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GENERATION WE – WE Day Toronto Celebrates Youth Taking Action on Local, Global and Social Issues

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BY: ALYSSA MAHADEO

Young people have unlimited potential to reshape today’s world into tomorrow’s possibilities.

On Thursday, September 28th, the Air Canada Center was filled with thousands of young people buzzing with excitement, inspiration, and creativity as they celebrated the WE movement at WE Toronto; a day filled with powerful performances, educational speeches, and empowering moments for the next generation of changemakers.

WE Day is a part of WE, a family of organizations making ‘doing good, doable.’ It is the manifestation of the WE movement, an ocean of people coming together to create impact.

WE is made up of WE Charity, empowering domestic and international change, ME to WE a social enterprise that creates socially conscious products and experiences to help support the charity, and WE Day filling stadiums across the world with the greatest celebration of social good. WE allows youth and families to help make the world a better place by supporting 2,500+ charities worldwide volunteering millions of hours of service, shopping daily with an impact, and raising millions of dollars that will directly benefit their local communities and the world.

WE was founded more than twenty years ago by social entrepreneurs and brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger, and together with their team across the globe in Asia, Africa, and Latin America have been able to provide more than 1 million people with clean water, build 1,000 schools and classrooms overseas and empower more than 200,000 children with access to education.

“We’re honored to celebrate with young change-makers from Generation WE, who have earned their way to WE Day by taking action on local and global issues,” said Craig Kielburger, co-founder of WE.

“Today, WE Day Toronto and WE Day Family unite hard-working students, educators, and families as they experience a day of inspiration while celebrating their incredible achievements in service.”

The reception at WE Day Toronto was phenomenal with thousands of young people and their families coming together and filling the ACC with energy so infectious you can’t help but feel pride and hope for the next generation and their ability to take action.

The crowd was a mixture of students, and people dedicated to leaving a lasting impact in this world, demonstrating strength in numbers. Students aren’t able to buy a ticket to WE Day, but instead, they earn their way in by the actions they take on, one local and one global cause of their choice. WE Day unites world-renowned speakers and award-winning performers with thousands of young people and families to celebrate and inspire another year of incredible change.

This year students were treated to a dynamic and engaging show that featured local and international celebrity speakers, activists, bloggers and youth advocates including Sabrina Carpenter, Sofia Carson, Andre De Grasse, Mia Farrow, Rick Hansen, Hedley, Vanessa Hudgens and Shawn Hook, Gaten Matarazzo, Penny Oleksiak, Lilly Singh, George Takei, Jacob Tremblay, Alexandre Trudeau, Spencer West, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon, alongside international activists and WE co-founders, Craig and Marc Kielburger, WE Day Toronto host Kelly Clarkson, event hosts Tyrone Edwards, E!/Much host, and Liz Trinnear, ETALK reporter and Much host, and youth hosts Hannah Alper and Tai Young.

The cast of returning WE Day fan favourites and new faces joined 20,000 students and educators to celebrate the contributions of young people and kick-start another year of change. They were able to hear powerful stories of different causes surrounding equality, social justice, cyberbullying, and many other issues that affect young people today. WE Day has been designed to provide young people with a platform, to have their voices heard, and to share and problem solve their questions and concerns with their peers and the masses.

Over the lunch hour, there was a special one-time outdoor event and celebration hosted by WE called WE Run: Fast like De Grasse. The event was in celebration of Canadian sprinter and three-time Olympic Medalist Andre De Grasse hailing from Markham, ON who first made a name for himself sweeping the 100m and 200m events at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games before winning medals at the 2015 World Championships and 2016 Olympics.

At WE Run, Andre showcased his speed against special WE Day racers, including local star students and WE Day speakers like Penny Oleksiak, Jacob Tremblay, Milly Davis and Craig Kielburger on a 60m track on Air Canada Centre’s Bremner Loop. This free public event took place during the WE Day Toronto intermission, and fans of sport and social good alike are invited to cheer on the racers as they dashed to the finish line.

In addition to all of the day’s excitement and celebrations attendees to WE Day were treated to a surprise special guest appearance from Prince Harry in town for the 2017 Invictus Games.

“Today you are all saying no to pessimism and cynicism here in Toronto with both WE Day and the Invictus games we say yes to optimism, yes to hope and yes to belief.” Prince Harry shared. “We are putting service and giving back at the heart of everything that we do. The thousands of you gathered here are proof that today’s generation of young people is the most connected, the most energized and most confident that the planet has ever known.”

The Prince, the embodiment of his mother’s values and teachings went on to say, “You know that differences of opinion, of circumstance, of race and religion are to be respected and celebrated.” earning a magnificent round of applause from the reception that filled the ACC.

At WE Day everyone is encouraged to share and contribute to positive change by joining existing social initiatives or sparking new ones. WE Day supports young people in every aspect to help make positive impacts and not only help young people do good for others, but help young people do better for themselves.

WE Day Toronto is made possible through the efforts contributed by Telus and RBC working closely with WE to enable young people to continue to learn how to help others and acquire more of the skills they need to succeed. Together they have a shared vision to help engage and empower youth to harness their innovative ideas, make positive change, and become community leaders both locally and globally.

As co-title sponsors, Telus has been a proud sponsor of WE Day for six consecutive years starting the #RiseAbove Conversation to help take a stance against cyberbullying and empower youth to act when witnessing or experiencing it. RBC works closely in over 8,000 WE Schools across Canada helping to develop curriculum and academic programming for students to help them build the skills they’ll need to succeed in the future workforce, develop compelling virtual motivational and learning experiences through workshops building the skills of social entrepreneurship.

“WE Day celebrates a generation of empowered youth, who have come together in the hope that the world can be better a place,” said Craig Kielburger, co-founder of WE. “You couldn’t imagine a more incredible energy as the stadium fills with the country’s next generation of changemakers, committed to making a lasting difference across the globe. This year alone, we saw more than 3,000 schools and youth groups from across Ontario rise to the challenge of creating sustainable change, proving that together, we can make doing good, doable.”

WE Day Toronto is followed by WE Day Toronto Family in the evening. The special evening event provides a unique opportunity for friends, families and community partners to come together to watch inspirational speakers and world leaders share their stories of positive change, motivating families to make a difference in their communities and around the world.

WE Day is an annual event, open to all causes and organizations. They make stops at fourteen locations across North America and in the UK. Throughout all platforms including WE Schools, people are invited to choose the causes at home and around the world that matter to them. WE Day cheers for 1,000+ causes and the everyday heroes that support them. This year alone over 200,000 young people will come together in fifteen stadiums across Canada, the US, and the UK.

Join the movement today at WE.org, and help make a difference!

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Forgetting isn’t just something to be annoyed about, it’s a smart way to survive

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Photo credit - Press Foto

BY KHADIJA KARIM

Have you ever forgotten someone’s name, or where you left your phone and thought, “Why can’t I remember anything?” Forgetting might feel frustrating, but it turns out that forgetting things can actually be good for you. Experts believe forgetting might be an important part of human survival and could even have benefits.

You probably think that remembering everything would be better, right? If you remembered every tiny detail, like what you had for breakfast three weeks ago, or the colour of every car you saw today, you would be overwhelmed. Our brains are constantly receiving information, and if we didn’t forget some of it, we wouldn’t be able to focus on what really matters at that time.

Forgetting helps you clear out information you don’t need, and it helps your brain remember the most useful memories. Think about how hard it would be to focus on important things if your mind was filled with random thoughts. Forgetting helps you stay focused and keeps your mind from getting lost.

So, why would evolution make us forget things? Early humans had to deal with dangerous environments that changed quickly. They needed to remember things that helped them survive, like where to find food, or how to avoid predators. They didn’t need to remember every small detail, like what happened last week. Forgetting information, they didn’t need allowed them to make quick decisions based on what was most important at that moment in time.

For example, if you remember a recent storm, you might make sure to stay inside or find shelter. If you remembered every storm you’d ever seen, it would be harder to make decisions about the present. Forgetting irrelevant details helps you stay on your feet and helps you react faster to new situations. This ability to forget likely helped early humans survive and make better decisions in their everyday lives.

Next time you forget something, don’t be too hard on yourself! Forgetting is a natural part of how our brains work and can actually help you stay focused on the important things. It might seem annoying at times, but it’s helping you make better decisions. Forgetting isn’t just something to be annoyed about, it’s a smart way to survive in a world that’s always changing!

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Blink equity dives deep into the gap between people of colour and decision-making roles in Canadian law firms

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Photo Credit: AI Image

BY ADRIAN REECE

Representation in the workforce has been a topic of conversation for years, particularly in positions of influence, where people can shift laws and create fair policies for all races. Representation in the legal system is an even more talked about subject, with many Black men being subjected to racism in courts and not being given fair sentencing by judges.

The fear of Black men entering the system is something that plagues mothers and fathers as they watch their children grow up.

Blink Equity, a company led by Pako Tshiamala, has created an audit called the Blink Score. This audit targets law firms and seeks to identify specific practices reflecting racial diversity among them in Toronto. A score is given based on a few key performance indicators. These KPIs include hiring practices, retention of diverse talent, and racial representation at every level.

The Blink Score project aims to analyze law firms in Ontario with more than 50 lawyers. The Blink Score is a measurement tool that holds law firms accountable for their representation. Firms will be ranked, and the information will be made public for anyone to access.

This process is ambitious and seeks to give Canadian citizens a glimpse into how many people are represented across the legal field. While more and more people have access to higher education, there is still a gap between obtaining that higher education and working in a setting where change can be made. The corporate world, at its highest points, is almost always one race across the board, and very rarely do people of colour get into their ranks. They are made out to be an example of how anyone from a particular race can achieve success. However, this is the exception, not the rule. Nepotism plays a role in societal success; connections are a factor, and loyalty to race, even if people are acquainted.

People of colour comprise 16% of the total lawyers across the province. Positions at all levels range from 6% to 27%. These numbers display the racial disparity among law practitioners in positions of influence. Becoming a lawyer is undoubtedly a huge accomplishment. Still, when entering the workforce with other seasoned professionals, your academic accolades become second to your professional achievements and your position in the company.

What do these rankings ultimately mean? A potential for DEI-inclusive practices, perhaps? That isn’t something that someone would want in this kind of profession. This kind of audit also opens law firms up to intense criticism from people who put merit above all other aspects of professional advancement. On the other hand, there is a potential for firms to receive clientele based on their blink score, with higher ones having the chance to bring in more race-based clients who can help that law firm grow.

It is only the beginning, and changes will undoubtedly be made in the legal field as Blink Equity continues to dive deep into the gap between people of colour and decision-making roles in these law firms. This audit has the power to shift the power scale, and place people of colour in higher positions. There are hierarchies in any profession, and while every Lawyer is qualified to do what they are trained to do, it is no shock that some are considerably better than others at their jobs. The ones who know how to use this audit to their advantage will rise above the others and create a representative image for themselves among their population.

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“The Pfizer Papers!” Documentation of worldwide genocide

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BY SIMONE J. SMITH

We are living in a world where promises of health and safety came packaged in a tiny vial, one injection was promoted by powerful governments, supported by respected institutions, and championed by legacy media worldwide. Sadly, beneath the surface, a darker truth emerged.

Reports from around the globe began to tell a different story—one that was not covered in the news cycles or press conferences. Families torn apart by unexpected losses, communities impacted in ways that few could have foreseen, and millions questioning what they had been told to believe.

Those who dared to question were silenced or dismissed (the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper being one of those sources). “Trust the science,” we were told. “It’s for the greater good.” As time went on, the truth became impossible to ignore.

Now, I bring more news to light—information that demands your attention and scrutiny. The time to passively listen has passed; this is the moment to understand what’s really at stake.

I reviewed an interview with Naomi Wolf, journalist and CEO of Daily Clout, which detailed the serious vaccine-related injuries that Pfizer and the FDA knew of by early 2021, but tried to hide from the public. I was introduced to “The Pfizer Papers: Pfizer’s Crimes Against Humanity.” What I learned is that Pfizer knew about the inadequacies of its COVID-19 vaccine trials and the vaccine’s many serious adverse effects, and so did the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA promoted the vaccines anyway — and later tried to hide the data from the public.

To produce “The Pfizer Papers,” Naomi, and Daily Clout Chief Operations Officer Amy Kelly convened thousands of volunteer scientists and doctors to analyze Pfizer data and supplementary data from other public reporting systems to capture the full scope of the vaccines’ effects. They obtained the data from the Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency, a group of more than 30 medical professionals and scientists who sued the FDA in 2021 and forced the agency to release the data, after the FDA refused to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request.

It was then that the federal court ordered the agency to release 450,000 internal documents pertaining to the licensing of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The data release was significantly and the documents so highly technical and scientific that according to Naomi, “No journalist could have the bandwidth to go through them all.”

The “Pfizer Papers” analysts found over 42,000 case reports detailing 158,893 adverse events reported to Pfizer in the first three months The centerpiece of “The Pfizer Papers” is the effect that the vaccine had on human reproduction. The papers reveal that Pfizer knew early on that the shots were causing menstrual issues. The company reported to the FDA that 72% of the recorded adverse events were in women. Of those, about 16% involved reproductive disorders and functions. In the clinical trials, thousands of women experienced: daily bleeding, hemorrhaging, and passing of tissue, and many other women reported that their menstrual cycle stopped completely.

Pfizer was aware that lipid nanoparticles from the shots accumulated in the ovaries and crossed the placental barrier, compromising the placenta and keeping nutrients from the baby in utero. According to the data, babies had to be delivered early, and women were hemorrhaging in childbirth.

Let us take us to another part of the world, where research has been done on other pharmaceutical companies. A group of Argentine scientists identified 55 chemical elements — not listed on package inserts — in the: Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, CanSino, Sinopharm and Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccines (according to a study published last week in the International Journal of Vaccine Theory, Practice, and Research).

The samples also contained 11 of the 15 rare earth elements (they are heavier, silvery metals often used in manufacturing). These chemical elements, which include lanthanum, cerium and gadolinium, are lesser known to the general public than heavy metals, but have been shown to be highly toxic. By the end of 2023, global researchers had identified 24 undeclared chemical elements in the COVID-19 vaccine formulas.

Vaccines often include excipients — additives used as preservatives, adjuvants, stabilizers, or for other purposes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), substances used in the manufacture of a vaccine, but not listed in the contents of the final product should be listed somewhere in the package insert. Why is this important? Well, researchers argue it is because excipients can include allergens and other “hidden dangers” for vaccine recipients.

In one lot of the AstraZeneca vaccine, researchers identified 15 chemical elements, of which 14 were undeclared. In the other lot, they detected 21 elements of which 20 were undeclared. In the CanSino vial, they identified 22 elements, of which 20 were undeclared.

The three Pfizer vials contained 19, 16 and 21-23 undeclared elements respectively. The Moderna vials contained 21 and between 16-29 undeclared elements. The Sinopharm vials contained between 17-23 undeclared elements and the Sputnik V contained between 19-25 undetected elements.

“All of the heavy metals detected are linked to toxic effects on human health,” the researchers wrote. Although the metals occurred in different frequencies, many were present across multiple samples.

I am not going to go any further with this; I think you get the picture. We have been sold wolf cookies, very dangerous ones. These pharmaceutical companies must be held accountable. I am proud of anyone who has gone after them for retribution, and have received it. Regardless, in many ways, there is no repayment for a healthy life.

REFERENCES:

https://ijvtpr.com/index.php/IJVTPR/article/view/111

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/health-law-and-business/why-a-judge-ordered-fda-to-release-covid-19-vaccine-data-pronto

https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender_category/toxic-exposures/

Pfizer’s ‘Crimes Against Humanity’ — and Legacy Media’s Failure to Report on Them

55 Undeclared Chemical Elements — Including Heavy Metals — Found in COVID Vaccines

 

Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency

FDA Should Need Only ‘12 Weeks’ to Release Pfizer Data, Not 75 Years, Plaintiff Calculates

Judge Gives FDA 8 Months, Not 75 Years, to Produce Pfizer Safety Data

Most Studies Show COVID Vaccine Affects Menstrual Cycles, BMJ Review Finds

Report 38: Women Have Two and a Half Times Higher Risk of Adverse Events Than Men. Risk to Female Reproductive Functions Is Higher Still.

 

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