Manifesto Community Projects is a non-profit grassroots organization working to unite, energize, support and celebrate Toronto’s vibrant and diverse music and arts community, and find innovative ways of working together towards common goals. We aim to provide a platform and the resources needed to advance the growth of the arts as a tool for positive change on the individual, community and city level.

The critically acclaimed Manifesto Festival Of Community & Culture features five days of incredible events across the city, culminating in a massive free outdoor concert at Yonge & Dundas Square in the heart of downtown Toronto. Growing to be arguably Canada’s largest hip hop festival in just three years, Manifesto brings together hundreds of artists & performers with thousands of attendees to showcase our city’s talented arts community and strengthen its foundations by building a collective sense of pride and possibility.

Through art exhibitions, dance competitions, workshops, free outdoor concerts, film screenings, networking opportunities, seminars, a pop-up arts market, and much more, Manifesto creates powerful and engaging experiences and provides opportunities for young artists to grow.

Manifesto’s point of origin lies in hip hop culture - in its spirit of ingenuity, raw creativity, and people power, but we strive to stay out of boxes and create a platform with the potential to act as a catalyst for cross-pollination, collaboration, and the growth of new forms in this city of wildly talented people.

RUCKUS! is a free activism & antiracism conference for high school-aged youth of Colour, their Allies and concerned youth. Our conference, RUCKUS! aims to bring together young people of colour from Ontario to critically address issues of race, racism, multiculturalism and social justice. The impetus for this project came from the awareness that young people of colour often lack role models who share their cultural histories and experiences, especially in social and environmental justice communities.

What’s the main message?

Inequalities still exist in our communities affecting how we interact with people and spaces. Through creating a positive space, youth will be able to express their concerns over systems of oppression. It is time to take a stand and speak up on issues that are important to youth.

Facilitators Needed!

Young activists, community leaders, students, youth groups and youth-led initiatives are invited to submit proposals for engaging, interactive and critical workshops. This year’s conference will be held at York University on October 13th—14th, 2010.

This year we hope to show youth that there are a number of ways that they can be activists by using their talents, gifts and passions to fight social injustice. We encourage workshop proposals from young people and groups who can demonstrate that they have been able to affect change in very unconventional but effective ways. Workshops should challenge youth to be attentive to issues that are important to them and then creative about the ways they can mobilize around those issues. Please email proposals to Sandra Vides Martinez at svidesmartinez@gmail.com by September 3rd, 2010.

** Note: please email us a short description of your workshop along with the name of your organization, the contact person and which date you are able to present your workshop **

Questions & Answers:

If I decide to submit a workshop proposal will I be compensated?

Yes! All presenters will be compensated for their hard work and delivering their workshop.

For more info please visit: www.youthactionnetwork.org

Protect the rights of Women and Girls

Open Society Institute (OSI) and the International Women's Program (IWP) invite grant proposals for efforts to promote and protect the rights of women and girls in priority areas around the globe where the principles of good governance and respect for the rule of law are absent or destroyed because of conflict. IWP seeks to promote the advancement of women's rights and gender equality in law and practice and the empowerment of women to ensure participation in democratic processes.
IWP invites proposals focusing on one or more of the following objectives:

1) Reducing discrimination and violence against women
• Strengthening legal frameworks and enforcement mechanisms that focus on women’s rights
• Strengthening civil society’s capacity to hold governments accountable to implement laws
• Increasing women’s capacity to understand and claim rights
2) Strengthening women's access to justice
• Legal aid, counsel, and assistance are available and resourced.
• Judges, lawyers, and prosecutors understand and apply gender justice.
• Transitional justice mechanisms are equitable and inclusive of women.
3) Increasing women's role as decisionmakers and leaders
• Peace and reconciliation processes
• Electoral and legislative processes
• Disarmament, Demobilisation, and Reintegration (DDR), Security Sector Reform (SSR), and Reconstruction programmes
Organisations can apply for 1 - 3 year grants ranging from US$25,000 to US$200,000 per year, as a general support grant or support for a specific project. Preference is given to:
• Organisations managed and led by women
• Organisations that have a five-year-plus track record and demonstrate sustainability
• Organisations that forge partnerships with other civil society groups working on similar issues
• Local/indigenous independent non-governmental organisations or initiatives that link local and international organisations

Application Information

Got to http://www.soros.org/initiatives/women/focus_areas for more information and for application guidelines in English or French in MS Word format.
Go to http://www.soros.org/initiatives/women/news/call_20080616to download the complete call for proposals in MS Word format with proposal templates. The IWP requests that applicants write '(Month-Year) call, country, and organisation name' in the subject line of emailed proposals when sending attachments to the address in the contact information below. If an organisation does not have email access, please fax or mail the application to the contact information below.

Be a Leader for Social Change!

Background Info

The Toronto Youth Priority Symposium is part of a larger project, 10,000 Youth Will Stand, an initiative that strives to engage young people ages 16-29 from various neighbourhoods across Toronto in the political process. This October’s municipal election provides a strategic opportunity for young people to ensure youth issues are part of candidate platforms.

Get involved!

This September 2nd 2010, Toronto Youth Priority Symposium (TYPS) will bring together 200+ youth from Toronto’s priority neighbourhoods, high schools and universities, in order to define a set of priorities for youth, and ensure that these priorities are at the forefront of Toronto’s municipal agenda and our aspiring elected leaders are held accountable. TYPS will be held at University of Toronto’s Hart House in the Great Hall. All the leading mayoral candidates will be in attendance.

Why participate?

This is an opportunity to support Toronto’s youth and ensure a greater understanding and awareness of the municipal issues affecting them and encourage them to take action and advocate for change.
Directly, the TYPS will involve 200+ youth who participate in the event. Indirectly, 10,000 youth will hear about our project through social media, universities/high schools, partnerships with community organizations and word of mouth.
Help Torontonians work together to ensure youth issues are part of candidate platforms!

To register and for more info please visit:
http://typs.wordpress.com/toronto-youth-priority-symposium/