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AFROFUTURISM: Afrochic Re-Imagines The Future Of Afro Culture Trends

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BY: ALYSSA MAHADEO

Lights, camera, SLAY.

The future is now and Afro Culture is taking the world by storm. This weekend AfroChic  Reloaded returned for its seventh year curating Afro-Canadian art, fashion, food, music, and business owners, for the AfroChic Cultural Arts Exhibit, a lifestyle event that draws thousands of Torontonians and international guests each year.

The AfroChic Cultural Arts Exhibit is a colorful and vibrant mosaic of talent in one space. Over seven years in the making, AfroChic has become one of Toronto’s pre-eminent art exhibitions having featured over 200 up and coming fashion designers, musicians, visual artists, digital artists and spoken word vocalists. AfroChic has attracted thousands of Torontonians and international guests. In 2010 four creative high school students were eager to create a space to highlight the rich culture in the Afro-Canadian community. They brainstormed the concept of AfroChic and established the event AfroChic Cultural Arts Exhibit. What began as an event focused on the politics and intricacies of black hair, evolved into a larger exhibit, featuring a mosaic of art, music, lifestyle, and fashion.

Along with the exhibit, the AfroChic movement spearheads community development initiatives in an effort to highlight Afro-Canadian arts and culture year-round throughout multiple communities.

Hosted by CBC’s ‘Exhibitionists’ TV show host, Amanda Parris, with DJ Lissa Monet holding down the ones and twos, this year’s AfroChic exhibition took place in the year 3017 where fashion, hair, beauty, technology, and culture was re-imagined and examined through the Black Canadian lens. The AfroChic exhibit was filled with artistic ideation and small business empowerment with a digitized and technological tribute to Toronto’s hottest designers, artists, and young entrepreneurs.

On Saturday, June 10th, the Design Exchange Canada’s only museum dedicated to the pursuit of design was transformed to highlight and showcase some of Toronto’s incredible talent with every aspect tying back and empowering Afro Culture. Throughout the evening the crowd was captivated by alluring and powerful performances of dance, spoken word and unique and innovative fashion trends.

The main show featured dance performances by Consuelo Herrera, NadS, and Alexandra Legendre alongside powerful spoken word, poetic expressions and lyrical fire courtesy of Britta B, Faduma Mohamed, female rap artist Sydanie and Shi Wisdom. Each woman that took to the stage didn’t hold back showcasing stadium level talent and bursting with that special brand of Black Girl Magic. With every performance the audience couldn’t contain their excitement and the energy levels in the building were off the charts.

The crowd was treated to a live painting session by artist Camille Lauren while perusing the artistic creations of local artists Danilo Deluxo, Amethyst, Komi Olaf, Kofi Frempong, Benny Bing,

Around the room, there were featured vendors, artists, and innovative creators with various exhibits and businesses tailored aiding the Afro-diasporic community creating safe spaces and outlets that enable them to address the ongoing conversations, and discover solutions that will help future generations expand and thrive.

In keeping with the theme of cultural arts and avant-garde AfroFuturism, AfroChic was proud to host the beautiful, daring, cutting-edge chic fashion designs of Omi Woods, Chinedesign, Ofuure, and CE Clothier. Each designer brought their own style and unique flair to the designs debuted on the catwalk featuring models of all shapes, sizes. The vibrantly printed fabrics and inventive collaborations of both traditional and chic were refreshing and practical for formal, every day and summertime wear.

To wrap up the evening AfroChic was proud to host Grammy nominated artist Jidenna a Nigerian-born American R&B singer hailed for his sharp fashion style and hit latest single ‘Bambi’. Jidenna’s cultural recognition of his Nigerian heritage speaks directly to the values and vision of AfroChic’s movement.

The audience literally could not contain their excitement as Jidenna joined AfroChic host Amanda Parris in a one on one candid interview where he shared his love for Toronto, his lyrical writing process, and hopes for future collaborations.

“Everyone knows Toronto as a multicultural city it always feels like they are one of the few cities that are what they preach.” Jidenna shared. “Everything I do in my career is part of my 100 year plan, and as many of the people here know it’s going to take a while to change the way people in Africa and other countries where most people in this room’s parents come from think we can’t live in the dark ages anymore.”

AfroChic Cultural Arts Exhibit is an all-ages and all-inclusive event, a staple in Toronto, committed to creating an open and safe platform to exhibit the expressions of underrepresented people. It was a sold-out event and for everyone that came out, they were able to enjoy a novelty opportunity to see and take part in an exhibit that has seen over 2,000 patrons from various diverse backgrounds and experiences over the course of five years. It is a tribute to the future of the millennial and the “marketplace” through a savvy tech presentation.

AfroChic 2017 was made possible through partnerships with Design Exchange, CBC Arts, Big Brother & Big Sister Club Canada, Women’s Health in Women’s Health, Essence Magazine, Mixed Chicks Hair Products.

AfroChic aims to continue creating transformative spaces of multi-layered experiences of Black arts and culture in Canada through its annual showcase: to learn more visit www.afrochic.ca.

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Record entries for JCDC FiWi Short Film Competition

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Winner of the 2023 staging of the JCDC FiWi Short Film Competition ,Joel Miller, (third from left), shares a moment with representatives of the Jamaica Cultural |Development Commission (JCDC), organizers of the event. From left are Shaun Drysdale – Drama and Theatre Arts Development Specialist, Andrew Brodber – Director, Arts Development and Training and Executive Director, Lenford Salmon.

BY RUSHANE FERRON

The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) has received an unprecedented number of submissions for this year’s FiWi Short Film Competition. Launched earlier this year, the competition drew an impressive 47 entries. Currently, 17 shortlisted films are available for public viewing on the JCDC’s YouTube channel, with winners set to be announced on October 24th.

Executive Director of the JCDC, Mr. Lenford Salmon, expressed pride in the competition’s growing success, stating, “This record number of entries reflects how Jamaicans are embracing the programmes offered by the JCDC. While the Commission is well known for preserving and showcasing our culture, we also recognize the importance of using technology to engage, particularly with our youth. The FiWi Short Film Competition is a perfect example of how we can bring our culture to life in the digital age. The fact that it’s four years old and already experiencing this level of growth is a promising sign for the future.”

Drama and Theatre Arts Development Specialist at the JCDC, Mr. Shaun Drysdale, attributes this year’s spike in entries to the increasing interest in filmmaking, fueled by the proliferation of social media platforms that support storytelling through visuals.

We are living in a digital age. Filmmaking is now in the hands of the average person on the street via his, or her cell phone. Add to that the inherent creativity of Jamaicans and you are left with a potent combination, which when given the correct environment, can reap tangible rewards. That is what we are experiencing at this time,” Mr. Drysdale said.

The JCDC FiWi Short Film Competition seeks to promote Jamaican culture through the production of films ranging from 3-5 minutes in duration. The films must be based on set criteria, and primarily centred around a Jamaican proverb.

This year’s proverbs are: “Sweet mout fly follow coffin go a hole”; “Puss nuh hab han, but him tek him foot wipe him face”; “Keep clear a ole house, les dem fall dung pon you”; “Rockstone a riber bottom nuh feel sun hot”; and “Finger tink, yuh cyan cut eh trow ‘wey”.

In addition to the proverbs, participants were also given two special themes around which to build the treatment of their films, based on concepts provided by two sponsors. These are: “SEAS IN FOCUS: Uniting for marine managed areas”- National Conservation Trust Fund of Jamaica (NCTFJ) and “Need a passport quick, Get it with just a click”- Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA).

Mr. Drysdale further noted that this year’s shortlisted films represent a variety of the possible genres with eleven dramatic works, two animation films, one comedy, one documentary and two science fiction films. Three of the participants are from the youth category, which is for filmmakers between 12-18 years old and the remaining 14 from adult category.

In addition to viewing the short films online, the public will have an opportunity to view at a special screening to be held on National Heroes’ Day, Monday, October 21st, 2024, as a feature of JCDC National Heritage Fest and Family Fun Day being held on the south lawn at Devon House in St Andrew.

The FiWi Short Film Competition was started by the JCDC in 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The competition is the brainchild of the JCDC’s Drama and Theatre Arts Unit and encourages Jamaican amateur filmmakers to examine selected Jamaican proverbs and based on their interpretation create the treatment for a short film.

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York Catholic is leading the province in educational achievement

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BY PAUL JUNOR

The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO), which administers the Grade 3, 6 and 9 assessments across Ontario and the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT), recently released the 2024 results. For many schools across the province, EQAO results are a snapshot of how students are doing compared to their peers in other schools at the same grade level.

The York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB) has maintained a high level of consistency with respect to the outstanding performance of its students on the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) and the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT). In a media release on Wednesday, October 9th, 2024, details were revealed about the positive achievements and exemplary accomplishments of its students.

EQAO results were released on September 26th, 2024. The focus was, “Mathematics Achievement Remains an Area of Focus but Sees Gradual Growth Over Time with Some School Boards Showing Significant Increases; Literacy Achievement Remains High but Shows Some Decline.” The data was based on the 2023-2024 school year during which over 570,000 students wrote the EQAO assessments at the elementary and secondary levels on the English and French-language school systems.

For students who wrote the Grade 3 Assessment of Reading, Writing and Mathematics:

  • 71% met the provincial standard in reading compared to 73% in 2022-2023, and 73% in 2021-2022.
  • 64% of Grade 3 students met the provincial standard in writing, compared to 65% in 2022-2023 and 65% in 2021-2022.
  • 61% of Grade 3 students met the provincial standard in mathematics, compared to 60% in 2022-2023 and 59% in 2021-2022.

For students who wrote the Grade 6 Assessment of Reading, Writing and Mathematics:

  • 82% met the provincial standard in reading, compared to 84% in 2022-2023 and 85% in 2021-2022.
  • 80% met the provincial standard in writing, compared to 84% in 2022-2023, and 84% in 2021-2022.
  • 50% met the provincial standard in mathematics, compared to 50% in 2022-2023 and 47 % in 2021-2022.

For students who wrote the Grade 9 Assessment in Mathematics:

  • 54% met the provincial standard, compared to 54% in 2022-2023 and 52% in 2021-2022.

For students who wrote the Grade 10 Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT):

  • 85% of first-time eligible students were successful, compared to 85% in 2022-23 and 82% in 2021-2022.
  • 52% of previously eligible students were successful in 2023-2024, compared to 63% in 2022-2023 and 85% in 2021-2022.

John De Faveri, Interim Director of Education of the YCDSB writes, “We are always looking for ways to provide a better school experience, but today is a time to celebrate our students and staff for their excellent academic achievement. I want to particularly highlight the incredible work that is being done in mathematics, which we see in these results. Mathematical literacy is such an important life skill and we are happy to share a love of numbers with our students.”

Results from the Grade 3, 6 and 9 EQAO Mathematics results show improvement in Mathematics compared to 2023. In addition, with respect to reading and writing results for Grade 6 there has been a consistent steady upward rise in the performance of students as 89% and 90% of students met or exceeded provincial standards when compared to the province’s average of 82% and 89%.

Elizabeth Crowe, Chair of the Board of Trustees for YCDSB states, “EQAO results are just one of the ways we see how York Catholic is leading the province in educational achievement. As a Catholic learning community, we want to see every child succeed and EQAO results help us measure our progress toward that noble goal.”

Overall, the percentage of students who participated from YCDSB in Grade 3 and 6 EQAO were 97% and 98%, respectively. For Grade 9 Math assessment there were 93% of eligible students and 97% in the OSSLT.

Any parents or guardians interested in learning about the 2024 EQAO and OSSLT results and individual school results for their children can check the EQAO’s website: https://www.eqao.com/results/.

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York Catholic District School Board plans open house for future high school students

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Credits: Pch.Vector

BY PAUL JUNOR

There is: planning, preparation, and organization that parents, guardians and caregivers must make in York Region as they prepare their children for high school. For those who chose to send them to a high school at the Catholic board, there are open houses planned to make this process easier to navigate.

In a press release on Thursday, October 10th, 2024, details were revealed about these open houses. It notes, “The open houses will highlight key aspects of each school, including administration, programs, graduation requirements, uniforms, school structure, student opportunities and more. In addition, information about the registration process, including registration dates, deadlines and documents needed to enroll, will be discussed.

The media release mentioned the seven regional programs, and ten Specialist High Skills Majors (SHSM) programs. They include:

Advanced Placement

Programs with an extended and enriched curriculum allow students to earn credits or advanced standing at most universities.

English as a Second Language

(ESL) and English Literacy Development (ELD)

English as a Second Language and English Literacy Development programs assist English language learners from diverse linguistic and education backgrounds in attaining English language proficiency.

French Immersion (FI)

Students who completed the Elementary French Immersion programs, or equivalent can continue with the immersion program to earn a French immersion certificate upon graduation.

High Performer Athlete (HPA)

An academic-based program for student-athletes participating in competitive-level athletics. Students benefit from a flexible timetable to help balance their academic and athletic commitments and earn high school credits for the work they put into their training.

International Baccalaureate (IB)

A rigorous and intellectually challenging pre-university course of study that allows students to earn an IB Diploma upon graduation, recognized in Canada and abroad.

Regional Arts (RAP)/Integrated Regional Arts Program(iRAP)

Students specialize in drama, dance, visual arts, digital media arts, instrumental music, or vocal music- while obtaining their high school diploma. In the iRAP, students experience their learning through an integrated model where the curriculum is explored in relation to the interconnectedness of the individual, the community, and the world.

STREAM Program

Students explore real-world challenges and use the design thinking process to develop critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication skills, guided by the traditional Catholic social teachings. This academic program uses an interdisciplinary approach to inquiry and problem-based learning.

Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM)

Students can obtain a diploma with a specialist in either: Arts and Culture; Aviation and Aerospace; Business; Health and Wellness; Hospitality and Tourism; Information and Communication Technology; Justice, Community Safety and Emergency Services, Manufacturing; or Non-Profit. Every YCDSB school offers a SHSM program.

Parents or guardians who live in York Region and are interested in any programs can check: Website: www.ycdsb.ca

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