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INSIDE: UPCOMING EVENTS! YOUTH REPORTS! AND MORE!
OCTOBER 25 - 31
THIS SEASON:
INSPIRE · ENGAGE · UNITE
OZONE
YOUTH
VOL. 2, NO. 3, FALL 2009
SUDAN WEEK OF ACTION!
OUR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE!
contact us: [email protected]
VISITING SOLFERINO
MAIJU JOLMA
ARNAV AGARWAL
OZONE YOUTH NEWSLETTER, vol. 2, no. 3, fall 2009 p. one
contents& EDITORIALS
want to contribute?
YOUTH GROUP reports
SPOTLIGHTS on youth
HUMANITARIAN issues
9
6
7
8
THE DARFUR CONFLICT: World’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis
Welcome back everyone!
I hope you had a great summer. The newsletter has a few new editors
this year. I am really looking forward to working with this year‟s group.
Here they are:
Managing Editor: Meaghan Williams
Advising Editor: Venetia Lo
Editors: Farhat Hossain, Ting Ting Liu, Michelle Kuang, Carly Brown
and Grace Wang
Editor-in-Chief: Jen Mayville, Communications Coordinator, Public
Affairs
Layout Editor: Sarah Williams
Staff Advisor: Perez Oyugi, Manager, International and Youth
This edition is really special to me because I wrote a profile story about
my friend Maiju. Maiju and I met when I spent a year working in
Finland. She was very active within the Finnish Red Cross, and is the
current chair of the IFRC Youth Commission. She is one of the people
who inspired me to get involved with Red Cross and her story illus-
trates all the wonderful opportunities there are for youth within the
movement around the world. I hope you like it and the rest of this edi-
tion. Enjoy!
Jennifer Mayville - Communications Coordinator, Public Affairs
letter from the editor
letter from the director
These past few months have been very exciting for O-Zone youth. In
June, Kimberley Vibert, chair of the Red Cross national youth task
force, and Kristi White, Ontario Zone rep, joined four other Canadian
Red Cross youth at the third global Red Cross and Red Crescent youth
meetings in Italy, where youth had the opportunity to learn, share and
discuss present and future humanitarian challenges. Kimberley and
Kristi did an excellent job representing Canada and Ontario Zone, and
we are very proud of them.
This fall, we are continuing to build and support Red Cross youth lead-
ership across the province. On October 23-25, an Ontario-wide Red
Cross youth leadership conference was held in Toronto. You can learn
more about the conference in this newsletter. Also, the Ontario Zone
Youth Engagement strategy is currently being developed as a comple-
ment to the National Youth Task Force‟s youth engagement strategy,
and will look at meaningful ways for youth to get involved in Red
Cross. Youth are welcome to ask for copies of the strategy by sending a
message to [email protected].
Here is to a great Fall!
Dennis Fair – Director, International, Youth and RespectED
We welcome all submissions for our Winter
2009 issue! When submitting, please include
your first and last name, volunteer position,
Canadian Red Cross branch/region, and pho-
tographs. You can email your submissions to
[email protected] and clearly
indicate the name of the section your work
belongs to in the subject. Thanks!
Peterborough Youth Group 2
3
4
5
Simcoe County Youth Group
Hamilton Youth Group
Region of York Youth Group
CENTENNIAL event
YONGE and DUNDAS Youth Demonstration 10
“The main focus of the event was the Peace Canvas,” said Long.
The Peace Canvas was set up at a booth where people were encouraged to add something to the blank canvas under the theme of “peace”.
“The result was a colourful mix of different ideas of peace, some complicated, and others more simple” said Long.
Unlike the concert, this was the first year for the art show, and both Long and Carter felt it was a great success.
“I think it is a great example of how the Red Cross can interact with the community, and this was the Youth Council‟s first attempt to break into the
artistic scene in Peterborough, having previously been limited to the youth music scene.”
For David Bullock, 17 year old music lover and council member, having the opportunity to organize a concert to raise funds for malaria nets
was exciting.
“This is one of the main fundraising events we do and it‟s entirely for youth,” said Bullock. “You don‟t find many opportunities like this out
there.”
The concert featured two local high school bands, The Vultures of Pop Culture and A Cappella Gold.
“We were asked by David Bullock to be a part of the Bite Back [concert] and were immediately interested,” said A Cappella Gold vocalist
Joe DiGiuseppe. “We think it is everybody‟s job to help those who cannot help themselves, and thought it was a great way of supporting such a wor-
thy cause.”
“The Spill was crowded with people, all excited to see us play. It was a very successful show,” said DiGiuseppe.
During a brief intermission between bands, 17 year old council member Kathleen Mcallister made a presentation discussing where the pro-
ceeds from the concert were going, explained the effects of malaria and why Bite Back is such an important cause to the Red Cross and the Youth
Action Council.
For the members of the Peterborough Youth Action Council, using the
arts to generate awareness about global issues comes naturally.
“It‟s such an effective way of getting the attention of the
youth and the community,” said 16 year old Chloe Carter, a member of
the council who helped organize the “Creative Solutions” art exhibit
that took place at the Dreams of Beans gallery from June 7-21. Both the
art gallery as well as the “Bite Back II” concert held July 9, at the Spill
Cafe, were entirely organized and run by the Youth Action Council as a
way to generate awareness about the issues surrounding malaria in Af-
rica.
“I feel that our impact on the Peterborough community has been
very evident,” said 18 year old Christopher Long, Chairman for the
council. “Not only did we open the arts community to global humanitar-
ian issues, we also managed to raise awareness and money for the ma-
laria initiative.”
Although both the art gallery and the concert benefited the Ma-
laria Bites program, the goal for each event was different.
“From the beginning the group decided that the awareness event
would be the art show and the fundraising event would be the concert,”
said Long.
The art show displayed around 25 pieces of photographic art,
sculpture, and paint on canvas that completely covered two walls of the
gallery. The pieces were submitted by local students and artists, and
reflected human vulnerability, suffering, helplessness and the power of
humanity.
THROUGH THE ARTS
OZONE YOUTH NEWSLETTER, vol. 2, no. 3, fall 2009 p. two
YOUTH GROUP report SAVING ONE LIFE AT A TIME,
PETERBOROUGH
Written by Kelly McKinnon Photos by Aimee Calder
youth group
OZONE YOUTH NEWSLETTER, vol. 2, no. 3, fall 2009 p. three
YOUTH GROUP report
SIMCOE COUNTY
The Simcoe County Youth
Group has undergone some signifi-
cant changes these past few months.
The Youth group would like to say
farewell and extend our sincere grati-
tude to our adult supervisor, Setareh
Najmi. She is going to the University
of Ottawa to complete her masters
degree in educational counselling.
Setareh has been a source of inspira-
tion, a mentor and a friend. Her hard
work and dedication to the group has
filled us with hope in making a posi-
tive difference in our community. The
Simcoe County Youth group wel-
comes our new adult supervisor and
leader, Lynda Watson. She has al-
ready inspired a number of new pro-
jects and workshops for the youth
group!
In July, the Simcoe County
Youth Group had arranged a summer
Humanitarian Issues Promotion (HIP)
workshop, open to all youth in the
Simcoe County area. The workshops
included were: Children Affected by
Armed Conflict, Active Global Citi-
zenship, Building a Culture of
Peace, Social Justice and Diversity,
Youth Facilitation Training
and International Humanitarian Law.
The attendees were very productive
and came up with many creative
ideas. Since the workshop, some of
the participants have joined the Sim-
coe County Youth group as youth vol-
unteers!
The Simcoe County Youth
group, along with the Simcoe Red
Cross Disaster Management team and
Simcoe OPP, travelled to Base Bor-
den for Base Borden Family Day.
This took place September 19th.
Youth facilitators presented
information about International Hu-
manitarian Law. This was a great op-
portunity to both promote and in-
crease awareness about our program
in the Simcoe County region.
In November, the Simcoe
County Youth Action Group is hold-
ing a youth conference in partnership
with the Simcoe YMCA. It is open to
all youth in the Simcoe Area. The
goal of this conference is to provide
humanitarian issues workshops and
youth leadership opportunities for
interested youth in the Simcoe region.
Written by Farhat Hossain
OZONE YOUTH NEWSLETTER, vol. 2, no. 3, fall 2009 p. four
YOUTH GROUP report
HAMILTON BRANCH LAUNCHES
WELL-RECEIVED PROGRAM!
The Disaster Management program, Hamilton Branch, was
successful in receiving funding to hire a summer student for nine
weeks covering July and August.
Christine Demik was hired as a public educator to facilitate
personal preparedness information sessions to the community,
teaching about the importance of disaster preparedness.
Once Christine was familiar with the presentation, she recom-
mended that the focus be on teaching children the importance of
preparing for emergencies, as well as incorporating components of
the newly launched Bug Out program - particularly teaching safe
hand washing techniques and preventing disease transmission in
view of the health concerns with H1N1 being spread rapidly among
children.
After consulting with several teachers and camp counsellors
on the course content, the presentation was launched.
Written by Karen Hymas, DM Coordinator, Hamilton/Flamborough Branch
Our World, Your Move: Youth Taking Action for Humanity Ontario Youth Leadership Conference October 23-25, 2009
On October 23-25, 100 youth volunteers from the Toronto and GTA region took part in a three-day Red Cross youth
conference at the Toronto Marriott Bloor-Yorkville Hotel. With the Red Cross celebrating its centennial year, this
year's conference themes included topics on international humanitarian law, active global citizenship, breaking the pov-
erty-disease cycle, natural disasters and the unnatural causes of vulnerability, Red Cross governance, and peer harass-
ment. Conference attendees also had the opportunity to hone their skills in event planning, facilitation and humanitar-
ian leadership development as well as share best practices among their peers.
The response was incredible: presentations were booked with summer camps and day cares, where
the audience ranged from 4 years to 11 years. Christine and her volunteers presented a total of 33 sessions,
to a total of 1,004 individuals!
Each child received a "goody bag" containing information for them to take home to show to their par-
ents, including a flyer that explained that their child had participated in the personal preparedness session
and further information on the program was attached. The 72-hour preparedness booklet, as well as volun-
teer recruitment information on all programs, was enclosed.
This was a very successful initiative by a student who made the presentation fun and interactive; the
evaluations received rated this at a 4!
With target recruitment of youth volunteers this fall, we plan on continuing to offer this program.
OZONE YOUTH NEWSLETTER, vol. 2, no. 3, fall 2009 p. five
YOUTH GROUP report
greetings from the
REGION OF YORK
What an exciting summer we have had and what an exciting year we have planned! This summer we had a
small, dedicated group of youth work diligently on a Step by Step Youth Action Group Handbook. This book
built upon the already strong Youth Handbook of 2007 and gave those youth that want to start youth action
groups in their high schools a beginner‟s guide that takes them through the process Step by Step. With five
new high school groups in this region starting this year, the guide will be put to good use.
We also had a strong Humanitarian Issues Promo-
tion and facilitation workshop this summer and
trained six new youth facilitators! Fall plans include
the delivery of more workshops, which are becoming
quite well known in the area, especially with new
Canadian youth. They find the workshops help them
become more involved in the community while
helping with humanitarian issues and awareness.
This fall is an exciting time for us here in the Re-
gion of York. Our three main events include an Af-
ghanistan activity titled Building Blitz – Recon-
structing Infrastructure. This activity enables partici-
pants to imagine what it would be like to be affected
by landmines both physically and through a rebuild-
ing of infrastructure activity complete with scenar-
ios and different building materials. Kits will be
made that can be sent to different schools, used for
the activity and then passed on to the next school.
We are also beginning a Region of York youth
newsletter. This will help the Canadian Red Cross
York Youth stay in touch and develop a sense of
community. Thirdly, in December we will be hold-
ing a one-day youth conference: A Time to Talk-A
Time to Act, a Youth Social Justice Conference.
The day will be a discussion among youth about
social justice issues they face within the region and
a brainstorming session to develop social justice
campaigns. It is then up to them to work on these
campaigns with the end goal being an award pre-
sented at the Red Cross, Region of York Volunteer
Appreciation Dinner in the spring.
So, the Region of York is going to be quite busy
this fall! We look forward to giving an update in
the next newsletter to let everyone know how
things go.
I would like to leave you with a quote from a Culture of Peace workshop that we held during the summer:
“Peace is an escape from the confusion and a place to acknowledge the potential of your enemies”- Melanie,
participant in Red Cross, Humanitarian Issues Promotion Leadership workshop
Lynda Watson I/Y Coordinator, Region of York
“
ON YOUTH spotlights
OZONE YOUTH NEWSLETTER, vol. 2, no. 3, fall 2009 p. six
introduces...
ARNAV
by Meaghan Williams
“TAKE A RISK, GET INVOLVED,
AND STAY COMMITTED”
Arnav Agarwal first got in-
volved with the Red Cross in
grade nine, following a series
of inspiring experiences in In-
dia. He noted immediately the
differences between the lives of
so many there compared to the
lives of so many here. In India,
he visited and volunteered at an
orphanage, where he saw huge
numbers of children simply
begging for love.
Upon returning to Canada, he
began work with the Red Cross
on the Youth Action Council,
as well as hosting campaigns
and a series of fundraisers. He
not only participated in Red
Cross events but has since in-
volved himself in numerous
other charities, organizations
and youth groups. Now, he not
only participates in his school‟s
student council and five other
school clubs, but he
”
Volunteering
helped me grow
as an individual
has done significant work with
the YMCA, Heart and Stroke
Foundation, Energy Smart and
Prerana, an Indian charity.
While his experiences in India
were life-changing, one of the
most inspiring projects to Ar-
nav has been working within
his own community. Interacting
with people from his own town,
people from different age
groups and backgrounds has
changed the way he not only
views community, but also the
way he views himself. Arnav
believes very strongly that
helping in your own commu-
nity, devoting even just a little
bit of time to others, can help
an individual grow as a person
as well. Youth can learn a lot
about themselves, about how
the things they know and do
can help those around them,
and that is one of the greatest
benefits of volunteerism.
Despite his busy schedule, Ar-
nav continues to volunteer with
numerous organizations. For
him, this is in line with his
goal: to start a charity. Making
a difference in his own commu-
nity and in the international
community is of paramount
importance to this 16-year old.
Making a difference in his own
community of Mississauga and in
the international community.
And what‟s his advice to youth
looking to get involved?
“Take a risk, get involved and stay committed.”
OZONE YOUTH NEWSLETTER, vol. 2, no. 3, fall 2009 p. seven
ON YOUTH spotlights
introduces...
M
A
I
J
U
By Jennifer Mayville
On June 27, Maiju Jolma walked with 13,000 other
people, including Red Cross and Red Crescent youth from
155 countries, in a torch-lit procession in Italy. They fol-
lowed the same path walked by nurses who took injured
soldiers from the battlefield of Solferino to the first medi-
cal outpost in Castiglione. The walk commemorated the
inception of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement,
which began 150 years ago. It was a day Maiju will never
forget.
“I was speechless,” said the 29-year-old, who is
originally from Finland. “I was hypnotized by the good
feelings that brought us together.”
For Maiju, her work with the Red Cross is her life.
She is the current chair of the International Federation of
Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies‟ (IFRC) youth com-
mission, a group of nine Red Cross and Red Crescent
youth from around the world who advise on all matters
concerning youth development and related issues through-
out the Federation.
“Youth have the energy and innovation to change
the way the world is going,” says Maiju, who currently
lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Her involvement with Red Cross began with a
newspaper ad 17 years ago. Maiju, then 13 years old, was
looking for something to do in her small hometown of
Pello, Finland, located just north of the Arctic Circle. One
day, she was reading her local newspaper and came across
an ad looking for new members of the local Red Cross
youth club.
The ad described opportunities to learn search-and-rescue and first aid. She thought it sounded like fun and decided to join. She
didn‟t know at the time the immense impact that decision would have on her life.
Maiju first became involved with Red Cross governance when she was on the Red Cross youth committee in Lapland, the north-
ernmost province in Finland. She was then approached to apply for a position on the national Finnish Red Cross board.
“I thought I had received so much from Red Cross and it would be nice to give back,” she says.
She says her experience on the national board opened her eyes to all the programs and services the Finnish Red Cross provides
beyond first aid including reception centres for asylum seekers, and helping the unemployed get back on their feet by giving them work.
Soon after joining, Maiju was approached by the Secretary General of the Finnish Red Cross to apply to join the IFRC youth
commission.
“I said „whoa whoa whoa. What do I know? I am from a small town and have just volunteered with the Finnish Red Cross‟, but
they told me that‟s what they were looking for, someone with strong experience in volunteering and decision-making,” she says.
In 2005, Maiju became the vice-chair of the IFRC youth commission. She admits at first she found it scary, sitting in a room with
youth from around the world, and needing to use interpreters. But she says she has gained so much from the experience.
“It has taught me a lot about working in a multicultural setting,” she says.
One of Maiju‟s key achievements was when she joined the IFRC constitutional review group and helped to define youth in the
Federation‟s constitution, which ensured that youth would have a voice within Red Cross. In summer 2009, she became chair of the
commission.
Recently, Maiju completed a mission as a Finnish Red Cross youth delegate in Kosovo, supporting and training youth, who in
turn trained their peers to assist vulnerable groups in the community such as the elderly.
OZONE YOUTH NEWSLETTER, vol. 2, no. 3, fall 2009 p. eight
VISITING SOLFERINO: MY JOURNEY TO THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE RED CROSS
spotlights on youth
Canadian Youth Attend 3rd World Youth Meeting of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
In June 2009, I partook in one of the most amazing events I
have ever witnessed: the 3rd World Youth Meeting of the
Red Cross / Red Crescent Societies. This event was held in
conjunction with the 150th anniversary of the Movement in
Solferino, Italy. As part of the Canadian delegation of six
youth, it was an honour to be there, representing the Canadian
Red Cross Society, and a great privilege to get the chance to
meet the hundreds of youth from other delegations that we
would work with over the next five days. Indeed, we were
sleeping (in tents of 40 bunk-beds), eating (in HUGE dining
tents, thundrously loud each mealtime), and working (never
have I seen so many youth focus with such intensity on the
issues at hand) on the battlefields of Solferino, with 300+
youth from all around the world. It was an intense experience
to say the least.
As a part of the IFRC's working group for the Youth as Agents of Behavioural Change (YABC) project, myself and one other
Canadian youth, James Liu of Western Zone, attended the meeting as peer facilitators. This meant that we each, with our facilitation
teams of three other youth from various National Societies (NS), were responsible for facilitating a full-day YABC workshop to our
fellow meeting attendees. My team facilitated on the first day of the conference, and after arriving in Solferino at 11:30pm the night
before, after multiple flights, long bus rides, and no sleep, I was filled with a mix of excitement and nervousness as the group of 56
youth from 56 different National Societies who were signed up to participate in my session filed into the tent. (Something that should
be noted: everything at this meeting of 300+ youth took place outside or in tents! All in the midst of an Italian summer...)
Once I got the group started with an energizer from YTAP's Building a Culture of Peace model, everyone loosened up and
began to have fun, including (and maybe especially!) me and my co-facilitators. Over the course of the day, I truly got to experience
facilitation in an international and inter-cultural setting, and began to see the profound way in which the Principles of our Movement
that align us in all we do create a sense of global solidarity that we may not realize exists until it is right there in front of us, as it was
then for me.
The rest of the week was spent, for me, attending workshops on various issues such as IHL and inter-cultural dialogue, attend-
ing meetings with the Americas Network and meeting youth from Mexico, Uruguay, USA, and Colombia, and listening to the stories
of youth from all over the world. A group of youth at the event worked on drafting the Youth Declaration, which was a direct result of
participants' reactions to the YABC and other workshops over the week. This Declaration outlined three main points: a commitment
from youth of what they would do going forward to tackle key issues in society; a call to action for their NS and the Movement to
respond to that issue; and a call to action for their government. The Declaration was read by Amal Emam of the Egyptian Red Cres-
cent, and at the end of the world youth meeting, it was brought by a procession of youth from Solferino to Geneva, Switzerland.
The young people I met over the week were passionate, energetic, dedicated, creative, determined, and loving - very, very lov-
ing. Having been given the chance to attend the 3rd World Youth Meeting on behalf of CRCS was a singular honour and pleasure and
will not be an experience I will soon forget. The momentum it has spurred in me will have a longtime impact within CRCS and On-
tario Zone!
Written by Kristi White
OZONE YOUTH NEWSLETTER, vol. 2, no. 3, fall 2009 p. nine
humanitarianISSUES THE DARFUR CONFLICT:
One of the World’s Worst Humanitarian Crises
soldiers to recover.
The ICRC‟s largest operation is
currently in Sudan. By working together
with the Sudanese Red Crescent and
other Red Cross/Red Crescent societies,
they remain neutral while helping re-
mote areas with healthcare, hygiene, and
access to water; especially since the ar-
eas are also fraught with drought. The
Sudanese Red Crescent is providing
shelters and household items, all the
while building new wells and latrines
that run on solar power. Furthermore,
since the livelihoods of most Darfurians
are associated with agriculture, the
ICRC has provided them with seeds and
farming tools.
Separated families are reunited with the
help of ICRC, and technological com-
munication is supplied to connect other
families ravaged by the conflict. Emer-
gency medical care and skilled field
surgical teams are also provided to aid
in the recovery from both physical and
emotional trauma, and vaccines are
given to remote rural areas lacking in
healthcare. For the younger Sudanese
generation, the Red Crescent/Red Cross
has provided child health care systems
and education on landmines.
Education is key in Sudan – from pro-
moting landmine awareness and training
about conflict resolution to encouraging
communities in sanitation or first aid,
such knowledge can improve their
health and speed recovery.
Being one of the few organiza-
tions able to lend a hand to Sudan‟s war-
torn areas, the International Committee
of the Red Cross is of significant impor-
tance to the civilians. Aside from the
distributed provisions and medical help,
the ICRC also monitors adherence to
International Humanitarian Law.
With financial support from gen-
erous donors, Red Cross and Red Cresc-
ent societies around the world have been
taking humanitarian action and instilling
hope for the people of Sudan.
The Sudan Week of Action is
in October. Activities, exhibitions and
workshops will be held across Ontario,
to raise awareness regarding the situa-
tion in Darfur and the actions taken by
the Movement, hopefully motivating
people to become involved. Learn more
about the Red Cross humanitarian ef-
forts at www.redcross.ca.
Written by Grace Wang, Humanitarian Issues Section Editor of the OZone Youth Newsletter
Darfur, Western Sudan: A young mother looks onto the horizon, cradling her baby, and surrounded by thousands of oth-
ers in a refugee camp on the border of Chad. They are among the 200,000 people who have fled to Chad in order to escape the war
and genocide of Darfur, which had resulted from tensions between the Sudanese government and rebel groups. Since the start of
conflict in 2003, 400,000 civilians have died from armed violence and starvation. The conflict has also created 2.7 million inter-
nally displaced people.
The conflict triggered disastrous effects on the civilians – 50 per cent of those affected by the conflict were young children.
About 6000 child soldiers have been involved in the conflict. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) helps child
EVENT
OZONE YOUTH NEWSLETTER, vol. 2, no. 3, fall 2009 p. ten
centennial YONGE AND DUNDAS YOUTH DEMONSTRATION
“Freeze…1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10-DROP!” The muttered
countdown and shrieked demands echoed around Yonge and Dundas
Square in Toronto twice on September 24th just before 10 or so volunteers
dove for the ground simultaneously, lying still while our message of sym-
pathy and action blared out of speakers: “During the last decade, 1.5 mil-
lion children were killed in armed conflict. Even Wars Have Limits! If you
would like to find out more about the Even Wars Have Limits campaign or
about the Red Cross Youth Groups that put this performance together,
please visit our booth.” While our faces were smashed against the grey
splotchy concrete, we all thought many things – „This square is very dirty.’
‘When do I get up?’ ‘Is anyone watching?’ We hoped they were. It was
through this attempt that we tried to get across one notion to everyone pac-
ing the sidewalk, buying from food trucks, waiting for their friends.
Youth our age suffer unthinkable atrocities by virtue of their ill
timing and location. Across the world, injustice is dished out and required
to be taken, eaten cold and unforgiving. We wanted pacers, buyers and
waiters to think about this notion and one day, find their way to fight for
those who fought and failed to survive. It was embarrassing to fake faint in
front of hundreds of people, and scary to recruit fainters on the street. Half
the time no one could hear us when we screamed instructions or demon-
strated. Just before we started our countdown it seemed so foolish and ri-
Written by Saachi Sadchatheeswaran
that we thought of bailing. Was demonstrating against war even ethically, neutrally, truly „Red Cross-ian‟? It was. It is. Be-
cause Even Wars Have Limits and two minutes of embarrassment and fear of talking to a wall of unresponsive public was
small potatoes when we thought of this – unlike 1.5 million children in the past decade, our bodies weren‟t forced flat on the
ground. We volunteered…like we always do, because we want to.
The flashmob demonstrated at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. and was designed by the University of Toronto Mississauga Red
Cross Youth Group president Zafir Yousaf and vice president Umar Farooq for the Centennial – the 100th year celebration of
the Canadian Red Cross. They organized in collaboration with the University of Toronto Scarborough Red Cross Youth
Group President Charmaine Santos, University of Toronto St. George Red Cross Youth Group President Saachi Sad-
chatheeswaran, and Ryerson University Red Cross Youth Group President Trung Nygen. We thank all of the impromptu
and enthusiastic volunteers among Red Cross and on the street who helped make the Even Wars have Limits demonstration
a success. We especially thank Kenny Li who took the wonderful photographs of the centennial for free.
