2024 Dance & Safety Series For Teens & Kids
Our 2024 Event series Is 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.
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 2025 event will run across 4 communities with 5 host organizations and impact the lives of approximately 120 youth.
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 - Krav Maga Maleh Canada, Gemma - MMA fighter and owner of Girls Who Fight Inc., Nikki - Six Krav Maga, Kris Raghabir - a martial arts coach, men’s nurse, and kinesiologist, and Raul Chavez - World Brazilian Ju Jitsu Champion and Owner of Project XGuard.
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 (tentative)
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
