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WELCOME Welcome to I Have Hope In The Fight Against AIDS, formerly known as Student Reach International. Since the summer of 2010, Student Reach International has been planning this transition to rebrand and refocus our youth engagement efforts onto a specific cause - HIV/AIDS. By empowering youth through education, awareness, and partnership, I Have Hope aims to make a significant contribution to the fight against AIDS. Please browse this website to learn more about our current projects and contact us to get involved!

PROJECT NEWS On December 1st, 2011, I Have Hope test-screened our film "Start With Us" at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto. Currently, we are applying for acceptance into various film festivals. Inspired by the film, a group of students at Centennial C.V.I. in Guelph and various donors have decided to assist in our next project, Connect Cambodia. This next project focuses on a partnership with an organization called Raise and Support the Poor while also developing an educational video resource uncovering HIV/AIDS in this Asian country. Learn more on the Projects page!

TEAM SPOTLIGHT On December 1st, 2011, at the test-screening of "Start With Us", Justin Trudeau was unable to deliver an opening speech. Committed to supporting I Have Hope, he created a video message for the audience and also sat down with Abid Virani to discuss the film and youth engagement in Canada. The sit down conversation can be seen on our videos page.While not every supporter can be named, I Have Hope truly believes that each supporter is inherently part of our team. Whether it is contributions of finances, resources, time, etc., I Have Hope thanks you for your continued support!

NEW WEBSITE I Have Hope is excited to launch this new, interim website. Throughout the next year, many changes and additions will be made to increase interaction and enhance your time on iHaveHope.ca. If you are interested in assisting in graphic design or web development for I Have Hope In The Fight Against AIDS, please visit the Contact page and let us know!

WELCOME
PROJECT NEWS
TEAM SPOTLIGHT
NEW WEBSITE

ABOUT

GENERAL
HISTORY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
BOARD OF ADVISERS

GENERAL

About I Have Hope

I Have Hope is a registered Canadian charity (84955 5719 RR0001) dedicated to empowering and educating youth to engage as global citizens. I Have Hope is committed to global development, specifically surrounding the issue of HIV/AIDS and the role youth play in it. With a variety of projects, I Have Hope uses an overarching strategy designed to empower, educate, and engage youth in the global fight against AIDS. Each of our projects aims to connect to our three strategic areas of emphasis.

Asking Questions

I Have Hope is determined to ask questions about global development and HIV/AIDS that are often overlooked. Our work with youth in Canada involves creating atmospheres whereby every single question is valued and can be explored.

Creating Dialogue

I Have Hope is excited to create organic learning opportunities for youth. This involves creating dialogue not only amongst youth, but cross-generationally as well. Our future plans involve developing online opportunities to have valuable discussions about global development issues.

Reaching Out

Deeply engrained in our objectives is reaching as many youth as possible. The results of asking questions and creating dialogue are in reaching out. With a focus on long-lasting impacts, this third area of emphasis involves educational resource development and online engagement campaigns.

HISTORY

I Have Hope's History

In 2007, six high school students founded Student Reach International as an organization dedicated to providing students with humanitarian opportunities. As an original campaign, SRI joined six schools together and raised enough funds to sponsor the construction of a school in Kenya, which was achieved in partnership with Free the Children. From 2008 onwards, Student Reach International funded and installed a water filtration system for an orphanage in Tanzania called IMUMA, supported a women's empowerment initiative in South Africa, and contributed to medical support in Lesotho, a country devastated by the AIDS pandemic. Throughout 2009, SRI developed and launched Reach Lesotho, an academic program focused on educating Canadian youth about issues in human rights. The culminating aspect involved an exposure trip to Lesotho where our Canadians were partnered with Basotho high school students. To learn more about Reach Lesotho, visit our projects pageIn 2010, with advice from Marc Kielburger, Student Reach International began focusing energy onto one specific cause, the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. In March of 2011, Student Reach International was renamed and rebranded as I Have Hope In The Fight Against AIDS. Two of the original founding members of Student Reach International are currently leading I Have Hope; Abid Virani as C.E.O. and Fred Yin as Chairman of the Board. To learn more about the leadership team at I Have Hope, click on the Board of Directors page.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors at I Have Hope are responsible for the overall guidance of the charity. We are actively looking for new members of the Board of Directors. If you are interested in joining the Board, please contact us using the Contact page.

Fred Yin - Chairman of the Board

Fred Yin is currently pursuing a degree in mathematics in the University of Waterloo and a degree in Business Administration at Wilfrid Laurier University. He has excelled in areas of mathematics but also enjoys exploring the dynamic world of business. Fred believes it is vital to find profit in business while respecting the environment and having high standards of social responsibility.

Abid Virani - Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Abid Virani is currently completing a degree at the University of Guelph with focuses on international development and business. Abid is a passionate writer and public speaker, sharing a message of youth empowerment and hope. Abid has been acknowledged with many awards, including Youth In Motion's Canadian Top 20 Under 20 Award in 2010. View Abid's full biography by clicking here .

James Stephens - Chief Programming Officer

James Stephens is a graduate from the University of Guelph and majored in Natural Resource Management. Outside of I Have Hope, James is currently working as an outdoor educator for the T.D.S.B. James has extensive experience in team development and is passionate about developing innovative opportunities for students.

BOARD OF ADVISERS

Board of Advisors

I Have Hope In The Fight Against AIDS would never have been made possible if it were not for our many supporters and advisors. Since the transition from Student Reach International to I Have Hope was decided upon, we began developing a formal Board of Advisors. The Board of Advisors engages in our programs and offers constructive criticisms on the organization's progress. Each advisor has a wealth of knowledge in specific areas of concentration, all of which result in effective guidance for our organization.

If you are interested in joining our Board of Advisors, please contact us via the Contact page.

Brenda Halloran - Mayor of Waterloo

Geoff Wilson - Co-Founder of Inbox Marketer

Dr. Anne-Marie Zajdlik - Founder of Bracelet of Hope

Glenn Smith - Director of Digital Media Project Management at Communitech

Joel Barr - Educator, Upper Grand District School Board

Victoria & David

Above, Victoria Lockyer and David Scott perform a song at the Red Ribbon Gala in May of 2010. The song was inspired by AIDS activist Dr. Anne-Marie Zajdlik's personal journals, which were read as an assignment in the Reach Lesotho program. To watch a video of the song performed, visit the Videos page.

PROJECTS

REACH LESOTHO

Changing Stereotypes, Inspiring Youth

Reach Lesotho was a comprehensive awareness and academic project designed in partnership with educators from the Upper Grand District School Board. The program aimed to inspire Canadian students to join the fight against AIDS. Through this program, not only have we engaged youth in HIV/AIDS education, but we are currently creating a unique tool to share their inspiring journey with others.Twelve Guelph secondary school students, representing three schools, were selected to participate in this eighteen-month project, which concluded with a trip to Lesotho in July of 2011. A video documentary is currently in post-production and will be used across Canada to inspire students. The distribution will be managed by Turn and Punch Productions Inc. Directing the documentary are Abid Virani and Jake Chirico, and Prionnsias James Murphy is the producer. The documentary will first be screened in Toronto on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2011. Reach Lesotho is grateful to our many sponsors and supporters, including Parmalat Canada. To learn more about Reach Lesotho, visit http://ReachLesotho.com.

CONNECT CAMBODIA

Learning About HIV/AIDS in Cambodia

Connect Cambodia is an investigational project run by I Have Hope focused on developing a video resource that uncovers the face of HIV/AIDS in Cambodia. Carrying on the recent success of Reach Lesotho, Connect Cambodia aims to reveal local perceptions of the HIV crisis in Asia's most afflicted region.In Cambodia, our team aims to connect with local NGOs, government programs, and citizens impacted by HIV. The ultimate goal is to create an educational resource for students and anyone looking to further their knowledge of HIV on an intimate, person-to-person level.While in Cambodia, I Have Hope will partner with Raise and Support the Poor (RSP) to finish construction of school library servicing the rural school children near the capital of Phnom Penh, one of Cambodia's hot-spots of HIV infection. RSP is an independent NGO dedicated to the education and betterment of Cambodia's poorest citizens, particularly children. More information on RSP can be found by clicking here. Visit the donation page to contribute to Connect Cambodia.

COMPILATION ALBUM

Using Music To Make A Difference

Music has long been used as a means to inspire groups of people to move into action. I Have Hope is excited to be working with up and coming Canadian artists to create a compilation album. In partnership with South of North Recording, the goal of the album is to give Canadian artists an opportunity to use their talents to make a contribution to the fight against AIDS. Artists are each contributing one song to the album, which will then be used to raise funds to support I Have Hope's various projects.If you are an artist or band interested in contributing to the compilation album, visit the Contact page and provide us with as many details as possible and any links to songs, videos, or websites.Leading the project is Reach Lesotho's David Scott. As artists are recorded, videos will be uploaded to the I Have Hope YouTube Channel of the recording sessions, which you can find a link to on the Videos page!
No Frame

REACH LESOTHO
CONNECT CAMBODIA
COMPILATION ALBUM

PROGRESS

"Civic education, civic engagement, and civic service are mutually reinforcing for the active and intentional learner and I Have Hope provides such a platform for our learners to develop." - Alastair Summerlee, University of Guelph President

A brief summary of our workI Have Hope, formerly known as Student Reach International, has supported and partnered with various projects and organizations over the years. These include UNICEF, Free the Children, ACCESS Charity, and Bracelet of Hope.Recently, I Have Hope has developed a curriculum called 'Issues in Human Rights' which has now been taught to students from three different high schools. We have also completed our first education project, Reach Lesotho. A film is currently being developed about HIV/AIDS, and aims to educate and break certain stereotypes about the disease. The release of the film is set for World AIDS Day 2011, December 1, at the Harbourfront Centre in downtown Toronto.
Featured on MSN.ca, August 31, 2011"We were coming over and saying, OK, What do you guys want to do? What are the projects that are important to you?" said Brian Thomsen, one of students on the trip.When others in the village saw the youth working together on these projects, many were inspired to join them...Thomsen said although the tree planting began with 24 youth, it ended up drawing around 300 people, swinging pickaxes and working together. A big part of the trip was showing the power of community and the power of youth volunteerism, said 18-year-old student Drew Anderson. "I think that if you show that documentary in Canada, it can hopefully inspire people here to get involved in their own community."
VIDEOS

Watch our Videos

Justin Trudeau: Start With Us
Documentary Preview
Erin talks about the "F" word

Page 1 I Have Hope included it amongst our guiding objectives to use digital media in achieving our goal of empowering youth to join the fight against AIDS. Whether it is through our academic programming, the Reach Lesotho documentary, or videos from our events, we hope to capture the development of hope on video. Below, you can have a preview to some our videos or you can visit our organization's YouTube channel by clicking here.

Justin Trudeau: Start With Us
Documentary Preview
Erin talks about the "F" word

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DONATE

NEW WEBSITE

Where Does My Donation Go?

When you make a donation to I Have Hope, your money is supporting our projects, each of which is connected to empowering youth in Canada so that they can contribute to the fight against AIDS. Whether it is through entrepreneurial activities, education, inspirational workshops, or spreading our HIV/AIDS documentary, we are determined to ensure that each dollar is effectively spent. If you have any questions regarding your donation, please contact us. A tax receipt will be provided for your donation online immediately, by CanadaHelps.org.

Where Does My Money Go

Where Does My Money Go?

On December 1st, 2011, I Have Hope will be announcing our two new programs aimed at engaging youth in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Throughout 2012, not only will we run these two new programs, but we will be sharing and distributing the I Have Hope documentary as much as possible, which is directly related to the amount of donations we collect. This is our opportunity to inspire young Canadians to become engaged in the fight against AIDS. All donations receive a charitable tax receipt.

Slick

NEW WEBSITE

Help Us Establish I Have Hope

As we are a young charity, we are working hard to apply for grants, establish sustainable funding, and grow our organization. In the current economic climate, while all donations are appreciated, we are especially seeking out donors that can donate a small amount each month. Whether it is $5 or more, monthly donations are extremely helpful to I Have Hope. Please consider being a monthly donor!

NEW WEBSITE

Contact Us!

Do you have any questions or concerns? Are you interested in finding out more about I Have Hope or considering joining our team? Please do not hesitate to email us! We will respond as soon as possible and appreciate your feedback/interest!

Where Does My Money Go

Where Does My Money Go?

On December 1st, 2011, I Have Hope will be announcing our two new programs aimed at engaging youth in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Throughout 2012, not only will we run these two new programs, but we will be sharing and distributing the I Have Hope documentary as much as possible, which is directly related to the amount of donations we collect. This is our opportunity to inspire young Canadians to become engaged in the fight against AIDS. All donations receive a charitable tax receipt.