Nobody Puts DAREarts Kids in the Corner

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - March 5, 2014) - DAREarts

Editor's note: There are two photos associated with this press release.

The poverty of expectation: what do our kids need from us? They need to know that we expect the best from them, and that they must expect the best from us. We as a community sometimes fail spectacularly to fulfil our kids' needs. Besides providing them with adequate food, shelter and safety, what can we do to close the opportunity gap for Toronto's kids and their families? How can we teach them to expect nothing but the best for and of themselves?

On March 6, at 7pm, the community will come together to celebrate the work of their children, as they have for the past eighteen years. Over 250 kids from 17 Etobicoke schools will teach their parents what they've learned over the past six weeks.

DAREarts has been equipping DAREarts kids with the option to opt out of destructive behaviour and expectations of failure. Children and youth are daring themselves to succeed by accessing their passion for the arts through the programming that DAREarts provides. The kids create their own mandate for a prosperous future. "I didn't know what prosperity meant until this afternoon." Words from a grade five student, "I am DAREarts because I made an effort to guess what it meant, and even though I was wrong, I learned to understand the importance of it."

Our kids and youth have described how they often are cornered by bullies, drug dealers and other threats between their schools and their front doors. They deserve to have the expectation of safety from their community. But until that can be achieved, they need the confidence to follow their own paths to success.

This year, the DARE2sing Program asked kids from three Etobicoke area public schools to volunteer their lunch hours for weeks to gather for singing lessons and to form a choir. This was made possible through a partnership with Toronto Cultural Services and TDSB. Since January, the kids have been learning to breathe, to fill their lungs and sing with confidence and passion. The inspirational songs they chose range from a beautiful Hebrew folk song to an anthem written by Webequie FN youth and Glenn Marais called "Spirit of the North."

The evening will double the positive impact on the community this year. The first portion will be a special showcase of the DARE2sing program: the DAREarts Choir and ROC (Rexdale Outreach Choir)! Be prepared for an emotional ride and a wall of sound. Their voices will demand the rest of us to reach their expectations of excellence.

Here's a little futuristic projection: these kids are going to stay in school. They're going to go on to secondary school. They're going to become leaders in their communities, and create a safe world for their own children. And nobody's going to put them in a corner.

DAREarts is a Canadian not-for-profit organization, which stands for "Discipline, Action, Respect, Responsibility and Excellence in Education". DAREarts' 5-year program works with 9-14 year olds from schools in high-priority neighbourhoods, empowering them to become leaders. Visit www.darearts.com for more information about DAREarts. Visit http://www.darearts.wordpress.com for up-to-date sharing of their experiences.

DAREarts thanks its lead supporter, Northbridge Insurance, and the Ontario Arts Council and Ontario Trillium Foundation.

To view the photos associated with this press release, please visit the following links:

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