Little Takeaways: 2024 Spring Youth Dance & Safety Series

Little Takeaways: 2024 Spring Youth Dance & Safety Series

By: Sumera Garcia-Quadri

This year, we were LUCKY to bring back our Free Youth Dance and Safety event series in the Spring and Fall through the support of the Toronto Arts Council and PartciPACTION Community Challenge. Through their generosity, we partnered with 6 organizations operating in 5 unique communities to get over 100 youth moving in June.

The goal of our series has always been 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 transit.

Here are a few takeaways from our Spring series

• A new kid's club joined our event series

• We got over 100 youth ages 6 to 18 years old moving within 30 days

• Participants were taught beginner self-defense techniques such as how to defend themselves from bodily harm (such as strikes and kicks) and escape common attacks (such as wrist grabs, back grabs, and choke holds).

• Most of the sessions had at least 18 youth in attendance, surpassing the average number of youth we had per session in past years (this year, the smallest number of participants was 12, and 45 was the largest)

• All host organizations were consulted in advance (via email & phone calls) on how we could deliver a well-run session for their age group/demographic

• All workshops ran according to plan and instructors adapted on the spot to ensure a fun and safe class

• All host organizations have shown an interest in bringing us back!

I would like to thank our host organizations for collaborating with me once more

• Scarborough Central – Kabibi and Tanya at Kick Start Club, TNG Services

• Black Creek – Shanaz and Pique at Success Beyond limits-JaneFinch

• York – Latisha, DeQuon, and Alex at Weston Frontlines

• North Etobicoke – Jessica at AlbionBGC and Stephanie at RCHC

• Scarborough North – Eileen at L’Amoreaux Community Center

I thank our newest facilitators, Kris and Dee, for sharing their positive energy and skills with the next generation.

Keep an eye out for our 1st Halloween Dance & Safety series coming in October,

Sumera

Are you an organization interested in bringing our series to you?

Don't hesitate to get in touch with me (here) and mention your location and dates, age group /demographic, and budget.

Cheers To 10 Years: Remembering My First Class

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2018 promoting our 1st Newcomer’s Dance Too! Project in Flemingdon Park (funded by the Toronto Arts Council)

At the 2015 Syrian Refugee Wellness Conference, hosted by Adeena, founder of the Afghan Women’s Organization

Cheers To 10 Years: Remembering My First Class

By: Sumera Garcia-Quadri

I remember running my very first Zumba Fitness program in April 2014. It was an 8-week program at the Annex with 4 participants, all of whom saw my little flyer at a local laundromat or cafe. I had a black Denon speaker, a Nokia cell phone with my playlist on it, and a pair of colorful sneakers from Payless. I was also lucky to have the support of my grandma, sister, aunt, and a few friends who would participate in my classes as a way to reassure me that what I was doing was good.

Before instructing and organizing community group fitness programs, I was at a women's circuit gym. While it was a good start, I wanted to enter an area of fitness that made sense to me. Zumba Fitness felt RIGHT, although I had never taken a Zumba Fitness class before signing up for the instructor training. I trained in Latin dances since the age of 13 (dances like Cuban Salsa, New York Mambo, Pachanga, Cha Cha, and Merengue) so finding a dance fitness system that combined Latin rhythms and movements was a dream. I was also desperate to maintain a healthy weight and active lifestyle during the daytime, which I couldn’t find in dance. Latin dance outings/socials were usually in the evenings and in a nightclub where you would usually dress up, where pretty shoes, and hope to find lots of good dance partners. Although I left Zumba Fitness in 2015, I owe a lot to its Colombian founder, Beto Perez, as it kept me and millions of others grooving, burning calories, and inspired.

Since then, I made it a habit to pilot group fitness programs that you wouldn't usually see in a gym like Pound Fit (a drum workout), Mom and Baby Latin Dance Fitness, Kid's Fitness Circuits, Kid's Yoga Safari, and eventually, women's Bollywood Fitness. I had no idea back then that Bollywood Fitness would take off the way it did and that we would be known for our seasonal Bollywood dance and fitness programs. Fast forward 10 years, I'm now running approximately 20 seasonal dance and fitness programs a year across various health centers, women's and kid’s organizations, and community spaces, as well as a free youth annual dance and safety event in 5 under-communities.

Truthfully, I experienced a lot of ups and downs due to not being a brick-and-mortar business or about the BOTTOM LINE. It’s hard to keep members happy, maintain community partnerships, and train instructors on how to run safe, effective, and fun classes. I had taken off most of 2018 to think about whether I wanted to continue in the fitness industry or not. Then there was COVID-19 which on one hand, set back Toronto Fitness for almost 2 years, but then brought us the gift of virtual classes.

I would like to thank our regular members for giving us a class to come to each season. Without them, we would have been out of business a long time ago! (P.S. I remember the names of all of our members).

I would to thank our regular instructors for keeping us moving - Alejandra, Ceejay, Pekhna, Mithila, Cheryl, and Deepak. A thank you to Aleya, a friend and fitness mentor, who has listened to my struggles at all times of the day and has referred me to the best kid Latin dance instructors. A shout out to our oldest self-defense pals Niv Goffman, Gil Katz, and Jesse Solloum from Krav Maga Maleh Canada for working alongside me since 2019 to get more youth moving and feeling safe.

Cheers to 10 years of moving and grooving,

Sumera

How We're Celebrating Holi in Toronto

How We're Celebrating Holi in Toronto

By: Sumera Garcia-Quadri

Holi is around the corner and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate it than with dance!

Holi, India’s festival of colors, is a celebration that rings in Spring and the triumph of good over evil, similar to Diwali. While the celebration’s origins lie in religious Hindu scriptures, the festival takes place across the globe, especially in Canada, the United States, and Britain, where there are large Indian diasporas. In Toronto, you’ll see people hosting events and gatherings where they wear colorful outfits, sing and dance, and invite people from different backgrounds and religions to join.

I'm lucky to have a team of Bollywood instructors from different parts of India (Gujarat, Kerala, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu). This means that our team and participants get the chance to experience Holi uniquely.

If you are registered in one of our programs this Spring, you'll get to have at least one Holi experience with us. Do keep an ear out in class for when they’ll be doing a Holi routine for you.

To read more on Holi festivities, click here »

Sumera's Healthy and Easy To Make Holiday Desserts

Hello Friends,

The holidays are around the corner and that means there will be lots of delicious treats. From Hannukkah to Christmas to New Year’s Eve, it can be difficult to maintain a healthy active lifestyle and diet.

After losing my dad, as a kid, to diabetic complications and then watching my grandmother almost lose a leg due to a diabetic foot condition, our family has come together and made it a habit of making delicious meals and desserts that are both nutritious and better balanced. We know that giving up everything can lead to binge eating and the opposite results. 

Here are two festive desserts that you can bring to any Holiday party this season and not feel too guilty about eating them or giving them away ;).

Sumera’s Bran Loaf with Cranberries and Pumpkin Seeds (1-Bowl Dessert with No Refined Sugar or Dairy)

Ingredients (all room temperature except for the frozen berries)

• 2 cups bran flakes

• 1 cup spelt flour or all-purpose flour

• 1/3 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

• 1 cup dairy-free milk or cold Earl Grey tea

• 1 large free-run egg (can remove the egg yolk to reduce the cholesterol)

• 1/3 cup raw honey

• 1/3 cup vegan butter or any mild flavored oil like vegetable or canola

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• a pinch of salt

• 1 1/2 cup of frozen cranberries (you can add frozen bananas or blueberries but it will increase the amount of sugar in the recipe)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8 x 8 loaf pan with parchement paper

2. In a large bowl, add all of the wet ingredients and whisk together. Mix in the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Then add in the bran, flour, pumpkin seeds, and cinnamon, and fold together. Fold in the frozen cranberries and mix lightly.

3. Scoop the batter into the pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is light brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out slightly clean

4. Leave to cool and then slice. Best served the next day.

Nutritional facts: high in fiber and antioxidants, medium in carbohydrates, and low in cholesterol and sugar.

Sumera’s Snow Log Coconut Bars (Food-Processor Dessert with No Refined Sugar, Dairy, or Gluten)

Filling Ingredients (all room temperature) - makes 8 medium bars/logs

• 1/4 cup coconut cream or coconut condensed milk

• 2 1/2 to 3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut

• 1/2 cup of almond flour

• 1 tbsp Vanilla extract

• a pinch of salt

Chocolate coating

• 1/2 tsp instant coffee

• 1 cup dark chocolate chips dairy-free (55% or higher)

• 4 tbsp vegan butter or coconut oil

Method:

1. In a food processor pulse all of the filling ingredients together until a paste is formed (6 to 8 pulses). Make the bars/logs from the mixture. Place them on a tray lined with parchment paper. Put in the freezer for 30 minutes to harden.

2. Melt the chocolate chips, coffee, and butter on the stove or in the microwave for 60 seconds or until the chocolate chips have melted and the texture is shiny and slightly thin. If you want it runny, you can add more vegan butter/oil.

3. Dip the bars in the melted chocolate and code them the way you want. Place them back on the tray and put them in the freezer for 30 minutes.

4. Once the chocolate sets, you can put the logs in a tin and store them in the fridge for up to 7 days.

   Nutritional facts: high in iron and fiber, low in carbohydrates, moderate in fats.

This Year’s Highlights: Annual Youth Dance & Safety Series

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Our Session with L’Amoreaux CC at Stephan Leacock CC, Scarborough (ages 10 to 18)

Our Session at Success Beyond Limits - JaneFinch (ages 13 to 18)

Our Session with L’Amoreaux CC at Stephan Leacock CC Scarborough (ages 10 to 18)

Our Session at Success Beyond Limits - JaneFinch (ages 13 to 18)

Session with Albion Boys and Girls Club & Rexdale Community Health Services (ages 10 to 18)

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This Year’s Highlights: Sumera’s Youth Self-Defense & Dance Series

By: Sumera Garcia-Quadri

This year, our series had a different feeling to it. It felt GOOD knowing that we could plan a movement and safety series, under particiPACTION’s community better challenge, that we didn’t have to cancel or restrict in size due to COVID-19.

In collaboration with awesome youth organizations that we have worked with me for years such as AlbionBGC, Rexdale Community Health Center, L’amoreaux Community Center, Weston Frontlines, Success Beyond limits-JaneFinch, Stephan Leacock CC, and our self-defense coaches Nikki at Six Krav Maga and Jesse from Krav Maga Maleh Canada, we engaged over 65 youth across 4 under-resourced communities.

During a FREE month-long series, youth ages 7 to 18 years put down their cell phones and joined us for sessions that included fun dance warm-ups and street-style self-defense activities.

Participants gained awareness around potentially life-threatening situations and got the chance to practice techniques on how to escape such situations in both pairs and a group. They were taught how to escape different attacks such as wrist and backhand grabs, choke holds, strikes, and knife and gun attacks. The instructors did their best to gear the activities based on the age group and demographic so that it was both engaging and appropriate.

Key Highlights

• All of the participants moved for at least 60 minutes (we did not allow phones and asked parents to sit outside)

• Each workshop had at least 12 participants in attendance (our goal was 8 per workshop)

• All of this year’s participants were NEW to our programming which in turn allowed our instructors to teach them basic Krav Maga self-defense training

• We introduced a female Krav Maga instructor for the first time and she did a great job at adapting her lesson plan to meet both the boys and girls in attendance

• All host organizations were contacted in advance about how they wanted us to deliver the series so that we could have a better run session (i.e. ages, topics discussed, class sizes) and revisions were made in a timely manner in order to deliver the sessions successfully to all hosts

• All of the participants left with basic self-defense training and some were connected with other services in the area

• The hosts and parents expressed an interest in us returning in the future

Are you an organization/youth club interested in bringing us to you?

Please contact me HERE and mention your location and dates, your ideas, age/demographic, and budget.

Highlights: 2022 Youth Dance and Self-Defense Series

The girls at Stephan Leacock CC learning situational awareness

The girls at the Rexdale Hub learning about situational awareness

The girls at Success Beyond Limts, Jane Finch learning situational awareness

The youth at the Rexdale Hub learning how to escape hair grabs from the back

The youth at Stephan Leacock CC learning how to escape side choke holds

After 2 years of pandemic-related restrictions placed on Toronto recreation, we returned in-person with a fun dance and safety series under particiPACTION’s community better challenge.

In collaboration with AlbionBGC, L’amoreaux Community Center, Weston Frontlines, Success Beyond limits-JaneFinch, Agincourt Services, Rexdale Community Health Center, and our self-defense friends at Krav Maga Maleh Canada, we brought together over 75 youth living across 4 at-risk communities.

During our month-long workshop series, youth ages 7 to 19 yrs-old put down their phones and joined us for some fun dance warmups (Socacize, Bollywood, and Latin) and street-style self-defense sessions.

Youth gained awareness of potentially life-threatening situations and got the chance to practice escaping these situations in pairs. Participants were taught how to escape certain attacks such as wrist grabs, choke holds, back grab holds as well as knife and gun attacks. The instructor geared the workshops based on age group and demographic (girls-only/co-ed).

To ensure the workshop's success, all hosts and youth were consulted about the workshops and had a choice in part taking.

Key Highlights

• All of the participants moved for at least 1.5 hours and met a part of their weekly exercise recommendations

• Bot the hosts and participants enjoyed the workshops and expressed an interest in us returning again (both in our next series and through their own services)

• Each workshop had between 10 to 20 participants in attendance (our goal was at least 8 per workshop)

• All of the participants left with basic self-defense training and some expressed an interest in training further

If you’re an organization that is interested in bringing us in to get your group moving through a fun dance and self-defense workshop, please contact me here. Please do mention your ideas, demographic, location dates, and budget.

Ceejay, Sumera (Me) and Jesse at Stephan Leacock Community Center

5 Ways To Get Back Into Physical Fitness After Covid-19

5 Ways To Get Back Into Physical Fitness After Covid-19

By: Sumera Garcia-Quadri

After living in a city with the longest lockdowns in North America, and with pandemic restrictions that limited in-person recreation on and off for 2 years, getting back into regular physical fitness may not be as easy as we thought it would be…

I’m a fitness instructor and I found it difficult to go back to performing the physical activities I did before the pandemic. While our team ran online fitness programming for our members and benefited from participating in online classes as well, working out at home was not the same for me.

Due to physical/social distancing, I lost a great deal of momentum (i.e. I went from instructing several programs a week in-person to running all at home which meant there were fewer reasons for leaving the home). Government and public health officials discouraged us from leaving our homes unless it was for essential reasons. I also experienced weight gain due to the covid-19 baking trend and after my parent (my grandfather) died in the summer of 2021. And like so many, I was lacking the vital human connection and support that we as humans need to fuel and motivate our souls.

Once Toronto reopened fully in 2022, I was somewhat hesitant about going back to in-person group fitness and dance due to a fear of catching and spreading the virus, especially to my 80-yr grandmother who lives with me. Eventually, I got covid-19 twice in 5 months and I experienced long-term fatigue and exertion after a little exercise. I felt frustrated and unmotivated. It wasn’t until the spring of 2022 that I was able to exercise 3 to 4 days a week for about 45 to 60-minutes per session.

I started off with slow strength training classes at my local F45 training center. Once I was comfortable moving my body in a social setting again (outside of my bubble), I began walking every day and adding in moderate to high-impact cardio classes. I then got the confidence to instruct several kids’ classes a week in person with ease. Hence, I felt the effects of covid-19 both mentally and physically.

CSEP recommends 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic activities so that you can achieve optimal health. Typically there should be 3 to 4 days of cardio, 2 days of strength training, and 4 days of flexibility training. It is important, however, that you start off slowly to keep yourself from becoming overwhelmed and to reduce muscle and joint injuries.

Here are 5 ways to get back into physical fitness after covid-19

1. Enroll yourself in 1 weekly physical activity that you ENJOY (swimming, dance, hiking groups, skating, etc) - if you’re starting from scratch, taking 1 class a week is better than nothing!

2. Coffee walks - pick a fun coffee shop that’s at least 20-minutes away from your home/workplace/child’s school and walk to it (no driving or TTC).

3. Rediscover Toronto beaches and parks - choose one place a week. You can TTC it or drive there, but once you’re there, try to bike or walk briskly for at least 30-minutes while taking in the scenery.

4. Join a program or gym that is within walking distance from your home - not only will you help a local business recover from covid19 losses but attending a class in your area is convenient (a bonus is that you can go grocery shopping or grab a healthy dinner as a reward after class)

5. If you’re thinking of staying active from home or work, look for online dance/fitness classes - virtual classes may be around for a while to cater to those working remotely, vulnerable populations including older adults and moms and babies, and caregivers

Our team plans to return this Fall both in-person and online with 12-week dance fitness programs for women and girls. Please check out our schedules for more information on dates, times, and fees.

Remember, “it does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop” - Confucius

Sumera

DIY Valentine's Card Crafts - Kid & Adult Friendly!

DIY Valentine's Card Crafts - Kid & Adult Friendly!

By: Sumera Garcia-Quadri

There’s nothing sweeter than making a homemade card for someone special - especially during the extended lockdown in Toronto. So turn on your favorite song and let your creative juices flow!

NOTE: All of my shapes are made with a ruler or using kindergarten hacks - I encourage you to trace your shapes by hand as it encourages fine-tuning skills and creativity for kids. All cards are made from dollar store products and home supplies.

1. Glittery Lips Card - express yourself

What you need: 1 page of glitter paper, 1 page of colored card paper (stiff card), a hole paper punch, string or ribbon, 1 pencil, any colored marker, a ruler, scissors, or an Exacto knife.

How: use your ruler or imagination to draw a mouth on the glittery piece of paper. Then draw a smaller mouth inside of the larger mouth about an inch or 2 below. Using the scissors or Exacto knife, carefully cut around the larger mouth. Cut out the paper below the smaller mouth. Now you have a mouth/lips. Place the stencil on the other piece of paper and trace around the larger mouth with a pencil. Then cut out. Now you have 2 mouths. Put the glittery mouth on top of the other mouth and use the hole puncher to punch holes through both pieces on any side of the mouth. Slide a piece of string through to tie pieces together. Tie loosely so you can slide the pieces up and down.

You’re done - write your message inside the mouth and decorate with any pencils or stickers.

2. Hanging Message Heart Card - playful messaging

What you need: 1 piece of colored card paper (stiff card), a hole paper punch, any string, a message label, any colored marker, a ruler, scissors, or Exacto knife.

How: Fold your paper in half and draw half a heart. Then draw another half heart a few inches below the larger heart. Cut out the larger heart with the scissors or Exacto knife carefully. Then cut out the smaller heart. Now you have a heart frame. Use the hole puncher to punch a hole at the top of the heart. Slide a piece of string through the hole, add a message tag, and loosely tie the string so that the message hangs down like an ornament.

You’re done - write your message along the edges of the heart and decorate with any pencils or stickers.

Happy Valentine’s Crafting!

Sumera

making a heart stencil

making a heart stencil