The workshop had participants donate money to attend in an effort to raise funds for the centre's Miss Media Mentorship program. Launched last year, the 18-week mentorship program pairs girls aged 9-13 with older mentors to help them develop their media literacy and to create their own media projects.
The YWCA partnered with Toronto social media marketing company
Green Lotus to put on the event. The idea for the donate and learn workshops comes courtesy of Green Lotus founder Bassem Ghali.
"Bassem knows the kinds of work we do and is a supporter of the YWCA," says Steph Guthrie, senior communications officer with the YWCA. "He wanted to use his skills and networks to pack a room full of people to the point where he could make a significant contribution to the organization."
Ghali, who also facilitated the workshop, helped the YWCA to book two big-name guest speakers for last night's event: John Shehata of ABC News and Sally Chung of Google Canada.
The plan--to use the donate and learn format to raise money for the Miss Media program--was an unquestionable success. Last night's workshop sold out, packing the YWCA's 200-person auditorium.
"I think a big part of the popularity of these events [the first social media donate and learn also sold out] is the combination of a useful workshop, charitable giving and the fact that it makes charitable giving more accessible to young people," says Guthrie. "Everyone who came had to make a minimum donation of 20 bucks, which made the event accessible to people at all stages in their career."
While the first donate and learn event, held last December, went to support the YWCA's adopt-a-family program, this time the organizers opted for a program that was more directly related to the kinds of issues discussed at the workshop.
"Miss Media helps girls develop skills and capacity to make media and also to analyze how mass media impacts women and girls," says Guthrie. "Each cohort will be creating a plan to use social and traditional media in positive and constructive way.
"The program really falls right in line with the subject of the workshop."
Writer: Katia Snukal
Source: Steph Guthrie, YWCA