ACCT has been able to sustain youth engagement during COVID-19 by pivoting programming to go online while continuing with a youth-centered and youth-led model. One youth who has been fully engaged with us during the pandemic is Etobicoke resident Joelle Awad, a 20 year old Humber College student from Syria. In the summer and fall, Joelle participated in Media Art for Newcomer Youth (MANY), a program we have carried out for 3 years with our partner Charles Street Video that teaches newcomer youth photography and animation from culturally affiliated artists and reduces barriers to access. In MANY, Joelle learned technical skills in animation and created a video to raise awareness on how to better treat folks with special needs. More recently in March 2021, we selected Joelle to be a youth presenter in Made by Me, our leadership program for newcomer youth where youth create and facilitate a virtual session with learning goals. As a Public Relations student, Joelle tapped into what she is learning in school, and created an engaging and professional workshop on how we can better curate our public image to achieve our desired life goals. She impressed both youth and staff in attendance, with participants requesting for her to return to present again. ACCT would love to have her lead another session. Go Joelle!
