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- Back2Basickz - January Newsletter 2025
Back2Basickz - January Newsletter 2025
Back2Basickz
January 15, 2025
 Amanda Coombs, Executive Director, Back2Basickz Youth Support Services | Welcome Back to a New Year with Back 2 Basickz! Happy New Year! We hope your holidays were filled with joy, rest, and quality time with loved ones. As we step into 2025, we are thrilled to welcome everyone back and kick off a year full of growth, opportunities, and exciting new beginnings for our program and our youth. The new year is a perfect time to reflect on our goals and set intentions for the future. At Back 2 Basickz, we are doubling down on our mission to provide meaningful support and opportunities for Black youth. This year, we’re focusing on expanding our programs, fostering new collaborations, and creating even more impactful experiences for our participants. None of this would be possible without the support of our community, donors, and volunteers. Your belief in our mission fuels everything we do, and we’re deeply grateful for your continued partnership. Let’s make 2025 a year to remember! Keep an eye on your inbox and our social media for updates, events, and ways to get involved. Together, we can continue to uplift and empower our youth to reach their full potential. Here’s to new beginnings and a successful year ahead! Warm regards,  Amanda Coombs, Executive Director, Back 2 Basickz |
What’s New in 2025?
Workshops and Learning Opportunities: We are excited to introduce new workshops designed to equip our youth with practical skills for personal and professional development.
Community Collaborations: We will be partnering with local organizations and businesses to offer unique experiences, including career exploration days, creative arts sessions, and more.
Youth-Led Initiatives: Empowering our youth to take the lead in designing programs and events is at the forefront of our goals for this year. Stay tuned for their incredible ideas!
Our Monthly Calendar
January
Monthly highlights
This December we were able to host two catered holiday parties for our Back 2 Basickz youth, and provide each of our students with Gift cards of choice valued at $50 dollars. This was only made possible through the generosity of local businesses and individuals.
We wish to give a heartfelt thank you to the following businesses and individuals:
Domino's Pizza 1890 Kennedy Road
Delight Food Caribbean 4712 Jane Street
Fireside Fusion Jamaican Cuisine 1260 Kennedy Road
Mona’s Roti 4810 Sheppard Ave E, Scarborough, ON M1S 4N6
Spice is Rite 2179 Lawrence Ave E
Ray and Friends for graciously donating gift cards and toys for the younger children.
Let’s start the year with good energy. Do not forget to donate today!
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December was the month for giving and the Back 2 Basickz youth had the amazing opportunity to participate in holiday cheer by participating in weekly raffles and decorating their very own gingerbread house. Check out the Sweet photos below:
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A special thank you to:
Janusha of VPI Employment Services for hosting a series of employment workshops for our youth that wrapped up for December. Students got to learn about cultural sensitivity & occupational research as well as honing skills for job interviews and networking.
Yasmin Thomas of Refining Therapy for delivering a wonderful workshop on Stress Management
Esther for her Nail Workshop teaching the basics of manicure and nail design. It was a great success and due to popular demand will back again in 2025, so keep your eyes open for more details
Patrice of Beautiful Goddess Hair for her amazing hounds on hair braiding 101 workshop. The program youth had an amazing time learning important skills and techniques for hair management and styling.
Courice - our very own program youth for hosting a weekly knitting Club. Participants were able to learn the basics of knitting and work on making their very own scarf.
Tanae and Bianca Basketball workshop - We love encouraging our youth to flex their skills and experience while teaching and encouraging others. We were pleased to have our very own program youth host a Basketball Workshop teach drills and other foundations of basketball and then engaging in some friendly scrimmage.
 Janusha of VPI Employment Services |  Yasmin Thomas of Refining Therapy |
 Esther’s Nail Workshop |  Esther’s Nail Workshop |
 Esther’s Nail Workshop |  Esther’s Nail Workshop |
 Patrice of Beautiful Goddess Hair |  Patrice of Beautiful Goddess Hair |
 Patrice of Beautiful Goddess Hair |  Patrice of Beautiful Goddess Hair |
 Courice’s Knitting club |  Tanae and Bianca Basketball workshop |
Our January Youth Shout Out goes to Back 2 Basickz program youth Tanae.
New Student Placements
We’re thrilled to announce the upcoming placements of York University BScN students for the 2025 Winter semester. Their involvement will bring fresh energy and insights to our programs, enhancing the support we provide to our youth. Welcome Angela, Jeanelle & Shane!
Updates
 | Operation “Skate Stock’ is still under way for the 2025 winter season! We are still actively securing skates of all sizes that our youth will be able to use at no cost for skating for our recreational skate nights and independently. If you have any skates that you can donate, please reach out to us at [email protected] and we will arrange pick-up or alternatively, you can drop them off to our 880 Ellesmere location. *A special thanks to Ryan Ross, S. Hesse and Play it Again Sports for the donations! |
Back 2 Basickz is looking for passionate volunteers to help tutor our youth! Whether it’s math, french, or any other subject, your time and skills can make a huge difference. Join us in empowering the next generation! |  |
Upcoming programs and workshops for
January!
 January 10th, 2025 @ 4:00 p.m. | Join us the second Friday of every month for an evening filled with fun, laughter, and friendly competition. Whether you're a board game enthusiast or just looking to unwind and connect with others, there's something for everyone. Register now and bring your A-game! |
 January 14th, 2025 @ 5:00 p.m. |  |
 January 15th, 2025 @ 5:00 p.m. | Hair Braiding 101 Workshop presented by Patrice of Beautiful Goddess Hair This is Series 2 and back by popular demand. Come and learn the hair braiding techniques like hair prepping, braiding techniques, parting & styling, trimming and aftercare Supplies will be provided including the mannequin to practice on. Spots are limited - please register to attend. |
Are you ready to set goals and dream big for your future? Back 2 Basickz invites you to our Vision Board Workshop—a fun and creative way to focus on your hopes and dreams! A vision board is a collection of images, words, and symbols that represent your goals and aspirations. It is a powerful tool to help you visualize what you want to achieve and stay motivated to reach those goals. All supplies will be provided free of charge. Just bring good vibes and creativity! |  January 20th, 2025 @ 5:00 p.m. |
 January 21st, 2025 @ 4:30 p.m. | ‘Basketball Drop-in at House of Legends’ Calling all young athletes! Back 2 Basickz is again hosting our basketball drop-in evening from 4:30 - 6:30 pm where you can practice your skills with fun drills or just play scrimmages in a friendly and supportive environment. Meet new friends and shoot hoops to music. Whether you’re looking to sharpen your skills or just have a great time on the court, this is the perfect chance to get active and enjoy some friendly competition. Let’s ball! |
January 24th, 2025 @ 4:00 p.m.
January 28th, 2025 @ 4:00 p.m.
 |  January 29th, 2025 @ 5:00 p.m. |
Debut Launch!
Drop - in Nights: Jan 6th, 7th, 10th, 13th, 17th, 20th, 24th, 27th 29th, 31st
Come to unwind, relax and chill! Hang out with friends, lounge in the meditation room, read a book, play video games, table tennis or just listen to music. Whatever you need, we got you!
Help us to Help
Our services are open to our youth and community members. Your contribution helps us keep our programs accessible to all.
Visit us!
Jane & Finch 1 York Gate Blvd, North York, ON M3N 3A1 - Second Floor (TD Community Engagement Center) Phone: 1-647-514-3124 Email: [email protected] | Scarborough 880 Ellesmere Rd, Unit 304, Scarborough, ON M1P 2L8 Phone: 1-647-514-3124 Email: [email protected] |
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