Before We Break...

As the last exams get written, essays get typed and gifts get wrapped the DTTO MOB Leadership Team would like to wish you and your family an incredible holiday season! We are so proud of all your achievements in these first few months of the year! From your We Day swagger to your hemp bracelet-making skills you truly blow us away and we're so excited to continue working with you guys and seeing your ideas become a reality in the new year!

Before we disperse however, we'd like to share a little video of some of the amazingness you guys created this Saturday at Improv In Toronto's Gifts For Strangers event. Princess Diana once said that each of us should "Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you." Our MOBilizers truly exemplified this generous spirit this weekend and we look forward to seeing and hearing about all the amazing things you're up to in January! So check out the video below and we'll see you in the new year for much more amazing MOBilizing fun!


http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=183405968422455&set=vb.130889627014194&type=2&theater


HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
The DTTO MOBilizers Leadership Team

PS: Don't forget to contact us if you have any outstanding Vow of Silence or Hemp4Haiti money!

Hemp-y Holidays From The DT TO MOB!

Every time we update this blog we get a chance to tell the world how stellar you guys are and today is no exception. In fact, today's blog is an epic example of why the Downtown Toronto MOBilizers are so fantastic!

On Saturday, December 10th we got to see so many epic (MOB)ilizer ideas get put into action! Our Holidays For Haiti event this year is selling hemp bracelets in order to raise money to provide a six month school lunch program to Terre Casse, the Haitian village all 31 MOB cities are supporting this December! This idea was brought to us by our very own Ryan back at our MOB kick off in September and we're super stoked to see how it turns out! If you need any help making your bracelets, check out the awesome video he posted on our group, or contact the leadership team!

We also saw the introduction of our Change4Change jar, suggested by Kas! This jar will be chilling at all our MOB events from now until the end of the year, so feel free to drop your loose nickels and dimes and watch as our donations soar! This month, all our money collected will go to Terre Casse, but come January on, all your spare change will bring us one step closer to developing sustainable change in Llullin Totoras, Ecuador!

This Saturday we also heard from Ellen, who brought in a pretty cool petition about restricting sweatshop labour goods from being sold in the Canadian marketplace. For those of you who came out on Saturday and got to hear Free The Children speaker, Bria talk about Iqbal Masih, the young child labourer who inspired Craig Kielburger to start Free the Children, you'll know how important it is that this bill gets passed. For more information check out http://peterjulian.ndp.ca/post/news-in-the-house-tabling-of-private-members-bill-c-378-an-act-to-prohibit-sweatshop-labour-goods and contact Ellen about signing and bringing the petition into your own schools!

Finally, the last idea brought to our attention is the basis of our Saturday December 17th event! This Saturday will be your opportunity to submit any Holidays for Haiti money you may have collected as well as join us in handing out small gifts to strangers in Toronto with the group Improv In Toronto. For more information, please check your emails for the details about this awesome event suggested to us by Julia and Cassandra!

We are so proud of each and every one of you guys! Feel free to keep sending your ideas our way and we will see you all on Saturday!

MAD MOB LOVE!

THE DTTO (MOB)ILIZERS LEADERSHIP TEAM

♥

Bienvenido a Llullin!

Vow of Silence is only a week away and we're super stoked to see all those numbers changing on our fundraising page! We currently have only 15% of our fundraising goal raised and we wanna make sure that we meet our goal of $2000 so if you haven't joined our team yet, make sure you do it now by following this link!

http://my.e2rm.com/TeamPage.aspx?TSID=341647&langPref=en-CA

Now we at the DT TO MOB leadership team wanted to give you all an idea of just where all our money this year is going. Our MOB village this year is Llullin Totoras in the Chimborazo province of Ecuador. It is the least developed of all of Free The Children's communities in Ecuador, but as a MOB we have made a collective commitment to change that! 

Ecuador is a beautiful country that faces extreme poverty, especially in rural areas like Llullin where over 70% of the communities are affected by poverty. Together, we can change that by raising money to develop our village by using Free The Children's Adopt-A-Village model!

What is Adopt-A-Village?

The Adopt-A-Village model is FTC's holistic approach to development and focuses on the Four Pillars of Sustainability, which are...

Water

Health

Education

Alternative Income

This model is at work in 7 countries including Ecuador! To find out more about the Four Pillars, please visit http://www.freethechildren.com/whatwedo/international/

As of Spring 2011, MOBilizers across the country were able to built 2 schools, and another 2 classrooms were already under construction! This means that together we were able to give 558 children an education in Llullin! But with over 1.7 million child labourers in Ecuador, our work is far from done!

This year Downtown Toronto MOB along with several other MOB cities are working to further make a difference in Llullin Totoras! So keep repping our cause to everyone you know and share those Vow Of Silence links as we work towards creating positive change in Ecuador! Who knows, one day you might take a trip to Ecuador and see all the AMAZING things we're doing to make a difference!

MAD MOB LOVING!

DTTO MOB Leadership Team :)

PS: Make sure you save the date for December 10th for a brand new MOB event you won't want to miss!!! 

Silent Cities

WOW!

We are so impressed with the amazing turnout of (MOB)ilizers for Silent Cities in Toronto today!

(MOB)ilizers from Hamilton, Guelph, Scarborough, Mississauga and our very own DT TO MOB met up at Allan Gardens early this morning and marched down to Yonge and Dundas Square for an incredible Silent Cities demonstration!

Our (MOB)ilizers truly exemplified what the MOB is all about today as we stood in solidarity with all those denied a voice in our world. People off the street came to talk to FTC staff about Vow and help complete the "Wall of Silence". A few even joined in and stood, X's over their mouths among us! One man even made his own sign to silently show his support and tell us that "You Are All AWESOME!" 

THIS is what the MOB is about, empowering those around us to make a difference through our example! Even Santa Claus came to take a picture in the Silent Cities Toronto Photobooth! (don't believe me? LIKE http://www.facebook.com/iamsilent and check it out!)

After breaking the silence with Michel Chikwanine, we got a chance to mingle with some FTC friends and add our cards to the Wall of Silence as well as break into an impromptu We Day Dance party!

Finally, after 2 hours standing out in the cold, the MOB headed back to the Me To We Store for some pizza, hot chocolate and a chance to talk to two infinitely inspiring individuals! Michel Chikwanine shared some amazing stories about his experience as a child soldier in the Congo as well as some stories about his experiences as a Me To We Speaker, while Robin Wiszowaty told us about Free the Children's work with the Kisaruni all-girls high school in Kenya as well as the famine situation in the Horn of Africa. We also got a chance to  show Robin how to play Ninja, which always makes for a fun time! 

All in all it was an incredible day to promote the Vow of Silence as well as meet (MOB)ilizers from across Ontario and learn about the issues we are silent for. 

If you still haven't joined our team for the Vow Of Silence on November 30th, please sign up at http://my.e2rm.com/TeamPage.aspx?TSID=341647&langPref=en-CA 

and keep your eyes out for more events and campaigns to come!

MUCH LOVE FROM YOUR FREE THE CHILDREN (MOB)ILIZERS!

Happy Halloween For Hunger!

WOW!
(MOB)ilizers you blow our MINDS!
Collectively we have raised over 10,000 cans to donate to local food banks! Think of all the people who are going to be able to go to bed with full tummies tonight thanks to your INCREDIBLE support of this campaign!

We at the DTTO MOB leadership team are so beyond proud of all your hard work and dedication! And we know how proud your communities are of you guys too because we've heard from countless groups about how excited their neighbors were to see such passionate young people spending their Halloween helping others! One woman kept the Pod 4 team chatting for 15 minutes about how to get her community more involved in the campaign for next year!
We've heard so many of your incredible stores and would love to share some highlights! For full stories from a bunch more of our groups, check out our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/dttomobilizers !


"Hunger Busters" (Richmond Hill): One of the team’s highlights was the generous amount of support this year! Full bags of canned goods from many houses had been readied for us to collect. By bonding with the people in the area for the last three years, we have now become a regular sighting for many residents on Halloween night. The Halloween for Hunger initiative has definitely raised awareness about starvation and famine not just on the global scale, but also locally.


Tessa (Wellington): Two friends and I went trick or treating in Ashgill Gardens subdivison in Wellington, Ontario (2 and a half hours away) It was so much fun, and all our backs hurt this morning from our heavy backpacks! I was shocked by the support we received. 159 non perishable goods were our total, and I will bringng them to my local Wellington food bank. 

Celeste (Bayview and York Mills): One woman, who, might I add, hadn't even noticed the business card-sized reminders we handed out, had a whole box of delicious canned goods ready to hand us. A few houses later, we had already filled two wagons and a shopping cart (that my local grocery store kindly let us borrow for the night) and had to call our parents' car around for a drop-off. Every giving house that followed ignited our enthusiasm and by the end of the night we were running in between houses. Two and a half hours later, sweaty, tired and accomplished, six toddlers in tiaras reached the end of their route, home. Hot chocolates in hand, we counted a total of exactly 200 items of food! We can't wait to get them to the good people of the North York Harvest Food Bank.


Alex, Asha & Wendy (Coxwell and Danforth): Everyone had a great time and most people reacted very positively to our campaign! Everyone benefited through this campaign. The most powerful moment was when all the cans were in the front foyer and we saw what a difference just the 25 of us could make, by giving up one night of the year to help the less fortunate memebers of our community! We can't wait until next year!

Natasha (Woodbridge): Many people in the Woodbridge area were very generous and gave us many cans and unperishable food items. We were going from door to door with a wagon and we had to empty it several times. I believe we sent out the message that we want to make a difference in today's society and that we want to help people who are in need. Everyone I went with was so pleased with the outcome that they said they couldn't wait to do it again next year.

Madi (Whitby): We went around Whitby collecting non-perishable food items, and ended up collecting an amazing 150 items. Some highlights of the night were dragging around our wagon full of cans and attracting people, who then brought us food items, and when people would chase us down the street with their food items they didn't give us when we asked them at the door. The overall highlight of the night was when people would compliment on what a great thing we were doing, and were genuinely happy to donate their non-perishable food. We will be bringing our donations to our school, All Saints Catholic Secondary School, and they will take it from there bringing it to shelters.

Make sure you guys all check out the Facebook page and continue submitting your numbers and stories! We'll keep posting them there as they come in! We love you guys and are so thoroughly impressed by your efforts! Remind us to give you all huge high-5s when we see you next on November 13th for our epic Silent Cities demonstration! Remember to sign up and start fundraising with these links: 

http://my.e2rm.com/TeamPage.aspx?TSID=341647&langPref=en-CA 

http://silenttoronto-estw.eventbrite.com/

More details will be coming later and for anyone who loves art and has no plans for this Friday, feel free to come check out Art For Vow at the Me To We Store!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=117926428317037

So crazy impressed by you all!

MAD MOB LOVING and we'll see you soon!

The DTTO MOB Leadership Team <3

Extra! Extra! Read All About All The New DT TO MOB Updates!

There has been a lot of stuff happening since our kickoff!

Vancouver We Day was on October 13th and one of our awesome MOB leads Lindsey attended and got to see amazing speakers like Shaq, Mia Farrow and Mikhail Gorbachev and hear performances from Hedley, Down With Webster and of course, Mr. Swagger himself, Shawn Desman! If you weren't able to watch the show online, never fear, highlights from both We Day Toronto and Vancouver will be airing on October 30th at 7pm on MuchMusic and on November 26th at 7pm on CTV!

We also had Pod 4 complete their One Day, One Night: We Won't Take A Bite event on October 15th at High Park! Check out some amazing shots Celeste took throughout the event!

We also welcomed a new member to our leadership team, Julia! You guys will all get a chance to meet this awesome girl super soon because...

On Saturday, October 29th, the remaining 3 Pods will be having their One Day One Night event at the Me To We Store from 1-5! It's going to be an awesome day so RSVP with any of the MOB Leadership team and we hope to see you there!

We'd also like to update you on the latest in our social media news! The DT TO MOBilizers "friend" page will be deleted in the next couple of days as we have instead set up a community Page where you can "like" us and encourage your friends to "like" us to! We feel this will be a more effective means of communication so please like us at http://www.facebook.com/dttomobilizers

We also have a Twitter now so follow us at http://twitter.com/DTTOmobilizers

LASTLY! Make sure you all are marking your calenders for our HUGE Silent Cities event on November 13th! Sign up here and encourage everyone you know to come and join us! 

http://silenttoronto-estw.eventbrite.com/

Super stoked to see you all on the 29th for One Day One Night, the 31st for Halloween For Hunger and the 13th for Silent Cities!

GET EXCITED DT TO MOB!

Mad Lovin' From Your Leadership Team!

-Daniela, Lindsey, Zoe and Julia!

OUR MOB-TASTIC MONTH AHEAD

Your MOB leadership team has a lot to be thankful for this long weekend and the main reason why is because we have TWO more events to share with you this month!!!

In the next few days you will be receiving an email from your "Pod Lead". These pods are mini-groupings of MOBilizers based on their location in the city who will be coming together for certain events, such as One Day, One Night: We Won't Take A Bite and Halloween For Hunger!

The first of these, One Day, One Night: We Won't Take A Bite is going to be a hunger fast that we are doing as a MOB in order to increase our number of can donations for local food banks. Our entire MOB will be fasting from 5pm Friday October 14th until 5pm Saturday October 15th. During this time, if you wish, you can ask for pledges  from your family and friends and on Saturday we will be gathering in our pods to do some activities and collect some more cans and just generally have some more MOB-bonding time, which is always a great time :)

But you may ask, why are we collecting cans so early? Halloween For Hunger isn't until October 31st?


Well my friends, our two October events mark the beginning of the TORONTO MOB POD CHALLENGE !!!!!


Basically, we're going to be keeping track of which pods collect the most food over the course of the month and the winning pod will get a special surprise from your leadership team! Sound cool? YOU BET IT DOES!


So guys enjoy your long weekend and make sure you keep checking your emails and Facebook for more info about the awesome MOB times ahead <3

MAD MOB LOVING!
-Zoe, Lindsey, Gaby and Daniela


PS: We are loving the posts on our Facebook wall (especially Asha and Alex's llama song!) Keep posting away! Also wanted to give a shout out to Ryan and Asha for sharing links to two projects being supported in the Aviva Community Fund! Let's help our fellow MOBilizers out by voting for...


...Healing Hearts http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf11708
and
...Spread The Love http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf11505

You can vote once a day until the contest closes on October 19th so show them some love and get voting! Keep sharing your stories and please keep us updated and let us know what you guys are doing to change the world! :) YOU ROCK OUR SOCKS DT TO!

KICKOFF= SUCCESS!

Thank you so much for all the people who came out to our DT TO MOB kickoff on Saturday! It was a huge success and we were so glad to have the chance to meet all of you!

For those of you who weren't able to come down, here's a little recap!

We started the day off with some snacks and intros including the ever interesting, Two Truths and A Lie game :)

It was really cool to hear about all the amazing things our (Mob)ilizers have done. We heard about your pet llamas, cloud walks and interviews with the Jonas Brothers as well as got to know this year's MOB Leadership Team better too! 

Next came a visit from 2/3 of our lovely BaseCamp staff! Natasha and Kevin stopped by to talk a little bit about their role at Free The Children and our MOB Village, Llullin Totoras in Ecuador.

After that, our first special guest arrived! Michel Chikwanine, Me To We Speaker and all around inspirational human being stopped by the Me To We Store to greet the DT TO MOB and share a little bit of his story with us. 

Afterwards, we started discussing MOB Calender and all the fantastic things the MOB has planned for this year! We heard some amazing ideas and are super excited about putting them all into action! If you have any ideas you'd like to share with the MOB, please let us know! Shoot us an email at dt.to.mobilizers@gmail.com or post on our Facebook! We want to know what YOU want to do to make a difference! You will also be receiving an email with info about your Core Team and MOB Leads! Be sure to connect with us and let us know your plans! This month we will be organizing events for One Day, One Night: We Won't Take A Bite and Halloween For Hunger! Let us know what YOU want to see happen for these events and let's work together to make them a reality!

After saying goodbye to some of our team, the remaining (Mob)ilizers headed out to the park where we played an intense game of Lava Pit, sharing laughs, smiles...and a few falls. Overall it was a great bonding experience and we had a fantastic time trying to figure out the best way to bring the team across the "lava" :)

Afterwards, although most (Mob)ilizers had left, our second special guest arrived late with gifts of ice cream sandwiches for all! Marc Kielburger dropped by the Store to say how proud he was of all of us and how excited he is to hear about the amazing things DT TO MOB has in the works!

It was a fantastic day and we were so glad to share it with all of you! Thanks to Michel and Marc for stopping by and we can't wait to see you all for One Day, One Night: We Won't Take A Bite!

MUCH MOB LOVE!

-Lindsey, Zoe, Daniela and Gaby

WELCOME 2011-2012 MOBILIZERS

HELLO DOWNTOWN TORONTO MOBILIZERS!

It's so amazing to have all of you joining our MOB this year! We know you're all super passionate about creating lasting change and are STOKED to hear about all your incredible ideas!

Which is why....

WE can't wait to meet YOU!

On October 1st we'll be having our very first MOB event of the year and it's going to be EPIC!!!!


We can't wait to meet all of you for the very first time and truly start building the community that is the Mobilizers. Because, MOB isn't just a bunch of kids who want to get some stuff to put on their resume. MOB is a group of crazy passionate, crazy cool, crazy dedicated youth who want to create lasting change locally and globally. MOB is about making connections, making a difference, and making a family. Because we aren't just one MOB. We are a part of a movement of 31+ cities across Canada and the US. We are a part of a network of change makers making a difference in Toronto, in Haiti, in Ecuador, etc. We are empowered, committed and just plain awesome individuals and we just can't wait to get this year's party rocking!

So here's what you need to know...
WHO: DT TO MOB!
WHAT: MOB KICKOFF PARTY!
WHEN: OCTOBER 1ST FROM 2PM TO 8PM!
WHERE: THE ME TO WE STORE 223 CARLTON STREET
WHY: TO START THE YEAR OFF RIGHT!
HOW: BY BRINGING A PEN, PAPER, SOME TASTY FOOD AND YOURSELVES!

Keep checking your emails as details about the event day will be sent out shortly. This email will be VERY IMPORTANT so make sure you keep checking regularly!

But hey, don't wait for the Kickoff to start making a difference!
Check out www.weday.com and share in the epicness that is We Day all year round!
And also add the DT TO Mobilizers on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002960041060
We love making new friends! RSVP to the event, share with us some stories or comments on our Wall, we'd love to get to know you better!

That's all for now folks, hope to see you real soon at Kickoff!

MUCH MOB LOVE
Lindsey, Zoe and Daniela

Paparazzi

MOBILIZERS!!!!

Thank you to everyone who came out to Kindness Day - what an amazing day! You guys were all superstars - in fact a week later I was outside of Toronto meeting with some educator and one of them was telling me about this amazing group of young people she saw last Sunday in Nathan Philips Square who were giving out free hugs...

That's right your actions were remembered, you made people smile, laugh and have a truly great day.

Here are some amazing photos compliments of Daniela!

http://s652.photobucket.com/albums/uu242/dani1394/MOB%20Random%20Acts%20of%20Kindness%20Community%20Event/

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TOP SECRET (not really): 

At the beginning of April we will be hosting a star-studded benefit concert to raise enough money for our MOB village in Ecuador! Exact details TBA but here is a sneak preview:

- Amazing Bands

- Top Notch Venue

- Over 500 people in attendance 

- Many many many surprise...

PEACE and L O V E

Calvin Mitchell and the T- DOT Core Team 

We are back now let's move the masses!

We have missed you all, it has been way to long - but no fear this spring is going to be A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!

This Sunday February 13th, 2011 from 1pm-4pm we will be having a Kindness Day in Nathan Philips Square with the Toronto MOB!

Please meet there during that time, wear Me to We Style or MOB shirts if you have them :)

We will be spreading the kindness through:
- Free hot chocolate
- Free hugs (bring your posters)
- Free face painting
- Free tattoos
- Inspirational Quotes
- And many random acts of Kindness

Please please some out an bring friends!

Peace and Love,
See you Sunday if you have any question e-mail calvin.mitchell@metowe.com