“As a placement student at Shining Lighte Youth Charity I gained a lot of experience working with youth and children. My main client was a wonderful young man who was blind. Working with him taught me many life lessons. In addition to that I gained a lot of knowledge on how to organize a charity, programming, financial literacy and information about my own heritage. I had such an amazing experience at Shining Lighte Youth Charity. The founder of the charity has such an amazing heart and understands every situation. I would really recommend that anyone interested in completing their placement hours for college and working in the social service / Child and Youth field contact them. In my opinion this would be the best place to go.”

“Thank you so much for presenting the award and its true motivation for Rishik and all the kids. I am sure these kids will do best thing in future. The gift is meant for Rishik and we are honoured to be part of the presentation. The message police officers are meant for Rishik and he is proud. With all said Thanks again Mam such nice things you are doing this for society”

During my time volunteering with the Shining Lighte Youth Charity, I had the pleasure of being a part of the Understanding the Opposite Sex Workshop. This panel was very informative and allowed me to get a different perspective of what I connected to closely as the black experience from an older generations side. The panel was for understanding the opposite sex, but I also believe it was beneficial in also seeing the older perspective. Since at the time a lot of the concepts and questions that were discussed, I was able to relate to and have an understanding of “maybe that’s why my mom/dad acted like this”. You come to understand that a lot of these situations are generational, so you don’t necessarily feel isolated in the experience because I feel at some point 1/3 of the people in the room had the same experience as you did.

Volunteering with Shining Lighte Youth Charity was the most informative panel I have been to thus far. I was opened up to concepts about black youth, discussions from older black individuals, and the challenges faced by black men and women. How they are perceived from each sex and much more. In a way I felt empowered to express my true thoughts and didn’t feel the need to silence because that is what I've known and been told to do. Not only had the panel helped me become more comfortable and confident in my own identity; the panel has also mobilized me to share what I've learned to others so they may feel transformed as well. I hope to attend more panels in the future as I believe there is a lack of informed black youths who would be willing to learn.

My time at the Shining Lighte Youth Charity event was an insightful and enjoyable experience. From the moment I stepped in I was welcomed with a supportive community and surrounded by passionate people. Learning and relating to others who go through similar issues present in my current life made me feel seen and it was helpful hearing the opinions and different perspectives from not only the panel but the audience as well. I enjoyed the fact that each question and comment were answered genuinely and respectfully. This event truly helped me reach out and network; especially for university. Having several students and faculty present was great for someone who was about to transition to a new life at school and meeting others who have experience was really beneficial. This event was captivating, inspiring, and overall, a great time.