AFCY YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL

AFCY’s Awesome Youth Advisory Council

AFCY’s Youth Advisory Council meets monthly in order to provide valuable programming input to AFCY from the perspective of a young person. Members of the Council are youth who have participated in our outreach programs over the past few years and who live in the communities that we work with.

Erin Amoah, Chair, Toronto

Over the years, Erin has developed a great sense of leadership while working with AFCY. Erin has also embraced several different community projects during her first year in the George Brown College, Child and Youth Worker Program. In addition, while working with Toronto Parks & Recreation, Syme Woolner Neighbourhood Family Centre and Horizon Arts Camp (HAC), Erin has been able to work with a wide range of children from various different cultures. Currently a Coordinator for a Youth Drop-In Program and Part-time Sales Representative at Bluenotes, Erin continues to advance her studies and work with those in the community that need the extra support.

Adrion Charles, Member, Toronto

Adrion also known as “Mouse”, grew up playing sports, drawing and dancing with his cousin and older brother. In his early high school years Adrion joined the York Square drumming squad where he further developed his artistic talents.  Soon after, Adrion also joined a mural program where he was first introduced to Arts for Children and Youth. Adrion now works for AFCY as an instructor and an arts assistant in both dance and visual arts programs. Adrion also dances professionally with the Baby Boyz dance group.

Fitzroy Facey, Member, Toronto

Fitzroy is a self-taught painter and photographer and is determined to transfer these skills to the medium of film. Fitzroy is currently working as an arts assistant with AFCY.  Facey also interns with Urbanology Magazine as a staff photographer, taking pictures at some of the cities music and social events for the online publication.  His goal is to incorporate the skills he has learned from visual arts and mixed media, as well as the film techniques from the POV film-making program to create “not only artistic pieces but emotional, expressive and dynamic films”. With these films Facey hopes to make his community and its residents become more understood and less scrutinized.

Balu Kanagalingam, Member , Toronto

Balu is currently entering his fourth year at Ryerson University, majoring in Accounting and minoring in Human Resources. Balu has been involved with many community initiatives. He has expressed immense commitment and determination by performing and instructing beatbox workshops to over 100+ schools around Ontario. He has also performed internationally in Amsterdam representing Canada as a vocal percussionist in 2008. Balu has also performed internationally, performing in front of 1000+ crowds. His name recently got published in the Guinness World Record Book to break the record for the hosting the Largest Human Beatbox Ensemble in the world.

Andrenne Finnikin, Member, Toronto

Andrenne Finnikin, also known as Dreena, is an upcoming Toronto-based artist with a unique creativity, which she openly portrays through her work.  Working as a model, runway-coach and in the arts helps Andrenne stay focused and gives her the determination she needs to thrive in the industry.  She is currently working on becoming a fashion photographer and works as an Arts Educator for Arts for Children and Youth (AFCY). Andrenne has devotedly worked at AFCY for over 3 years with a diverse group of artists.  Through this work she has been exposed to various art media such as Drawing, Painting, African Drumming, Photography, Dance, Drama and Dub Poetry. Andrenne has successfully led several workshops through AFCY and continues to excel as an Arts Educator with this growing organization.

Jordan Lewis, Member, Toronto

Jordan Lewis was born in 1989 in Toronto, Canada.  He graduated from George Harvey Collegiate Institute where he was enrolled in a co-op program, with a placement at Bunker 8 Digital Labs.  At Bunker 8 Digital he obtained audio engineering skills. He then went on to work at Media Magic Inc. as a junior editor, filming and editing videos for AFCY. He is also a graduate of The Remix Project, and is now working as a signed Music Producer/Songwriter.

Idan McAnuff, Vice Chair, Toronto

Idan McAnuff has been working with Arts for Children and Youth since 2006 originally working with AFCY’s Arts Adventure Camp as Senior Camp Counsellor and has been on the Youth Advisory Council as one of the original members. Idan graduated from the Child and Youth Worker program from Humber College in 2008 and has worked with a wide range of children and youth from high risk communities. He has previously worked for TCHC (Toronto Community Housing Corporation) within their recreation programs. He currently works for Turning Point Youth Services within their group home residences as part-time relief staff working with at risk teenage females.  Idan also is a Supervisor for a basketball-reading program called Demar’s Slam Dunk Book Club which has an established partnership with the Toronto Raptors.

Bright Osei-Agyeman, Member, Toronto

Bright was born in Toronto in 1989 and raised in both Toronto and Ghana, West Africa.  Growing up in both Africa and Canada has informed Bright’s work as an aspiring film maker. Bright has worked with various production crews such as Sonar Media Think, Garden Gate Film and is set to volunteer with Charles Street Video in the Summer of 2011. He is also in the midst of starting his own production crew where he hopes to utilize the skills he has learned. Bright is currently employed as an arts assistant with AFCY on a number of programs including visual arts, photography and performance arts.

Stephanie “HopeSpa” Spafford
Stephanie HopeSpa is an undergraduate student at York University majoring in Visual arts and minoring in Jazz vocal music. She is currently directing the AFCY Big Bam Boom and is an active member on the AFCY Youth Advisory Council. She has performed at venues such as the Paramount Theatre, the Elgin Winter Garden Theatre, The Underground @ York, and won 1st place at the Junction Arts Festival Teen Talent Contest. She is an aspiring writer and singer and hopes to pursue a career in teaching.