Seven passionate individuals won this year’s Get in the Way awards, United Way’s means of recognition of young adults doing outstanding work in their communities. Chaitali Bipin Chauhan was recognized for operating Youth Links, a Web site that provides support to children of immigrant professionals that are unable to find work in their respective fields.

During the now dubbed “Summer of the gun” in 2005, as the sound of guns rattled Toronto’s core and with 52 people dead, two people, a successful entrepreneur and a social worker from the Jane and Finch area, got together. Their goal: to eradicate gun violence among teens by helping them rise to their full potential. Last year, they devised Shoot With This, a non-governmental program through which troubled kids can get involved in making films and use that as a medium through which they could express themselves and tell their stories.

When they were 21, Canadians Jessica Lax and Jocelyn Land-Murphy took a trip to Kenya that left them angry about the inequities they witnessed and guilty over the ignorance of people about the situation. Refusing to stand idle and sharing the passion to be a part of the solution, they shortly launched The Otesha Project. This grassroots organization aims at empowering and educating others across North America to take action toward a sustainable future. Through school visits, bike tours, theatrical performances, multimedia presentations, and more, the organization helps others learn of ways to conserve resources and re-evaluate daily choices that will help make a difference long-term.

It’s no secret that so many youth today have great ideas for projects that can help make a positive difference in the lives of others. But many of these ideas remain stillborn. What if these youth just needed that extra push, a loyal mentor to guide them, and some resources to turn their ideas into reality? This is the purpose of DreamNow, a youth-led organization founded through a Web site that launched in 2003. Since its founding, youth from across Canada, the United States, Latin America, India, and elsewhere have started their own projects using the ideas of the mentors at DreamNow.

"All it takes is one action, to make one dream a reality." This is the motto for the Children's AIDS Health Program (CAIDSHP). Founded in 2005, the nonprofit organization was created by a group of youth dedicated to helping and educating youth about HIV and AIDS nationally and internationally.

We often assume we know enough about poverty. We know it is happening in third world countries, and we know it’s present in Toronto and surrounding areas. But according to Diana Vania, a Grade 11 student at Dr. John M. Denison Secondary School and an advocate against poverty, we do not truly grasp the fact that poverty can be eradicated.

Many teens dream of making a positive difference in their communities or on a global scale. But they often don’t know how to go about putting these ideas in action. Toronto based Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR) has created the Tools for Action educational resources to help students organize effective advocacy and fundraising campaigns in their schools on a variety of international development issues. CPAR has also designed Tools for Learning resources aimed at high school teachers so they can develop lesson plans to engage students in global issues. Find out what it takes to start making positive changes.

More so than ever, the daunting reality of global warming is revealing signs of epic proportions daily around the world. With the signs as prevalent as they are today, what could things look like in 10 to 15 years? Find out more on the reality of our environmental shifts and what they mean for the future.

Cab driver Nazir Ahmad has driven Members of Parliament to school assemblies and famous hockey players to night clubs. He has met kind people and arrogant people; those who tip well and those who don’t tip at all; people who choose to pay him and people who swing cab doors open and run like panthers. The issue of customers failing to pay their fare is a reality for many cabs drivers in Toronto, and it’s against the law.

On Sept. 13, 2006, Kimveer Gill marched into Montreal’s Dawson College, wounding 19 people and killing an 18-year-old. The incident left those at Dawson and other students and educators across the country shaken, and questioning the safety of their schools. Reporter Chris Glover investigated what measures the provincial government and school boards are taking to help prevent this type of incident from happening again.

Imagine yourself up at a podium in front of over 500 people. Lights reflect off the laminated sign you’ve brought up from your seat identifying you to the Assembly. Every person in the room is focused on what you’re about to say, sizing you up as you lay out the scribbled upon pieces of paper outlining your next argument in the debate on how the world should be run. This was the scene at the 12th annual Catholic Schools United Nations Assembly (CSUNA) held Nov. 20 - 22 at the Catholic Education Centre.

More than two-hundred thousand people dead. Over two million displaced from their homes. Hundreds of villages destroyed. Slavery, the systematic use of rape as a weapon of war, and the systematic denial of food. American politics and wars in the Middle-East dominate international media coverage, but the over three and a half year conflict in Darfur has failed to register much attention, tucked away in central Africa.

About two million children are estimated to currently be exploited through the multi-million dollar child sex trade industry. But one child exploited is one child too many. That’s the key motivator behind OneChild, a Canadian-based, non-governmental organization founded in July 2005 dedicated to the elimination of the commercial sexual exploitation of children. Founded by 20-year-old Cheryl Perera, OneChild is the only youth-driven organization of its kind.

Fashioning Change: A Youth Inspired Fashion Show engaged multicultural youth and helped in spreading the word on the HIV/AIDS pandemic. As a timeless icon, fashion is just one of the many ways to achieve immediate feedback from the community and reduce the spread; at least 40 million people across the globe are infected by HIV/AIDS, and yet there is no escaping the fact that everyone is somehow affected.

The impact of our mass consumption and developing waste is taking a crucial toll on our environment. It is noticeable in weather forecasts around the world and increasing tension around how even the average family manages its waste. Sometimes we get so caught up in the day-to-day routine of our lives that we miss the subtle hints that our environment is spiraling out of control. Find out what you can do so you don’t create a health hazard for yourself and others.

With a municipal election around the corner there will be many platforms that are pitched by running politicians to prove their worth. It is undoubtedly common that many of these officials will tote a youth banner, but how many are truly ‘for the youth’? Reporter Ali Zafar sat down with Toronto Mayor David Miller to discuss how youth can play a role in politics and in changing their lives.