Mentor helped teen find creative voice
United Way Toronto program transformed restless youth and put him back on track
Kadeem Robin knows just how dramatically life can change when a young person has guidance, that anything is possible with the right support. “I imagine a city where every young person can have a positive role model to help them realize their dreams,” he writes. “The role model I speak of is not just a famous politician, freedom fighter, humanitarian or philanthropist. I imagine a city where there is a local, accessible role model for every single youth.” Robin, 21, is participating in a discussion United Way Toronto has started on social media, an open forum where he and nine other bloggers share their visions for how the city can be a better place for everyone. The blogs at imagineacity.ca aim to get Torontonians talking to each other and working to build a stronger, healthier city, United Way president and CEO Susan McIsaac said. Imagine a City will run throughout this year’s fundraising campaign, which has a goal of $116 million. Robin was pumped to be part of the conversation. He belongs to the United Way Toronto speakers’ bureau, telling his story to the charity’s supporters, and also sits on the board of East Metro Youth Services, which helps troubled young people in Scarborough. Growing up, Robin was convinced no one cared what he or other youth had to say. He started “venting” his frustrations, skipping classes to hang out with his buddies on the streets and in Scarborough malls. The company he kept was bad and trouble followed. “Your friends become your role models,” Robin said of his early teens, adding the example some set wasn’t a good one. Somehow, he managed to stay ahead of the law. Many of his pals weren’t as lucky. His attitude and outlook changed after he met Saleem Haniff, co-ordinator of RISE (Respect in Schools Everywhere) at Cedarbrae Collegiate. The violence intervention program takes aim at bullying and sexual harassment, focusing on healthy relationships. Developed by East Metro Youth Services in 2004, it puts a youth worker inside a school for two years. Student volunteers then take over to run the program. RISE was transformative for a restless Robin. “It made me more conscious of myself and what I was doing,” he said, adding that once he saw he was influencing the lives of others, it was paramount to set a good example. Instead of acting out, Robin began expressing himself through poetry and spoken word performances. Not only did he have a voice but people were listening. Among them was Haniff, who introduced the teen to East Metro Youth Services, one of 200 agencies and programs supported by United Way Toronto
It opened up a whole new world for Robin who realized, “I wasn’t in this alone.
“And I saw that the things I was doing and through the words I was speaking I could impact the world around me.”
Haniff showed him “that there are people who really care about youth. Saleem opened me up to a lot of opportunity.”
If not for the positive influences in his life, Robin doubts he’d have graduated from high school.
“RISE gave me a reason to go to school,” he said, adding if he’d dropped out, he’d certainly have been kicked out at home and be on the streets today.
With Haniff’s support, Robin’s attitude changed. His relationship with his mother and teachers became more positive.
“I realized that those I thought were against me could have a great impact on my life and the lives of young people.”
Granted there were “ups and downs” but Robin has no regrets, even when some of his cronies called him on the new path he’d chose. He plans to be a high school English teacher.
“It was a transformation I had to make,” he said, adding he plans to pay it forward and be a role model for other young people, making a difference in their lives.
“I’m working hard to be the example of how to get from there to here,” Robin said. “I want them to be better than me.” To donate go to unitedwaytoronto.com or call 416-777-2001.