MONTHLY THEMED POSTS

November: Domestic Violence

During November, we focused on the theme of Domestic Violence, in honour of national domestic violence awareness month. On our Instagram page, we provided statistics, hotlines and general information to our audience. We hope you learned more about domestic violence and how you can help as a member of the community. If you would like to read more about domestic violence, click on the poster on the left, which will take you to our Instagram page.

December: Digital Christmas

Christmas this is year will be looking different for everyone, unfortunately we can't spend it with the people we love in person. However, it is not impossible to see them, thanks to technology. Join us, as we stay home during the holidays to keep everyone safe. Call, Zoom or even Skype your relatives and friends to wish them a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday! Click the box on the left for more information and go check out our Instagram page stories to see how the FOCUS team members spent their Christmas break!

February: Black History

Did you know that for 24 years, Black History Month has been celebrated on February? Learn more about Black History Month by checking out our Instagram post. Despite the large number of topics focused on the Black Lives Matter movement last year, we at Focus Youth feel that there is still a need to recognize Black History Month and continue to spread information and resources based on the topic. Please check out our most recent post on Instagram to learn more about prominent black figures/events. We have also included various statistics on our most recent Instagram post as well.

March: Mental Health

This year has been difficult for everyone, so our team would like to provide some help. For this march, we are raising awareness for mental health and providing tips to strengthen a positive mindset. Check out our most recent posts on Instagram, to view our self care checklist along with more information.

April: Autism Acceptance

April is Autism Acceptance Month. This month, we’ll be sharing informative resources to raise awareness of Autism, and today’s post begins with discussing ASD, better known as Autism Spectrum Disorder!

World Events: Yemen

Since 2015, there has been a crisis occurring in Yemen (a country in the middle east), due to the ongoing war that it has with Saudi Arabia. The war has damaged their economy, ruined their infrastructure, and deeply impacted their population. It has been declared as the largest humanitarian crisis in the world as more than 24 million people (80% of the population) need humanitarian aid, where more than 12 million people are children. With COVID-19, the situation has now escalated, where there is a fatality rate of 24%, shortages in sanitation, clean water, and food. People in Yemen are starving, and hospitals lack proper equipment such as masks, gloves, and other items needed to treat coronavirus. Unicef has also explained that a child dies a preventable death every ten minutes. 2 million children under the age of five are suffering from malnutrition and require treatment. With schools and hospitals being closed down, children are unable to receive proper education or healthcare. As stated by Unicef, prior to the pandemic, 2 million children were out of school, and now, there are an additional 5 million children who are not in school. With this pandemic, there is an even greater urgency for help!

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

We have been uneducated about this issue for too long. Yemen has been struggling on their own for almost 5 years. You can help by signing petitions, reading articles to stay updated and educated about the crisis, and donating to different websites.

https://yemencrisis.carrd.co/ ← This link contains different articles, petitions, as well as donation sites

https://www.unicef.ca/en/donate/help-save-children-in-yemen ← Unicef is asking for donations, they use the donated money to send food and supplies such as vaccinations, face masks + gowns for frontline workers, vitamins, etc.

World Events: Black Lives Matter

We are guilty for not acting sooner. But it is the time we spoke up. During the month of November, we supported black we ask everyone to support their local black-owned businesses to avocate for BLM. Below are some ways you can help.

PETITIONS THAT NEED MORE SUPPORT:

1. Justice for Breonna Taylor: https://www.change.org/p/andy-beshear-justice-for-breonna-taylor?source_location=topic_page

2. Justice for Julius Jones: https://www.change.org/p/julius-jones-is-innocent-don-t-let-him-be-executed-by-the-state-of-oklahoma

3. Justice for Belly Mujinga: https://www.change.org/p/govia-thameslink-justice-for-belly-mujinga-justiceforbellymujinga

4. Justice for REGIS KORCHINSKI-PAQUET: https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-regis-korchinski-paquet

5. Justice for Ahmaud Arbery: https://www.change.org/p/governor-brian-kemp-justice-for-ahmaud-arbery

6. Justice for Tony McDade: https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-tony-mcdade

7. Justice for Joāo Pedro: https://www.change.org/p/prefeitura-do-rio-de-janeiro-justice-for-jo%C4%81o-pedro

8. Justice for Will Simmons: https://www.change.org/p/alabama-governor-kay-ivey-willie-simmons-has-served-38-years-for-a-9-robbery

9. Reopen Kendrick Johnson’s Case: https://www.change.org/p/united-states-supreme-court-justice-for-kendrick-johnson

10. Free Jefferson Elie: https://www.change.org/p/reform-alliance-freejeffersonelie

11. Free Anthony Wint: https://www.change.org/p/ron-desantis-free-anthony-wint-fbc27c7c-920d-4104-9960-a234f45cbe20