Minutes:

View the accompanying slides here.

Introducing Tunes for Life, presented by Tiffany Chan

·         Looking into holding a conference in Spring 2012

·         Would like to create some sort of event regarding musical lyrics and during the “festival”

Amazing Race, presented by Guru Bagawan, Shirley Long, and Rocky Chen

·         See slides for event overview and details on collaboration

·         The goal is to have 15 stations

o   CanYouth will be reporting the event with articles and video coverage, will not be having own station

o   MGT will host an activity on Unionville Main Street

o   YENYR will host an activity where participants will work with invasive species; seeking partner; location unknown

o   Turn the Page will have an activity where participants will do an activity representing some aspect of life living in an impoverished community, likely illiteracy

o   MY Community will be hosting a geo-caching activity at the Markham Museum

o   MYTF will host “x” number of activities at locations that ensure that all corners of Markham are reached

·         Once all the stations have been declared, the locations will be mapped out and the route will be created

o   Throughout this process we will work to avoid conflict in location and activity

o   Stations should have a balance between athletic and intellectual challenges

·         Currently seeking lunch and prize sponsors

·         Registration

o   Teams of two register at markhamyouth.com

o   Last year, the handling of funds between the participants and the us was organized, need to create a more efficient process

o   $200 per team to participate

§  The more money they raise, the more advantages they will receive during the day, such as a taxi voucher, etc.

o   Will receive a t-shirt and YRT bus pass for the day

·         Chaperones

o   Needed for safety of participants, as they are under 18

o   Possibility is to partner with a class from Centennial College

·         Marketing

o   The event is unique because we don’t need people to come and watch it, we just need people to participate

o   It is a popular and known among youth in Markham

·         Charity

o   Money raised needs to go to a charity or some sort of cause

§  Note: the theme is collaboration and unity, is there any charity that reflects these values?

“Festival”, presented by Kush Thaker and Joey Loi

·         Date and location

o   May 11 and May 12

o   North-east side of the Markham Civic Centre (see layout in pdf)

o   Explore possibility of booking parking lot as wel

·         Battle of the Bands, presented by Joeffre Brage, Tiffany Chan, and Adrian Proestos

o   May 12 (see schedule in pdf)

§  Sound check will be scheduled one hour prior to the event start

o   8 ands will play two songs each, second round will be 4 bands singing one song each, winner chosen from second round

o   Bands will have to submit a raw video of their performance through markhamyouth.com as an audition

o   Tunes for Life is interested in playing a role in the event

o   Markham Theatre may be able to connect Battle of the Bands with judges

·         Step to It, presented by Marck Mercado, Lydia Chan, Kadie Bennett, Annie Sun

o   Possible party/freestyle afterwards in order to let attendees interact with the performers and with each other

§  Event end at 10:00, dance until midnight

o   Location for participants does not matter

o   Equipment (excluding stage) and DJ’s will be provided by Markham’ Finest, participants will have to submit their songs one week in advance.

o   MYTF will explore the options for staging: mini stage vs. hardwood on concrete

·         Outreach, presented by Chris Ristovski, Kevin Jen, and Carmen Chen

o   Reach school clubs to host off stage activities

§  We are looking for activities hosted by the clubs as opposed to showcase.

o   Collaboration, having youth working together to present the event

o   Looking into food vendors and non profits

o   Idea: Police/Firefighters vs. Markham teams in road hockey, basketball, etc.

o   Sponsorship

§  Must be well times, not too early, not too late

§  Early January we will go right out to sponsors

§  Must notify Chris and Kevin before they pursue a sponsor for this event, we do not want the same organization being approached more than once.

·         MYTF will be pursuing sponsors for the entire event

·         If your organization is also looking for sponsors for your particular portion of the event, MYTF can provide a package that has room for personalization for individual needs

·         Case: If business wants to sponsor BOTB, we will market them as a sponsor of the entire event; greater attraction for potential sponsors

·         Sponsorship will have a tiered system

·         Name

o   Discussion on name of the event, the actual word “Festival” needs to be avoided

§  Ideas

·        Co-Lab – coming out late – and bonding

·        Reach

·        Next

·        MYCO – Markham Youth Collaboration

·        T3 – Tomorrow, Today, Together

·        C3 – Celebrating Community Collaboration

§  MYTF will make decision and we will have a name by January

MYTF Get Involved Conference!, presented by Janie Chu and Christine Hui

·         Organizations given opportunity to talk about their initiatives if they want in the form of a workshop. For example, Joey could come in and talk about Turn the Page.

o   If you want to host a workshop, you can. We want to make the transition from grade school to high school as easy as possible and show that there are ways to become involved outside of school

·         We will use the Markham civic center as the venue.

MY Community Art Expo

·         End of February

·         Markham Museum and Markham Little Theatre

·         Needs help promote through schools

o   Bringing together youth artwork and also youth performers

o   Information will be sent out soon

Markham Public Library

·         Book as Muse

·         Youth read books and create artwork from those books

·         Will partner for “Festival”

·         Will connect with MY Community for possible partnership with Art Expo

Action Items:

Amazing Race

For everyone by February 10:
1. Confirm station’s location and activity, and email to Guru at guru.bagawan@markhamyouth.com to let him know because he needs to begin mapping the route as soon as possible

For MYTF by February 10:
1. Design ‘x’ number of stations so that the event has 15 stations
2. Begin to seek sponsorship for lunch and prize
3. Design participant registration process
4. Design marketing strategy
5. Create template for day schedule

Outreach

For everyone by February 10:
1. Talk to individual school clubs/youth organizations about the event

For MYTF by February 10:
1. Get approval from the board
2. Be in communication with all school groups of interest
3. Begin to search for sponsorship
4. Look into getting food vendors
5. Speak to more organizations to bring more groups into this event

Step to It

For MYTF by February 10:
1. Devise a marketing strategy to begin promotion: create videos, posters, social media
2. Open registration on markhamyouth.com
3. Confirm stage layout and equipment suppliers
4. Begin to search for sponsors, special guests, judges, and MCs; and prizes of a trophy, monetary reward, and studio time
5. Create day schedule

“Festival”

For everyone by February 10:
1. Confirm contribution and develop the plan and strategy

For MYTF by February 10:
1. Secure venue: power, water, washrooms, stage, and lighting
2. Confirm the event name
3. Search for sponsors
4. Design two step marketing campaign

Next Markham Youth Meeting: Friday, February 10 from 6:00 to 9:00 at the Markham Civic Centre.

After filling out this form, we will email you with details on the time and place of the next meeting. We look forward to seeing you there!

Minutes:
1. Introductions on each organization’s mission, initiatives, and plans.
2. Casual networking session
3. Group discussion on MYTF proposed initiatives: Markham Amazing Race, Get Involved! Conference, and Markham Youth Fesstival. Inquiry on the interest of other organizations’ participation, brainstorming ideas, sharing contacts.

Action Items:
1. Email Joey regarding your organization’s interest in participating in the Markham Amazing Race as a challenge host at one (or more) locations. Event taking place in April 2012 all across Markham. Deadline is December 1, 2011.
2. Email Joey regarding your organization’s interest in participating in the Markham Youth Festival (name pending), and ideas on how you would like to contribute. Event taking place May 2012 at the Markham Civic Centre (permit pending). Deadline is December 1, 2011.
3. Fill out this form to help us compile a contact directory (only one contact per organization); to be posted online on the Mayor’s Youth Task Force website.

Next Markham Youth Meeting: December 16 from 6:00 to 9:00 at the Markham Museum

Over the last four years, I have been involved in creating many events that serve the Markham youth community.  From Battle of the Bands, to the Ecological Action Conference, to Answer to Cancer, I’ve worked to create a variety of diverse initiatives from the ground up. Although no two events are ever planned in the same way, there is a general structure that they all follow. I have outlined the nine steps that I believe are the most important when creating an event. Of course, it is not the only way to plan an event, nor is it specific to any type of event like a fundraiser or a conference. It was created as a resource for the Turn the Page website, with the goal of guiding a group in creating an event that will support third world education.  I wish that you too will consider creating an event for this cause!

I hope you find it useful, and I am always welcoming of input and of ways to improve it. Feel free to comment below to let me know what you think.  Below is the first step in planning an event; the purpose. The full guide can be found at the Turn the Page website here.

Before any progress can be made, there must be an understanding of the purpose of the to-be event or initiative.  Why do you want to host this event?  Is it to raise funds for a certain cause, to raise awareness about a particular issue, or perhaps both?  It is important to begin with two or three broad goals that will help you determine the nature of your event.  At this point, you don’t need to consider quantifiable goals like amount of money raised or the number of people participating; you’re trying to determine the reason you’re hosting this event in the first place.  Here are a few examples; they have been adapted from Turn the Page’s mission and aspirations:

• To engage and involve fellow students in supporting education in developing communities.
• To raise awareness of the issue of global poverty and the role education plays in relieving it.
• To act as a connector between schools and create a stronger community effort to support education.
• To inspire youth to take action and to make a difference in their community through volunteerism.
• To better the lives of impoverished youth through education.

Keep reading the guide here.

My first encounter with the MYTF was really just a coincidence; I was at Markville Mall one afternoon and Youth Week Kickoff happened to be taking place at the centre stage while I was there. Earlier that week, my mother had encouraged me to look into some things I could get involved with, and I thought to myself, “What the heck, I’ll fill in an application. What’s the worst that can happen?” Little did I know, submitting my application later on that week would become one of the most significant decisions I would ever make. I was 13 years old, and did not expect to be given an interview, let alone a seat on the Task Force. At the time, I had no idea what I had gotten myself into.

I remember my first meeting in the York Room of the Civic Centre. I was the youngest kid in that room, and I was intimidated and overwhelmed both by the people I had just met and the intensity of the program that had been thrown at me. It took some time for me to get adjusted and acquainted with the whole situation, but when I did, I felt right at home. For the first time, I was among people that were passionate about what they did; young leaders that were motivated, ambitious, and dedicated to making an impact. These were the people I would look up to and view as my role models. I had so much to learn and had so many ways in which I needed to grow. My MYTF family raised me to be the leader I am today.

The MYTF is such a vibrant and innovative organization because it attracts the best young talent from across Markham. Through the MYTF I’ve been privileged to form relationships with a network of remarkable people. In my first two years, I got to know Vino and Vijay really well. The twins were really the first two leaders that I looked up to, and boy oh boy, I could not have asked for better role models. They provided me with guidance and attention, and they showed me what it takes to be an effective leader. I can’t say enough about these two; genuinely sincere guys who I am so thankful I met through the MYTF. I met Dami in my third year, and over the last two years we’ve done a lot of things together. From working with each other on Youth Volunteer Markham, Turn the Page, YENYR, and more, we’ve grown to be great friends. He has been a key figure in the Markham youth community, and a driving force in all the projects we have worked on together. It’s hard to find a partner who compliments your strengths and fills your weaknesses, and I’m grateful that I’ve been able to meet Dami through the MYTF.

Jay deserves his own paragraph (I’m sure Vino, Vijay, and Dami can agree). Jay is undoubtedly the most important piece of the MYTF puzzle. He is the backbone of the organization, the go-to guy when poop hits the fan, and the single person who best embodies the MYTF spirit. On the side, he is our supervisor. Never a guy to accept credit for anything, he truly is the person who makes it all happen. I look up to Jay because his involvement doesn’t stop with leadership and project management (of which he is the most experienced and elite). He brings out the best in all of us, and pushes us to grow and develop as individuals. He is someone I can turn to when I have something on my mind, and he will always have my back. Jay is an excellent role model, a remarkable leader, and a valued friend. It’s sad that he has to leave the MYTF, but his impact on me and on the organization is permanent.

It is by no mistake that the MYTF produces some of the country’s highest achieving youth. The environment within the MYTF is special and unique. Each year we are met with the challenge of creating an event from the ground up. This demands creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship. With access to an abundance of resources, we are given the freedom to experiment, try new things, and take risks. Ask anyone who has worked with the MYTF; this freedom is what allows growth and development to take place. In very little situations will you be on a team with a bunch of all-stars, have all the resources you need, and be allowed to take risks knowing that the support team is there for you if you make a mistake. This system we have in place is what allows us to improve year after year and continue to create leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs.

To me, the MYTF means opportunity. Becoming a part of the MYTF has opened so many doors for me. It is the most rewarding experience I have ever had. So many things were made possible for me because of either the connections I made, the skills I developed, or the confidence I gained working with the MYTF. I am in great debt to the Town of Markham and the Mayor’s Youth Task Force for what they have done for me, and I am committed to giving back in any way I can. Immediately, this is by fulfilling my duties as a member of the MYTF to the best of my abilities, acting as a Vino or a Vijay to the younger members I work with, and representing the youth of Markham in a way that will ensure our voices are heard. Thank you MYTF for allowing me to join you on this ride, and I look forward to what the future holds for us!

I joined the MYTF during the beginning of my grade 11 school year. I wasn’t really sure what I was getting myself into. My friend Jasper kept bugging me to apply as he was just finishing his last term on MYTF. I still remember entering the first meeting at the Civic Centre. There was a room full of twenty kids I had never met in my life but little did I know that this was only the beginning of a great experience.

Firstly, joining the MYTF allowed me to grow and develop new skills such as project management, leadership and much more! Secondly, it has opened up new doors in my life and exposed me to new opportunities. In addition I’ve met one of my future business partners Joey Loi through the MYTF. Lastly but not least, the MYTF has given the opportunity to organize greats events such the EAC, Youth Week Kick-Off and has given me the resources to found organizations such as YVM.

My term on last MYTF is pretty much over but I’m glad to say that I’m part of the alumni. Joining the MYTF and staying committed with it was probably one of the best decisions I’ve made.