Connecting Arctic Hiphop clubs with Toronto youth. "Share our Spirit"Unity Charity

The Share Our Spirit Program is a collaborative project between UNITY Charity, and Blueprint For Life.This pilot project will provide personal growth to youth in the Peel region of Ontario and the Arctic (Nunavut and Nunavik) regions by engaging them in positive leadership and learning opportunities to facilitate greater cultural understanding and interaction, which will allow youth in these areas to become role models to their peers and achieve increased success inside and outside of school. The purpose of the Share Our Spirit Program is to select ten to twenty youths from each of our school partners and introduce them to the programs unique cultural exchange Activity Manual and UNITY and Blueprints in-depth leadership training programs. Bi-weekly activities and challenges will create bonds and cultural understanding between Arctic and Urban youth.

Our Partner (BluePrintForLife.ca) has completed intensive week long outreach programs in 43 remote Arctic communities. Using Hiphop as an engagement tool, with cultural activities and healing around the many social issues youth in the north face. One of the most challenging issues in the remote Arctic for any youth program is keeping things going as there is limited adult support and leadership capacity. Bi-weekly contact with a sister Urban club will create many short term goals and and assist in motivation to keep these youth initiatives going. Positive activities are needed in both the north and south to channel youth anger into positive acceptable ways of expression. There are many complicated social issues facing the youth today and the programs of Unity and BluePrint offer strong mental health benefits in healing and self confidence -all of this reduces suicide, depression, bullying, vandalism, drugs abuse, etc etc -which directly impacts all communities.