With its three-year funding window narrowing, downtown Toronto organization UforChange is looking for new ways of keeping its program running at full steam.
The organization has set down roots in St. James Town, offering arts, educational, cultural, life skills and other programming to help youth meet their potential. With federal funding coming in at $1 million per year over each of the past three years, UforChange has managed to reach out to countless youth.Now, however, that funding is set to be reduced by an as-yet-undetermined - but likely substantial - amount when the pilot project ends at the end of March, which could result in changes to the services offered without additional funds."We don't want to be the circus that comes to town for three years and then packs up and leaves," said Sean Roman of UforChange. "We'll still be here and we still have our space and our equipment, but we're still trying to figure out the transition and see what we can offer."The organization is spearheading an online campaign looking for donations, with many of the youth who use UforChange programs taking an active role through social media and other online means. The plan, Roman said, is to maintain the strong network of partners and volunteers the organization has built over the past three years in hopes of maintaining as many of the same programs as possible."We're moving on like it's business as usual," he said.While UforChange has predominantly offered arts education, it has provided other services to youth in St. James Town, from community-building to the community's first ever education fair in which local youth were able to drop by and learn about colleges and universities in Toronto.The organization is applying for grants and reaching out to the public and corporate sectors while continuing to network with those who have seen first-hand the impact it has had on the community.UforChange is also planning some fundraising events, with a tentative plan to hold a bike rally from Toronto to Ottawa in July."Right now, we've got a great team of people working on sustainability," Roman said. "We're also talking to the artists who have worked with us to see if they'd be willing to volunteer a little more time."For more information on UforChange or to make a donation, visit www.uforchange.org or call 647-348-0901.