2024 Dance & Safety Series For Teens & Kids
Our 2025 Series Was Generously 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 400 youth between 6 to 18 years old.
The 2025 series will be split into a 2-part series: a Spring end-of-school-year teen series and a Fall trick-or-treat kids series. Dance and Street Safety games and drills will be offered, there will be no one on one / physical contact.
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. Three one-off sessions were held across 3 communities and all of the sessions FULL.
To find out more about the 2023 Dance & Safety Event highlights, click here.
Our Safety Facilitators (2019 to 2024)
Niv Goffman and Jesse Solloum from Krav Maga Maleh Canada
Gemma, MMA fighter and owner of Girls Who Fight Inc.
Nikki from Six Krav Maga
Kris Raghabir - a martial arts coach, men’s nurse, and kinesiologist
A List of Host Organizations
2019
Success Beyond Limits - JaneFinch
L’Amoureux Community Center
SLYE Network
Weston Frontlines
Hijabi Ballers
YMCA Scarborough Newcomer Girl’s Project
2021 to 2023
Weston Frontlines
Success Beyond Limits - JaneFinch
Stephan Leacock Community Center
Mcgregor Park Community Center
Albion Boys and Girls Club, Albion Neighborhood Services
Rexdale Community and Health Services
2024
Weston Frontlines
Success Beyond Limits - JaneFinch
L’Amoureux Community Center /City of Toronto Parks and Recreation
Albion Boys and Girls Club, Albion Neighborhood Services
Rexdale Community and Health Services
Kickstart Kid’s Club, The Neighborhood Group Services
Flemingdon Health Center
Toronto Public Libraries (Humber Summit and Victoria Village)
Project Xguard Brazilian Ju-Jitsu
2025
L’Amoureux Community Center /City of Toronto Parks and Recreation
Albion Boys and Girls Club, Albion Neighborhood Services
Rexdale Community and Health Services
Flemingdon Health center
Project Xguard Brazilian Ju-Jitsu