Author Archives: Jessica
A little teaser of the performers.
The big day is here – DefineTO is happening tonight! We are so excited, and we hope you are too! The DefineTO team has a lot of fun things planned for the evening, all in support of The Remix Project.
Speaking of the great charity we are fundraising for, some members of the DefineTO team were in attendance at The Remix Project’s Grad 8.0 last Wednesday. Participants of the Remix’s eighth semester gathered to celebrate their graduation from the program, and we got to witness some of the great
talent that will be gracing the DefineTO stage tonight.
Want to see what’s in store for you at DefineTO this Thursday? Check out a sneak peek in the video below, which showcases the talents of The Remix Project participant June Ballentyne.
June Ballentyne will be hitting the stage along with two other Remix performers – Marie Coyle and SepTo. Upcoming musician Ryan Creelman with also be in the spotlight. The musical performances begin promptly at 9:30pm, so arrive early to make sure you don’t miss out! Don’t have your DefineTO
tickets yet? What are you waiting for! Grab them online here.…
What are your reasons?
When I was first asked if I was interested in being on the DefineTO team, I said yes right away. Without hesitation I knew that DefineTO was going to be something great, and that I wanted to be a part of it. Fast forward a month or so, and I am still so glad I made that decision. We’re a small team putting together a big event, and the chance to use social media for good by throwing a great event in support of an amazing local charity makes it more than worth it.
I’ve been a social media junkie for awhile, but volunteering for TwestivalTO last year was my first official introduction to Toronto’s digital community. The incredible amount of support and generosity shown was overwhelming, and enough to make me want to get more involved in fundraising through social media. The DefineTO organizers were all involved in last year’s event, and I’ve never met a more inspiring or hard-working group of people.
DefineTO struck a note with me for many reasons. One of them is that all proceeds of the event are going towards supporting The Remix Project and the amazing programs it runs for youth. Another is that DefineTO is entirely volunteer-driven. All of us either have full-time jobs, go to school, volunteer our time towards other projects, or are doing all of the above while still committing ourselves to DefineTO. This is something we really and truly believe in, and I feel lucky to be part of such a dedicated team.
The biggest reason DefineTO is important to me is because of what it represents. On the brink of graduation, I am in the middle of defining myself and my career. I value those who are passionate about what they do, admire those who are fearless enough to define their own path, and am drawn to those who use social media to better their community. These are all the things DefineTO values, and I can’t think of a better fit.
So I hope you will join me on April 12th at The Fifth, to support The Remix Project and get better introduced to DefineTO!
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Remix : Redefined Paths
As you may or may not know, DefineTO is holding an event on April 12th, 2012 in support of The Remix Project. We wanted to take the time to showcase this amazing charity and give you a more in-depth look at how it provides creative programs to at-risk youth in Toronto. We chose to support The Remix Project for this event because its mission is aligned with the values of DefineTO – providing youth with opportunities to define who they are, on their own terms and through creative education.
The Remix Project is a youth-led, urban arts incubator. It was created in order to help level the playing field for young people from disadvantaged, marginalized and under served communities. Its programs and services serve youth who are trying to enter into the creative industries or further their formal education; The Remix Project provides top-notch alternative, creative, educational programs, facilitators and facilities.
Beza Getachew, a recent graduate of the Remix 7.0 Creative Arts program, produced and edited the following documentary as her thesis project. It captures the journeys of 3 participants within the program – a rapper, a photographer, and a videographer. They share their inspirational stories and describe how much The Remix Project means to them and the ways it has impacted their lives.
Karla Moy aka HustleGRL – A “The Remix Project” Success Story
Karla Moy, better known by her online moniker HustleGRL, is the perfect example of the levels of success that The Remix Project participants have achieved through the amazing opportunities they are given at Remix.
One of the youngest participants to have even been accepted, Karla was 15 when she first came to The Remix Project. Just three years later, she had completed an internship with Chris Smith Management; producing events for Drake, Trey Songz, and Day 26. She is the owner and creative lead of HustleGRL – a graphic and web design, and website management company that has done work for Drake, Lil Wayne, Funk Master Flex, Diggy Simmons and Universal Music Canada.
So now you hopefully have a better idea of exactly what The Remix Project is and why you should join DefineTO at The Fifth on April 12th in support of this great cause!
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Redefined.
For everyone who took part in, supported, volunteered for, or just heard about TwestivalTO last year, we have some great news for you. And if this is your first time hearing about it, read on. We’re back! Well, kind of.
Twestival is a volunteer-driven, global non-profit movement that has raised over $1.75 million over the past 4 years by using social media for good. Twestival Local 2011 connected communities offline on a single day to raise $565,000 for local charities in 150 cities around the world. Last year’s Toronto edition, TwestivalTO, was a huge success. Over $18,000 was raised for The Remix Project, a local Toronto charity that utilizes mentorship, instruction and the power of the arts to inspire at-risk youth and help them achieve their dreams.
This year, Twestival Global has made the decision to place its local editions of the Twitter Festival on temporary hiatus. Although we can’t have a TwestivalTO event this year, many of the organizing committee found last year to be such an enriching experience that we were inspired to create a new organization of a similar mindset, allowing us to continue creating great events that support local causes through social media. Enter DefineTO!
DefineTO is a group of like-minded individuals who are redefining what passion, ambition and success look like. The world around us moves at lightning speed, and so do we. Through it all, we are defining what we believe in, what our goals are and the road to take us there. We are not doing this by sitting around waiting for the next promotion; we are doing it by redefining our path to success and by being the exception, not the rule.
The values of DefineTO are to be passionate, by celebrating passionate ideas that inspire others; to be fearless, by encouraging others to be the exception rather than the rule as they create their own definition of success; and to be social, by collaborating with the community to foster meaningful connections. DefineTO’s goal is to use social media for good by connecting the Toronto community (online and offline) of like-minded people to celebrate innovative and passionate ideas. We aspire to support local causes that help others define their own path.
The very first DefineTO fundraiser event will take place on April 12th, 2012 at The Fifth Social Club in Toronto. Once again, we have partnered with The Remix Project and will be raising funds for the creative programs and services they bring to at-risk youth in Toronto. The Remix Project supports the values of DefineTO with its mission to provide youth with opportunities to define who they are, on their own terms and through creative education.
We are so excited for this event, not only because it gives us the chance to support a great local charity, but also because it is our opportunity to introduce DefineTO to the Toronto community. Planning for the event is already well underway, so stay tuned for more information and updates on all the cool things that will be going on. We hope you will join us in this great cause!
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