Come out to CanTYD's Awards of Excellence on Sunday October 25, 5:30 PM @ Flato Markham Theatre

In 1998, seventeen post-secondary students and graduates across southern Ontario came together to tackle the issue of gang violence within the Canadian Tamil community. This resulted in the founding of the Canadian Tamil Youth Development Centre (CanTYD).

Over the years, CanTYD has worked with a variety of youth, including leadership youth and at-risk youth, supporting and connecting them with resources and continually impacted the lives Tamil youth across the GTA.

Although, violence and gang-related activities have decreased significantly in the Tamil community, other underlying issues that continue to plague the Tamil community have come to light. The most significant of these is mental health related issues. Mental health issues are deeply ingrained within the community due to the impact from the discrimination and war faced by Tamils in Sri Lanka, that occurred before immigration to Canada and other Western countries. These experiences have caused undetected consequences among the first generation Tamil, including depression, anxiety and PTSD issues.

Youth today, also face higher stress and anxiety levels than ever before, and in recent times severe depression and/or suicide. Due to the high level of stigma attached to mental health, often times these issues are left untreated and if acknowledged, kept as secrets. These issues require the existence of organizations that cater to the needs of Tamil youth and parents, who are able to provide support and resources and be sensitive to the cultural aspect of the community.

CanTYD is focused on supporting and empowering youth in the community, by providing both support and opportunities for building knowledge, skills and relationships and fostering an environment where individuals can develop and become successful.

Since its inception, CanTYD has held its key event, the Awards of Excellence gala annually, created to showcase the success of the Tamil youth in the community. The Awards of Excellence has been a great platform for youth to be recognized for their talents and hard work. The awards are presented for excellence in many areas, including but not limited to, academics, athletics, community work, multimedia, creative writing, visual arts and performing arts.

The event attracts many community members and youth each year, where they are able to network and form connections during the gala. The gala is then followed by the award ceremony, featuring performances by talented youth in the community.

The Awards of Excellence is also represented of how far the Tamil community has grown since their initial waves of immigration to Canada in the late eighties. The show provides a platform for the Medai Konal Improv Team, who tackle social issues, often controversial, in their performances during the award ceremony. Each year they bring new ideas and issues to light, opening up dialogue for conversations about topics ranging from violence to mental health.

The highlight of the event is the keynote speaker, a member from the community with an inspirational message. Over the years, Awards of Excellence has had the honour of hosting a variety of motivational and inspiring individuals, including our new Prime Minister, the Hon. Justin Trudeau. The speakers come from a wide variety of backgrounds and fields and many of them have gone various degrees of hardship before achieving success – a reality that youth can learn from or relate to when hearing these stories.

The Awards of Excellence continues to provide a platform and a source of recognition for the new generation of youth, even over fifteen years later. It is the ongoing success story of a small group of youth who came together and created a community of individuals committed to the growth and empowerment of our youth.

CanTYD’s Awards of Excellence will be held on Sunday October 25, 5:30 PM @ Flato Markham Theatre. You may purchase tickets here.

– Sangami Jeyachandran
Youth Outreach Worker