學 習 中 文 的 一 個 慣 常 方 法；我 們 還 提 到 童 年 時 期 使 用

中 文 的 重 要 性；接 下 來 就 是 讓 下 一 代 承 傳 文 化 瑰 寶 的 心

願。然 而，學 習 中 文 似 乎 還 有 一 個 更 重 要 的 基 本 因 素 －

當 他 們 ( 我 們 ) 在 英 語 與 粵 語 間 交 錯 溝 通 時，我 們 感 受 到 一 種 光 榮 與 連 結 的 邀 請。在 學 習 中 文 的 目 標 之 上，我 們 也 正 積 極 探 索 共 享 身 份 認 同 的 部 份，並 殷 切 期 盼 著 開 花 結 果 的 一 天。

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NO FIXED ADDRESS: DISCOVERING HOMELESSNESS IN TORONTO

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“I surprisingly got to know that in downtown Toronto, [in] an affluent area of lights and stores, a large number of people have nowhere to live…”

--Tracy Dong As the autumn brings in colder winds, I have started to see more people taking refuge and sleeping in subway stations.

We often talk about how great the city of Toronto is, and how proud we are of it. At the same time we are aware of long-standing societal issues that our best ideas and best wishes have not been able to solve. Homelessness is one of them.

Homelessness has been in the news for years, to a point where many Torontonians, myself included, simply accept it as inevitable. But in reality, not everyone knows about it, nor do we understand what people who are unhoused or vulnerably housed experience.

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Not stopping with a small act of kindness Across U-hub’s annual sandwich making activity recently took place. Over a dozen youths gathered to make sandwiches. But making sandwiches was only half of the event-- our youth also learnt about issues surrounding homelessness. As participants played games and talked about homelessness, they realized that people in homelessness needs much more than sandwiches.

After the activity, Steph, a working youth, expressed, “Even though packing sandwiches was a simple task, I am happy to have participated in this activity to know that my simple action made a difference in someone’s life.” Similarly, Eunice, a postgraduate student, shared, “Although packing sandwiches for the homeless was only a small act of kindness, I hope it warmed the hearts of those we reached and re-energized them for another day”.

Seeing the systemic and personal sides of the issue Tracy, a Grade 11 student, wrote that, “We started off by learning about homeless people and their living conditions in Toronto, the community we are in. I surprisingly got to know that in downtown Toronto, an affluent area of lights and stores, a large number of people 33

have nowhere to live and have to share space in crowded shelters that lack privacy or sleep on the street, which is extremely unsafe”.

Participants spoke eagerly during the discussion sessions, raising different issues brought up in a video about homelessness.

Eunice expressed that the activity “reminded me once again that homelessness is a synthesis of personal and systemic issues”. Steph furthered our discussion by bringing in the systemic issue of food insecurity, reflecting that even short-term remedies, such as food banks, are failing because “food banks are at risk due to fewer food donations.” Other participants built upon her observations with comments on family relationships, unemployment and addiction.

The combination of statistics and first-person narration gave participants a more human perspective, understanding there are real people 34

living in homelessness. “Each homeless person has a story behind them, and they all strive for the opportunity or resources to better their lives,” reflected Tracy.

Don’t face the problem alone A common reason for individuals to take no action in the face of societal issues is that we feel overwhelmed by the magnitude and complexity of the problem. Jasper, one of our Grade 11 participants, reminded us that we must face these problems together.

“An important part of the volunteering experience for me is the community aspect, and this event brought together many people who I may not have met before, even if it’s for

something as simple as packing sandwiches. The event showed how important working together for a common cause can yield great results, and how doing something good for the community truly does benefit everyone involved”.

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A better Toronto What can youths achieve when they come together? That remains something to be seen.

For now, several participants have signed up to take part in distributing the sandwiches and to meet face-to-face with the people behind the news reports and statistics who are experiencing homelessness.

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WEEKLY PODCAST

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To be our Supporter

Nicole Wong • ·[g Across U-hub Executive Director

POSTSCRIPT• C

I

n this issue, we explored the theme of “learning from young people”. There are two stories I’d like to highlight to you.

Our first story focused on Natalie, a 22-yearold who was moved by her 13-year-old cousin, Samantha. Samantha created and volunteers for a group that uses music to assist special needs children. Natalie was inspired by Samantha’s work and joined the group, thus becoming the only adult in the group. Kelly, who interviewed Natalie for this story, is about the same age as Natalie. After speaking to Natalie, Kelly was 38

stunned to learn that there are people in her age group who have such a deep passion for helping others and caring for those in need.

Our second story explored how three young mothers were inspired by their children to learn Cantonese. Like many Canadian born Chinese, they were forced to attend Chinese school, dropped out due to negative experiences. Their current knowledge and fluency in Cantonese are limited. But now that they have children of their own, they wanted their children to experience Chinese culture. Together with their children, these mothers are exploring their shared identity.

As we see from these stories, the best learning platforms go beyond teaching and are interactive, generational, and inspiring. I hope you enjoyed reading the stories in this issue and are touched by the experiences of our young people.

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