We are currently running a Passion Project at Bryne Creek Secondary school in Burnaby, BC and it needs our communities support.

Please take a moment and view the details here.

Are you passionate about social change?

Passion Foundation is a unique Canadian charity created to greatly improve the lives of girls and young women 11-24 years of age to help them realize and live out their full potential. We provide project-based programs for girls to learn hands-on leadership skills to enhance their future.

Currently we are seeking two vibrant and extra-ordinary part time interns to assist for a six-month term.

While working with us you will have the opportunity to assist the Executive Director on the development of the organization, daily administration duties, as well as assist with community outreach.

Key responsibilities include directly working with the Executive Director 6-10 hours per week on organizational development including but not limited to:

• Business planning,
• Creating a community database,
• Setting up distribution lists,
• Building community relationships,
• Event planning and
• Report writing

Qualifications

• Currently a 3^rd or 4th^th year student in a CYCC/ CYW program, a student in Business or related field working toward a MA or MBA
• At least 3 years working in a community setting
• 1-2 years of administration experience
• Ability to problem solve quickly
• Strong time management and organizational skills
• Strong communication skills
• Strong editing and writing skills
• Strong computer skills: Microsoft Office
• Ability to work independently (remotely) as well as within a team
• A passion for community development

Deliverables

• Update and enhance business plan
• Create an easy-to-use community database
• Set up community distribution lists
• Build community network with organizations across British Columbia
• Create one small event with support of our advisors and volunteers
• Complete a report at end of internship

Benefits

• Get first hand knowledge on organizational development
• Extremely valuable real world skills to put on your resume
• Connection to our amazing network of business and community leaders
• Mention on our website and newsletter
• Upon successful completion a reference letter
• Flexibility in working from home/office

Please submit resume to info@passionfoundation.com with subject title Executive Intern by May 25, 2012 at 3pm

Every youth I’ve worked with over the last 11 years has had an impact on my life but a few of them truly stand out. One young woman in particular has showed me a thing or two about the realities of life.  Her name is Jade.

I met Jade in 2010 when I did a Passion Project in the Burnaby Youth Custody Center. She was a leader inside; there was no doubt about that.

She was harsh, scarred, and in your face and at other times dismissive. She had an infectious laugh and no stranger to street life. She’s the type of person that I automatically get really curious about. For many reasons we connected.

After our 8-10 week Passion Projects are completed I offer any girl who wants additional support/coaching the option to continue working with me. Jade automatically asked for more help. For the next 8 months I went at least 3 times a month to the prison for a visit with her. We’d work on whatever she wanted to work on. Sometimes it was goal setting around her school work, sometimes it was looking at options of work when she got on the “outs” and  sometimes it was me asking her questions and listening to her story. She challenged me as much as I challenged her. When she was moved to an adult facility (now 19) to complete the remainder of her four year sentence (she was denied parole) I continued to support her. Every month I go to see her. I drive an hour there, spend about one and a half hours with her and then drive home. She has no other visitors. We continue to talk about her possibilities in life. We continue to talk about her challenges. And we continue to work on bringing her potential into the world in a bigger, brighter way.

Last week we talked about Jade having her own blog on our website.  She’ll write me letters and we will post them for her. Her integration with a new world starts here.

She’s also given me permission to write about working with her.  I think it’s important that people see both sides of a coin before they make a judgement. In my eyes Jade and many many girls like her are miracles. Their stories is heart breaking and at times brutal but when ignited their spirit shines like no other.

I feel extremely privilege to do this line of work. For the last 11 years youth have let me in their deepest and most raw emotions,  and then share their inspiration with me. It is a sincere honour.

By sharing some of my experiences of working with Jade my hope is that people will see that EVERY girl is valuable, that there is hope and when girls feel purposeful beautiful things happen.

(Picture description: Jade has nine months left on her sentence. She currently spends part of her day working for the dog training and care program at the institution and the other part in a therapeutic development program. When she talks about the dogs she cares for her entire being lights up.)

Once a month I’ll update the blog with posts entitled “Working with Jade”

-Loretta

ED/ Founder

When girls learn something new the first thing they do is share it with others. We know that the world is changing and it’s up to our youth to make a difference for our future.

That’s why our Executive Director Loretta Cella and Tia Kelly are launching a journey to connect with 100 young women in the world.

Check it out!

Please take a moment to help us spread the word. Simply go here and make a pledge and share the link in your community.

Every pledge counts!

UPDATED:

We are so excited for the opportunity to partner and collaboration with many amazing Vancouver organizations to make this possible including.

Projecting Change Film Festival
Stratosphere International Community Education
Byrne Creek Community School
Intersections Media Opportunities for Youth Society

My name is Rahael Yohannes, I’m 19 years old. Just recently, I returned from the most amazing trip of my life; Ethiopia. I travelled there with my dad with the sole intent on visiting family I have never met before. From my Aunts and Uncles, all the way to my Grandparents. Being immersed in the culture and lifestyle at full blast was one of the most incredible experiences EVER! (more…)

What a remarkable year it has been for the Passion Foundation. We have so much to be grateful for and extend our appreciation to all our supporters and the young women who are doing so many great things in their communities. (more…)

Thanks to Reel Youth we were able to get three amazing videos into the United Way Care to Change contest this month.

Please take a moment and check out our videos and help the youth win by voting!

AGE OF VULNERABILITY
HER STORY
GOING NOWHERE

Prepare to be moved…. These youth are all under 18 years of age and passionate about sustainability

passionTOaction sustainability video for Care to Change Contest

passionTOaction sustainability video for Care to Change Contest

passionTOaction sustainability video for Care to Change Contest

Special thanks to Mark and the Reel Youth team for sharing this great opportunity!

Earlier this year we started a new pilot project called passionTOaction (p2a) thanks to our amazing volunteer Jenn McRae.

We’ve highlighted some of their journey in our Vancouver Observer articles as these girls are really taking their leadership to the next level and it’s something that needs to be shared with our beautiful city.

Recently the girls from p2a were given an amazing opportunity to take part in the Love Vancouver Festival.

Marie-Claire and Hannah shared this video from their experiences at LVF. Oh! Did we mention their amazing blog?

Today three of the girls: Laura, Marie-Claire and Hannah met Loretta Cella, Passion ED at Lunapads where Madeleine Shaw shared her story of starting Lunapads and why their amazing products make a difference in this world and in the lives of girls and women around the world.

We can’t thank people like Madeleine and all the other volunteers enough for sharing their experiences and energy with the p2a team. As well at Vancouver organizations like Gordon Youth Search Employment Programs for donating space each week.

The p2a girls are also taking part in an incredible new tv series on SHAW cable called Good for You, Good for the Earth with our fabulous Passion Board Member Lori Petryk. Stay tuned for details!

We all know how important it is to know our personal space right? But how often do we actually take time to look at what our personal space (aka comfort zone) looks like? What it means to us? And how we can use the awareness of our personal space and other people’s space to build positive relationships as well as keep harm away from us.

There are all kinds of statistics out there about the high percentages of girls and young women who experience abuse and violence. Today we were shown a stat that 1 in 8 girls are sexually assaulted before the age of 18. And the average age of a woman who enters into prostitution in Canada is 12-14 years old. That’s real. We also know that when a girl feels confident in who she is and is socially connected in a positive way the percentages go down and she more likely she is to ask for help if something does happen.

So instead of just talking about it, a group of girls in Vancouver got to design their personal space, talk about what it means, and shared with their peers how it changes based on how they were feeling. They even got to take their personal space and share it with others as they moved around the room. They were able to determine how it changed as they encountered some of the others in the room (bigger or smaller) and how they’re emotions accompanies the change.

Essentially Passion Projects build life literacy. Passion Projects are ways that girls really get to know who they are, what they want, and how to bring positive community together to make it all happen! They provide girls a safe space to build their potential from the inside out!

Check out some of their designs. You can imagine how fun the dialogue was and how empowering it was for the girls to own their space and bring that space in their community.