In 2023, We Were Supported By

About Our Annual Youth Dance and Safety Event

The goal of our Youth Dance and Safety event is to get more youth who live in under-resourced areas with high gun violence rates to move more and feel safe as they walk around their neighborhoods and take the TTC. To achieve this, sessions include fun dance energizers to help the youth warm up and an easy-to-follow street self-defense session filled with pair and group activities. Our sessions are always beginner-friendly and adapted to meet the group’s needs. Since 2019, the series has impacted the everyday lives of over 275 youth between 6 to 18 years old.

This year’s event will be split into a 2-part series: a Spring end-of-school-year series and a Fall Halloween trick-or-treat series for little kids. The 2024 event will run across 5 communities with 6 host organizations and impact the lives of approximately 150 youth participants.

How It Started

The first free Youth Dance and Safety event was in 2019, after Sumera and her sister, Sarah, discussed safety being a factor in why attendance remained low in so many of the free after-school and weekend youth dance and fitness classes that her peers were running in a few communities. Without a parent or older sibling available to drop them off and pick them up, many would not attend. Sumera decided to ask three community partners if they wanted to host a session where they could combine both a dance component and a self-defense component. Each agreed to host a one-off session and surprisingly, all of the sessions were full.

Sumera is a children’s fitness coach, fitness instructor specialist, and community dance instructor who has valid CPR training and a 2023 Police Check (VSC). She works hard to recruit safe and qualified facilitators who have experience working with youth in community settings and have strong credentials in their industry.

To find out more about the 2023 Dance & Safety Event highlights, click here.

Our Safety Partners (2019 to 2023)

Gil Katz, Niv Goffman, and Jesse Solloum from Krav Maga Maleh Canada

Gemma from Girls Who Fight Inc.

Coach Nikki from Six Krav Maga

A List of Host Organizations

2024 Event Schedule Coming In May

Dates coming soon. Please keep an eye out.

To speak to Sumera about the event, please send a message below ;)