Amazing Tutors' foundation Projects

We believe in building community and inspiring hope. We are here for all children...

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​At our Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, our Programs for Youth instill in students a sense of bravery and resourcefulness by taking action for a better world.  Our students strengthen their leadership capabilities by organizing events and teaching each other new development skills. Our LEAD programs include leadership, education, and development programs that substantially benefit our community. Amazing Tutors develops proactive events that address and develop a range of skills and abilities. These include: academic coaching, mentoring, self-esteem, relief of poverty, advancement of education, religion, charitable works and fundraising. Students test their limits as they push themselves to overcome obstacles and achieve new goals.  Our students and volunteers identify issues of importance, and take action on them to make an impact on their community through service and fundraising projects.  

Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation believes in engaging in Programs for Youth that build character, increase self-esteem and, develop life skills.  Meaningful engagement of children and during the school year and after school time supports crime reduction, and increases positive behavior, self-confidence, academic-related outcomes and overall healthy child development.  In addition, social development plans provide both children and teens with positive peer interactions, opportunities to develop problem-solving skills and positive adult support. In turn, these help reduce the risk factors associated with juvenile offenders. Amazing Tutors provides access to organized programs and sports which serve throughout the world as a dynamic mechanism to engage youth of all races, genders, and classes. Though not the complete solution to stopping negative behaviors, organized sports and development programs can contribute to their reduction by giving young people a positive identity, feelings of empowerment and by helping youth acquire leadership, teamwork, and self-governance skills under adult supervision.   

​A Kind Word from our Foundation

At Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, we are very gratified for the depth and breadth of community support.  Our Youth Leadership Development Program facilitates personal growth and leadership development in youths.  The goal is to empower our youth to learn valuable leadership and life skills through a variety of diverse, spiritual experiences, peer engagement and active community involvement.  Students can earn school service credits.  We focus on charitable works, community service activities, education, fundraising and organized sports.  The importance of leadership through education, teamwork, along with building and instilling confidence, cooperation, discipline, hope, and self-esteem will be taught through the leadership program.  

​Our Youth Leadership Development Program challenges youths to take on a leadership role both in life and in their caring community.  We integrate participants into our organization's decision making body and volunteer programs.  Additionally, we strive to offer youth the skills and competitive edge required for personal, relational and successful community growth.  Through our Youth Leadership Development Program, our students and participants use hands-on learning to develop youth-to-adult and peer-to-peer relationships based on compassion, engagement and social awareness.  We offer skills training workshops in the following areas:  communication, community, co-operation, environmental sustainability, global awareness, leadership, and self-awareness.

At our Amazing Tutors' Children's Foundation, we support collaboration and partnerships among students, educational professionals, business leaders, and the community at large.  We focus resources to ensure that all children have the opportunity to reach their highest potential in school, career, and in life.  Amazing Tutors offers a wide range of exercises and extracurricular activity for our students and their families. The variety of Amazing Tutors' programming and opportunities gives students equal prospect to develop leadership skills that help them navigate their world with confidence. We seek to increase students' awareness about their world, by promoting cross-cultural understanding and educating them on issues that will stimulate them to take action to build a caring, giving community. We believe that developing, discovering, empowering, engaging, and challenging students represents the core values of the Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation.  We are honored and humbled by the opportunity to work with our youths and their families. For more information about our tutoring and volunteering programs, please contact us today.  We welcome your inquiries.   

​Volunteering in Surrey, B.C.

Many young students and volunteers are looking for creative ways to develop life skills that help them achieve spiritual, personal and professional goals.  Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation provides Canadian youth with an entirely unique, first opportunity to learn sophisticated planning skills, to experience leadership and to build self-reliance and self-confidence.  Please become a volunteer in Surrey, B.C. with Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation and make an incredible difference in your life and in the lives of many youth.  We offer many opportunities to develop communication, financial management, fundraising, marketing, teamwork, youth program planning and leadership skills.  We are encouraging you to partnership with the Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation.  In advance, we would like to thank you for your consideration and contribution.  We cherish the relationship we have with our volunteers in our community and deeply appreciate your support of our activities throughout the years.  We surround them with a family like culture. Please continue to pray for God's blessing on our children.  The email contact form is located on the side bar, contact us today.

Is this Community Youth Leadership Program or policy in use in your community? Please tell us about it.

Description

Youth leadership programs provide many opportunities for youth to gain skills and understand their internal strengths and weaknesses while working as active agents of change, often through social activities such as youth councils, advocacy groups, peer education, and local government youth boards.  Participating youth are engaged and empowered in decision making regarding program design, implementation, and evaluation with the support of adults. Youth leadership programs are based on a positive youth development framework. (YG-leadership, Curran 2017, Campbell-Morton 2017).

Expected Beneficial Outcomes

Our program works to empower children and high school students to help create healthy communities with the following beneficial outcomes.

• Increased self-esteem
• Increased self-efficacy
• Improved social skills
• Increased problem solving skills

Evidence of Effectiveness

Youth leadership programs are a suggested strategy to increase self-esteem and self-efficacy among youth and prepare them to transition successfully to adulthood (YG-Leadership). Available evidence suggests that leadership programs may increase interpersonal skills, problem solving skills, and critical thinking among participants. (YG-Leadership, Curran 2017).  However, additional evidence is needed to confirm effects (Campbell-Morton 2011, Curran 2017).  Experts recommend that youth leadership programs clearly define youth roles and goals, and establish trust-based, positive relationships between youth and adults. (YG-Leadership).

​​Youth Leadership and Development Programs

Amazing Tutors' Youth Leadership and Development program offers youth activities and strategies to prevent high risk behavior.  We encourage young people to join organized programs, in their local communities, which offer many benefits to children and teenagers through art programs, camps, local clubs, sports and volunteering. What participants learn can help them develop better social skills, acquire leadership skills, gain greater knowledge of themselves, and foster lifelong relationships with others. Researchers refer to the following as desired outcomes that many youth leadership and development programs provide to young people:

• Competence in academic, social, and vocational areas
• Confidence or a positive self-identity
• Connections to community, family, and peers
• Character or positive values, integrity, and moral commitment
• Caring and compassion
• Contribution and community involvement

Youth leadership and development programs are important because they build character strengths and develop abilities such as self-resilience, resourcefulness, self-awareness, and other attributes that help young people explore adolescence in healthy ways. Essentially, these programs develop self-confidence and prepare adolescents for a variety of roles and responsibilities they assume as they reach college-age and the workforce.  At  Amazing Tutors, we hope that our future, young leaders will have the ability to work with and see people and situations in a positive way through teamwork and cooperation. We encourage them to have the willingness to submit and follow the leader through servanthood leadership. We acknowledge their growth potential and their spiritual hunger for personal growth and development. Our Amazing Tutors helps them follow through with their determination to get any job seriously done, completely and with consistency. We build resilience and foster an ability to bounce back when unforeseen problems arise. We look for personal integrity, trustworthiness and solid character strengths. We develop discipline and the willingness to do what is really required regardless of personal mood and distractions. In essence, we hope that they will hold gratitude as an attitude of thankfulness that becomes a way of life. 

No matter what your life's course, there is a time to become empowered to live with greater healing and wholeness

 Amazing Tutors' Volunteers Bring Joy to NightShift Street Ministries

At Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, we create volunteer opportunities in Surrey and environments that foster our students' ability to participate in a caring and giving community.  Building stronger connections to community and family, forging bonds of trust, and teaching self-improvement and accountability are the principles we impart in our programs designed to provide leadership training. We encourage our students to reflect on their interactions, to help them understand the value of compassion, empathy, caring, and to use their new awareness to help in the communities they live in.

 With NightShift Street Ministries' support, Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation was able to pack one hundred shelter food packs with a juice box, granola bar, seedless and easy to peel Chinese mandarin orange and a mini cake loaf.  We then delivered these resources to NightShift Street Ministries' receiving room in the heart of our Surrey Community during Christmas and Spring Break. Our volunteers worked with them in different stations to serve coffee, hot chocolate, juice and desserts.  Our youngest volunteers served sandwiches and warm soup from a trailer.  We handed out new blankets and clothes from the back of their clothing truck.  As our Foundation offers volunteer opportunities to develop leadership skills to youth attending our programs, NightShifts' leadership and contributions are an excellent example of people working together.  

NightShift's mission is to love unconditionally and help others find hope and purpose. The Care Center is an amazing program in their multidimensional charitable network.  The Care Center is for all people, regardless of background, financial status or spiritual beliefs. They offer counselling on a sliding scale to anyone who needs help. Their professional, licensed counselors are available to provide support with a variety of concerns around:  family and parenting, marriage, separation and divorce, substance abuse and addiction, crisis intervention, anxiety, depression, grief, abuse recovery, life transitions, end of life issues, sexuality and spirituality. The care bus takes to the streets during evening hours to provide free street level nursing, counselling, prayer ministry, resource referrals, onsite dental referrals, and library services to support the mental, emotional and social well-being of our most under-resourced citizens.

 Many thanks to NightShift for their long-standing dedication, excellence in service, and generosity to our community.  We feel extremely blessed to have been given the opportunity by NightShift to engage with the community in such an important way, and to get our students out and volunteering.  Here at the Amazing Tutors and our Foundation, we believe that providing our students with positive and community based volunteer activities is an essential part of their development into responsible and capable citizens who we hope will continue to impact their communities throughout their lives.

A Kind Word from NightShift Street Ministries

To Amazing Tutors' Children's Foundation

 "We are so glad your group enjoyed themselves at NightShift, because they certainly were a big help. Thank you, once again, for your help --you were such a blessing to us."  -E. Shellenberg, Outreach and Dayshift Program Coordinator 

"It was a cool but dry Spring night in God's paradise. We started off the evening with our prayer circle and God provided us with a wonderful, joyful, peaceful and Holy Spirit filled night.  All of the volunteers did an amazing job serving our street friends.  We were blessed to have a group from the Amazing Tutors' Children's Foundation as one of our groups are on Spring Break. They were a great help and did a fantastic job. Our street friends were happy and grateful to receive our loving care.  We had a wonderful time interacting with all of our friends.  We finished off with our prayer circle along with some of our street friends."  

 -H. Cullinan, NightShift Street Ministries' Outreach Team

​ Nightshift's ministry programs shift people to a place of beauty.  They provide life skills training as well as the opportunity to explore the meaning of life, purpose and hope through their Alpha Street Edition, ROW and Prayer Time.  Providing the services of NightShift are caring individuals, church groups and volunteers from local business community.  Evening outreach teams prepare nutritious meals and gather nightly to serve, sing, pray and distribute clothing, blankets and hygiene kits.  The Sisters Thrift Boutique is a division of NightShift Street Ministries.  It is an online gathering place and a retail gem in the heart of Surrey that resells highly wearable, new or nearly new, fashion brands for women - and all at unbeatable prices. Best of all, when you shop or recycle the contents of your closet at Sisters, you are supporting local women's initiatives through NightShift. 

 Shifting to a place of trust and compassion with a smile is just the beginning. What started out with one woman and a few friends serving in the middle of a 2004 snowstorm has developed into hundreds of men, women, teens and children coming together to serve those struggling in our community. They provide information sessions to learn more about the organization and the various ways to serve those in need.  Additional training is offered throughout the year covering topics such as crisis management, addiction issues and team dynamics.  Incredible acts of kindness are carried out by their young-adult teams trained to connect with teens and others who gather on the streets of our community.  Daytime acts of kindness takes place when younger teams of school children or other groups help out in any way they can.  In winter, they offer fifteen beds inside their education room as part of their Extreme Weather Response shelter.  From raising awareness in their own circles to spending time at the center to help them maintain a well-cared-for ministry center, every act is one of compassion, kindness and generosity. 

There are times when we all need a deeper, caring understanding.  For those times in our lives when we need someone to listen in confidence, without judgement and compassion:  know that NightShift are here for all of us and that they care because they lead with confidence and heart. We feel extremely blessed to have been given the opportunity by NightShift Street Ministries to engage with the community in such an important way, and to get our students out and volunteering. Here at Amazing Tutors and our foundation, we believe that providing our students with positive and community based volunteer activities is an essential part of their development into responsible and capable citizens whom we hope will continue to impact their communities throughout their lives.

​​Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation's Youth Leadership Development Program

​​At Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, we are very gratified for the depth and breadth of community support.  We thank NightShift Street Ministries for providing us a tour of their facilities and receiving us with kindness. Through our Youth Leadership Development Program, we have delivered over one thousand shelter food packs to various shelters and charities in Surrey and Vancouver.  Our Youth Leadership Development Program facilitates the personal growth and leadership development in youths.  We empower our youth to learn valuable leadership and life skills through a variety of diverse, spiritual experiences, peer engagement and active community involvement. Students earn school service credits.  We focus on charitable works, community outreach and service activities, education, fundraising and organized sports.  Our directors emphasize the importance of leadership through education and teamwork and our programs build and instill confidence, cooperation, discipline, hope, and high self-esteem. 

Our Youth Leadership Development Program challenges youths to take on a leadership role both in life and in their caring community.  We integrate participants into our organization's decision making body and volunteer programs.  Additionally, we strive to offer youth the skills and competitive edge required for personal, relational and successful community growth.  Through our Youth Leadership Development Program, our students and participants use hands-on learning to develop youth-to-adult and peer-to-peer relationships based on compassion, engagement and social awareness.  We offer skills training workshops in the following areas:  communication, community, co-operation, environmental sustainability, global awareness, leadership, and self-awareness.  For more information about our tutoring and volunteering programs, please contact us today. We welcome your inquiries. 

Using creativity and kindness in giving to empower and create love

At Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, we create volunteer opportunities in Surrey and environments that foster our students' ability to participate in a caring and giving community.  Building connections to community and family, forging bonds of trust, and teaching self-improvement and accountability are the principles we impart in our programs designed to provide leadership training. We encourage our students to reflect on their interactions, to help them understand the value of compassion, empathy, caring, and to use their new awareness to help in the communities they live in.

With Lookout Emergency Aid Society's support, Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation was able to pack one hundred shelter food packs with a juice box, granola bar, seedless and easy to peel Chinese mandarin orange and a mini cake loaf.  We then delivered these resources to Gateway Shelter and the Front Room Resource Center in the heart of our Surrey Community.  As our Foundation offers volunteer opportunities to develop leadership skills to youth attending our programs, Lookout's leadership and contributions are an excellent example of people working together.

Surrey's Gateway Shelter and the Front Room Resource Center are amazing programs in Lookout Emergency Aid Society's shelter network. They are a charitable organization.  These programs offer community services to extremely vulnerable people in less than ideal space.  Until Lookout's Boulevard Winter Shelter opened in December 2015, Gateway was the only minimal barrier shelter in Surrey where people can access harm reduction services.  

The Gateway Shelter is located at the back building.  It is a spacious area with bunk beds for 32 males guests and a separated area of bunk beds for 8 women; each with its own bathroom.  Fifty beds are offered through their Extreme Weather Response Shelter in the building adjacent to the Gateway Shelter.  Local RCMP and paramedics actively pick up and transfer vulnerable guests to Lookout's Extreme Weather Response, Gateway and Winter Boulevard Shelter Programs.  Guests can access the shelter at three call out times - 7pm, 9pm and 11pm.  Between those times, guests are asked to remain quiet and respectful to their bunk mates.  Every morning they must wake at 6:45 am and leave the shelter by 7am.  During the day the shelter remains closed until guests can return.  Vacant beds are held for new intakes that are booked by phone or in person.  Client storage is an issue as shelter is extremely limited.  There is one bin for each bed and locked cupboards for personal storage for each shelter guest.  Pet kennels are available outside as well as limited bike and buggy storage.

The Front Room Drop-In is located in the front of the same building with limited space for staff, outreach and a community kitchen.  It is the gathering place for shelter guests and community members.  The large community space is open 24/7 and serves three daily meals plus two snacks cafeteria style.  On any given day, there may be 150-300 people receiving dinner.  The one TV is on all day; the only shower and one washer and dryer are available by sign up.  The Front Room opens onto an enclosed courtyard with a few benches, tables, potted plants and a covered area for smoking that is open during the day.

Lookout staff manage the building and help fast track individuals to services including social assistance and their medical needs.  Located next door is Lookout's health services building with a free medical clinic, low cost dental clinic, harm reduction supplies and a peer-led drop in centre that focuses on people living with HIV/HepC.  Staff work closely with Lookout outreach workers who help connect guests with housing and community services.  It is a busy place with constant activity.  In working with people, Lookout staff teams at Gateway/Front Room, outreach and health service programs have come to know them and, despite many challenges, however, a great rapport exists between staff and client -helping them move forward.  

Joe and Sara, two unrelated "regulars," call the Front Room home.  After being burned in a fire, Joe has been staying at Gateway since the winter of 2012 -he knows the people and feels comfortable at the Front Room.  It offers a safe place with amenities that would otherwise be inaccessible.  Diagnosed with several mental health challenges, Sara spends most nights on the street as the shelter feels "too close" but her days are spent at the Front Room.  Since coming in 2014, she has helped with outdoor cleanup and others have followed her lead. Sara states that most people "make homeless people feel that they don't even exist" but Lookout's Front Room is "the most friendliest place [she] has been."

A Kind Word from Lookout Housing & Health Society

To Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation,

We would like to extend a very special thank you to Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation for developing a beautiful outdoor garden beautification project and woodworking program at our Parkway Shelter courtyard in Surrey! Thank you also to the skilled volunteers for their amazing carpentry skills, and Home Depot & Potters for supplying additional materials. ❤️😀#communitybuilding 

"It was a pleasure talking and meeting all of you.  We are so pleased that you chose us for your donation destination.  We want to thank you for making a positive impact on people's lives, and brightening their day.  We are looking forward to see all of you on the days we have agreed."      

  - M. Bolduc, Front Room Supervisor              - L. Fox, Program Manager

​​Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation's Youth Leadership Development Program

​​Here at Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, we are very gratified for the depth and breadth of community support.  Through our Youth Leadership Development Program, we have delivered over one thousand shelter food packs to various shelters and charities in Surrey and Vancouver.  Our Youth Leadership Development Program facilitates the personal growth and leadership development in youths.  We empower our youth to learn valuable leadership and life skills through a variety of diverse, spiritual experiences, peer engagement and active community involvement. Students earn school service credits.  We focus on charitable works, community outreach and service activities, education, fundraising and organized sports.  Our directors emphasize the importance of leadership through education and teamwork and our programs build and instill confidence, cooperation, discipline, hope, and high self-esteem. 

 Our Youth Leadership Development Program challenges youths to take on a leadership role both in life and in their caring community.  We integrate participants into our organization's decision making body and volunteer programs.  Additionally, we strive to offer youth the skills and competitive edge required for personal, relational and successful community growth.  Through our Youth Leadership Development Program, our students and participants use hands-on learning to develop youth-to-adult and peer-to-peer relationships based on compassion, engagement and social awareness.  We offer skills training workshops in the following areas:  communication, community, co-operation, environmental sustainability, global awareness, leadership, and self-awareness.  For more information about our tutoring and volunteering programs, please contact us today. We welcome your inquiries. 

We cannot accomplish all that we need to do without working together

Ride2Survive makes Summer Giving Easy Amazing Volunteers and Students Participate in Ride2Survives 50/50 Event to Raise $29,758

When it comes to creating a culture of caring and summer giving in North Delta/Surrey, Ride2Survive proactively engages everyone in maintaining a spirit of generosity.  On Friday June 15th, 2018, Graham Street, Richard Gestle, and Siobhan Coates went up the sky lift and spent 50 hours, 50 feet in the air on a crane to raise money with Ride2Survive for the Canadian Cancer Society, taking place at the Scottsdale Centre in Delta.

This event was designed by the Ride2Survive organization and started by Kerry and Vicki Kunzli, from North Delta, which is devoted to generating donations for the Canadian Cancer Society to assist in Brain cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Pediatric Cancers and other hared cancers that need more research.  Ride2Survive is a non-profit, fully volunteer organization based here in British Columbia, and from Delta, which offers cycling events as its primary source of fundraising.  So far, they have raised over $500 000 for the 2015 calendar year, with fully 100% of these donations going towards cancer research.  

The brave participants in the air stayed up for the full 50 hours, as encouragement to those below to donate to the cause.  On the ground, with our directors coordinating with Alison Gestle, Aileen Maas, Amarjit Dhadwar, and Ryan Beaumont, our amazing volunteers and students helped participate, collecting funds, coordinating traffic flow into the event, decorating the area, entertaining the group with dancing and even utilizing their public speaking skills, communicating in Punjabi to inform local residents and shoppers of the event to encourage donations.  

Graham Street, a cancer survivor, who helped organize the event, reflected on why he chose to lend a hand: "The purpose of the event was to help continue the fight against cancer.  Cancer is a growing concern, and awareness, precautions and funds are needed to treat or prevent it.  The key to these possibilities lies in our communities' ability to fund the best and most innovative research efforts."

"Our sincere hope is to protect and help our community cope.  I myself am a cancer survivor.  We need to be engaged in an arduous process of healing that is collaborative, enhancing, inclusive, practical, pro-active and responsible," said Richard Gestle, an event organizer and a team riding captain.

The celebration atmosphere at the Payal Business Center was "over the top"--to see the community come out together to welcome us and our efforts.  It demonstrated the hope that Ride2Survive provides to those suffering and reveals the support for all those involved in battling the disease.  It also allows our future generations to know that they are not alone in fighting against cancer.  

"Looking at cancer in a more positive light, improved treatments with prevention strategies are helping Canadians live longer because of improvements in surgical techniques and aggression, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Thanks to research, Canadians have been able to dramatically improve the 5-year survival rate from 25% in 1947 to over 60% today. Improved treatments with prevention strategies are helping Canadians live longer.  We are very gratified for the depth and breadth of community sponsorship and support.  We thank Save-on-Foods, local businesses and patrons for helping us," said Siobhan Coates.

"No matter how young or old, everyone benefits by participating in the Ride2Survive community service fundraiser.  We have the opportunity to help children and youth become great citizens in hopes that they will be compassionate people who are innovative, organized and responsible.  Through our participation with community leaders, educators and parents, we can help them develop internal strengths and become part of a new generation of young people prepared to lead others, take on responsibility, and handle tomorrow's health and social challenges," says Suzanne Hayat, a volunteer coordinator of the Amazing Tutors' Children's Foundation.

The event concluded with the raising of $25,758 to go towards cancer research funded by the Canadian Cancer Society.  In 2015, we raised $25,000 and in 2016, we raised $29,500.  We feel extremely blessed to have been given the opportunity by Ride2Survive to engage with the community in such an important way, and to get our students out and volunteering to aid research that will positively impact so many lives.  Here at Amazing Tutors and our foundation, we believe that providing our students with positive and community based volunteer activities is an essential part of their development into responsible and capable citizens whom we hope will continue to impact their communities throughout their lives.

We wish the Ride2Survive team all the best as they ride from Kelowna climbing up the Coquihalla Highway and tracing through the Cascade Mountains.  Cyclists will pedal from 3:30 am, making their way, with stops along the way, to 7919 Scott Road in North Delta at about 10:45 pm on Saturday June 18, 2018.  This ride comprises a gruelling and a challenging physical and emotional journey, pointing out that those who battle cancer have a physical and emotional fight far greater than anything we could imagine.  Upon arriving back to Delta, B.C., they would have pedaled 400 km and climbed 13,000 feet in one day, so that all of us will benefit from their foresight and perseverance.

-Alexandra, Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation.  

​​A Kind Word from Ride2Survive 

To Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation

"On behalf of the 50/50 Hand on Back committee and the Ride2Survive, we'd like to thank you and your group of student volunteers and their parents who helped and supported the 50/50 Pole sit.

Seeing the community, volunteers and your group of students come out to help raise the donations was a huge help and they were so full of energy, fun, and assisted with directing traffic flow into the event, collecting donations, decorating the area, entertained the group with dancing, utilizing their public speaking skills, and communicating in Punjabi to inform local residents and shoppers of the event to encourage donations.  They gave their best, and were just there to assist in anyway they could. Thank you for sponsoring and helping us raise the awareness for our event, and the donations for Brain Cancer Research."

 -Kerry and Vicki Kunzli, Ride2Survive Organizing Committee

​​​A Kind Word from our Team 

"At Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, we believe in engaging youths in community programs that build character, increase self-esteem and, develop life skills.  Social development programs such as these provide both children and teens with positive peer interactions, opportunities to develop problem-solving skills, and positive adult support, which help reduce the risk factors associated with young offenders. Although organized sports and development programs are not the complete solution to stopping negative behaviors, they can, however, contribute to their reduction by giving young people a positive identity, feelings of empowerment and by helping youth acquire leadership, teamwork, and self-governance skills under adult supervision."      

- Alexandra H., Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation

 Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation is happy to have participated in this incredible fundraiser by helping Ride2Survive, which is the Canadian Cancer Society's largest independent fundraising event.  Since 2005, they have raised over $7 000 000.  The purpose of this event is to help continue the fight against cancer, which requires an enormous amount of money.  There are more than 200 types of cancer that can affect more than 60 organs, and according to a report by the Canadian Cancer Society, the annual number of new cancer diagnoses in Canada will increase by 40 per cent by 2030.  This indicates that cancer is a growing cause of concern, and awareness, precautions and funds are needed to treat or prevent it. The key to these possibilities lies in our ability to fund the best and most innovative research efforts in our country. Our foundation supports their foresight, leadership and perseverance. 

Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend and advocacy is the catalyst for that change

Program for Youth and Child Advocacy

100 Brave Storm for Vigil

Surrey, BC -- A vigil prayer for the victims of Quebec Islamic Cultural Center took place on Friday, February 3rd from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 pm at Holland Park in Surrey, B.C. The purpose of this event was to show solidarity with the victims' families and to bring together generations of people from different faiths to promote peace and understanding in a world faced with extremism and violence.  

Linda Hepner, Mayor or Surrey, Councillor Mike Starchuck and a myriad of MPs and MLAs condemned the savage attack in the strongest terms possible.  A strong presence of faith-based and non-profit organizations made it clear that we will conquer hate with compassion, love, understanding and justice.  We overwhelmingly reject the politics of racism and exclusion, and standing together, we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive and welcoming society that promotes respect for all, regardless of faith, race or ethnicity.

The directors reflected on why the Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation organized the vigil:  "Our sincere hope is to protect and help communities cope and build resilience in a rapidly changing world characterized with high levels of extremism.  We feel that no one has the right to take away a person's spiritual free will and self-determination, nor their underlying strength, and we are doing everything within our power to fight for peace and condemn this horrific attack.  We need to be engaged in a process of healing that is collaborative, enhancing, inclusive, practical, pro-active and responsible.  We must stand united together to create a society of love and justice.  These horrific attacks on innocent civilians are really meant to divide us, however, with love and justice as our common shield, we can recognize our differences and strive to be the best human being."

Any savage attacks on innocent civilians, whether they occur in Canada, Syria, Paris, Beirut, Brussels, Pakistan, USA, New Zealand or in any other city or country, are heinous and without justification.  We stand in solidarity and condemn these demonic, horrific acts in the strongest terms possible.  Today, our thoughts are with the loved ones of those killed and injured.

As a foundation advocating for children everywhere, The Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation condemns violence against children regardless of the form it takes.  The children at the Mosque in the Islamic Cultural Center attended with their families to pray and worship.  A threat to their lives should raise concerns for everyone about religiously motivated violence.  These innocent lives must be protected, for within them are the seeds of the world we want to build.  If we hope to create a society of tolerance, freedom and compassion, then we must secure the safety of all children and their families regardless of race, religion, or gender.

Children represent the future of our society and community.  Violence against them will only continue the cycle of intolerance and hate that divides us as people.  By standing together in condemnation against violence, we can help break the cycle, and create communities of understanding, caring, and compassion.  The children attended prayers with their families, making the mosque populated while the attack ensued.

The timing of the attack only raises concerns about intolerance and violence within our communities.  At a time when communication and diplomacy are needed more than ever, acts such as this only exacerbate and inflate tensions between religious communities here in Canada.  If we hope to create greater understanding between people, we must take steps to end violence that fosters intolerance and hatred.  

"We call everyone to help end violence, especially when it threatens the lives of children.  As a community, we should strive to create a space for children to live that is safe, tolerant, and compassionate.  Acts of violence threaten us all, even when directed at specific groups,"  advocate the directors of the Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation.

The event was organized by the student volunteers of the Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation.  We are grateful for everyone's support and encouragement in helping us build peace together.  We extend our gratitude to our community members for attending the vigil for the fallen family members of the New Zealand Shooting. We seek to build communities by supporting youth and children through educational and volunteer opportunities in Surrey, BC.  We involve our students and tutors in various programs, such as the leadership youth program. We need more people to join us.  For more information about this event or about our programs, please contact us today at 604-765-4099 or send us an email using the contact form.

A Snowy Walk in Beauty, Compassion, Grace and Mercy

Although the third annual Surrey Interfaith Pilgrimage was officially cancelled due to heavy snowfall, there were many participants who moved with integrity to bring compassion, peace, understanding and solidarity to the forefront. The purpose of the event was to bring people from diverse backgrounds and worldviews together to affirm our collective commitment to building peace and understanding in our community.  

The first pilgrimage was in response to the November 12, 2015 bombing attacks in southern Beirut and Paris.  This year we aimed to build solidarity with the victims and their families who had recently lost their loved ones in the Quebec shooting in Canada.  We began with an exchange of blessings for peace and understanding a the Thien Ton Buddhist Temple and went past six other houses of worship:  Northwood United Church, Laximi Narayan Hindu Mandir, Gurdwara Sikh Sahib Brookside, Surrey Jamia Muslim Masjid and the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara.  A small ceremony was hosted at each site to cultivate in people a deeper sense of their own religious identity, while also building relationship with people who come from different cultural and religious backgrounds.

Arriving at the Thien Ton Budhdist Temple, the blossom trees were covered with a thick blanket of snow.  Icicles glistened and caught the gleaming rays of sunshine.  David Dalley, who organized the walk, and Gordon Leslie, one of the volunteers, went there early in the morning to make sure that no one was stranded.  Their safety was paramount.  To their surprise, Robert, Andrea and their daughter, Sophia showed up.  They had heard about the pilgrimage on the radio and they just could not miss out on the opportunity to explore the possibility of exploring the different houses of worship, build friendship with people from diverse backgrounds, share a meal and build solidarity with Canadians.  This would also be an inclusive study field trip for Sophia.

A generous lunch was served to everyone at the Laxmi Narayan Hindu Mandir.  Vinay introduced our team to their congregation and we participated in the spiritual offering ceremony.  In keeping with Hindu practices and traditions, the society operates a Vivek Hindi School, which teaches classes every Sunday.  Meditation, yoga, and ESL classes are offered every week.  The largest annual Hindu festivals are organized by their directors.  Trekking through the snow, Scott Reynolds' contemplative words came to mind.  A former event organizer and Minister of Youth form the United Churches of Langley, he said that: "When we are confronted with deep loss, fear often emerges in our thoughts.  Walking and sharing a warm meal together is a tangible, bodily demonstration of unity that reminds us to let go of fear and move forward in love."

We made our way to the Gurdwara Sahib Brookside in the snowy blizzard.  This is a place of worship for the Sikhs in the Brookside and Bear Creek area.  They gather to hear their spiritual leaders speak and to listen to holy hymns.  Surinder, our host, received us graciously in the community kitchen.  We drank a warm cup of tea infused with the sweet aroma of cardamons, ate gelabee sweets and the social conversation blossomed over jobs, families, children and our travels in the world.  We all share the same hopes and dreams for our children.  He guided us upstairs to the prayer hall and informed us of the  services offered during the week.

Heading to the Surrey Jamia Muslim Mosque, an air of sadness brought us back to a closer reality.  I reflected on why I chose to lend a hand. David, the Surrey Interfaith Council team and I truly believe that the goal of the pilgrimage was to develop a sense of mutual trust, respect, and understanding across religious traditions, and to reduce religiously motivated violence, stereotyping, bigotry, or hatred.  Uniting people across faith and ideological lines creates an environment of interfaith harmony.  

We were received by the Muslim congregants with appreciation, compassion, dignity, and respect.  We stated clearly that the voice of a terrorist is not the overarching voice of Canadians.  The true voice of Canadians embraces the fruits of the spirit:  compassion, gentleness, goodness, grace, forbearance, fortitude, mercy, kindness, patience, self-control and understanding.  David had gathered a dozen of messages of solidarity from the Surrey Interfaith Council and we were ready to share them all.

We shared their sadness and mourned for the victims and their families. We were engaged in a process of healing that was collaborative laden with compassion, grace, mercy and kindness.  We prayed with them, shared a cup of warm tea and had muffins and sweets.  We were actively promoting interfaith dialogue and cooperation to end politically and religiously motivated violence.  We aspired to build cultures of compassion, peace and healing in a fragmented world.

We left an hour later and walked to the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara to meet the congregants.  We were served a warm dinner, went upstairs to the music and prayer hall and reflected on the blessings of the day.  Connie Waterman's words rang so true right in the moment.  An event organizer from the Baha'i community, she reflected on the role of religious values in creating peace:  "Each one of us has the ability, individually and collectively, to be compassionate, selfless and loving.  These attributes are strengthened by religious values taught by all the world's great religions.  Together we can create a better world by concentrating all the thoughts of our heart on love and unity, then aligning our actions to reflect that thought."

The Amazing Tutors's Children's Foundation appreciates David Dalley, Gordon Leslie, Dr. Das and Connie Waterman, Scott Reynolds and our amazing directors and the entire Surrey Interfaith Council for pursuing interfaith harmony, peace and non-violence within our city.  Thank you, Surrey Interfaith Council, for providing the opportunity for all of us to participate in a giving and caring community.  With permission from the kind and thoughtful members, we would like to share these heart-felt and powerful messages of solidarity with the media, so everyone will have the opportunity to feel the power of solidarity and unity:  We are one and we are Canadians fighting for compassion, peace and understanding.  The pilgrimage was a surprisingly a snowy walk in beauty, compassion, grace and mercy.  May we walk together very soon when spring knocks on our doors with the intention that everything that is done in this world is done by hope.

A Prayer for love and hope

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We pray to God, the fountainhead of compassion, grace and mercy to help us communicate a universal message that we are all united in promoting interfaith dialogue and co-operation, to end politically and religiously motivated violence, and to create cultures of peace, respect, understanding and healing for all living beings on earth. We believe that no one has the right to take away another person's spiritual free will and self-determination, nor their alexandrite of underlying spiritual strength.  We pray for the pristine unity of mankind as the oneness of God is the oneness of man.  And as our brothers, sisters and their children take their journey to return to compassion, grace, fortitude and mercy --we never forget to be the best human being that we can.  We are reminded to hold on to our blue sapphire of patience, which allows us to cope with worldly difficulties.  We are blessed to own our green emerald of compassion, which directs us to be sensibly close and kind to others.  We express our gratitude for having our amethyst of kindness which lifts our doling hand to be the first to give and help those in need.  We thank God for giving us a sparkling diamond of vision, ​which guides us to make sense and order out of this world of toil.  With these thoughts, we pray to God to protect our communities and lead the way and provide further guidance.  - Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation  

Let us learn from yesterday, live for today, and hope for tomorrow

Lookout Boulevard Shelter in Surrey: Celebrating and Looking Beyond Today for Green, Sustainable ideas for our Future Needs

When it comes to creating a culture of caring in Surrey, Lookout Emergency Aid Society is actively engaged in harm reduction.  With Lookout's support, Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation was able to set up a community garden in their Boulevard Shelter's courtyard.​ The Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation's Eco-Friendly Woodworking Program continues to celebrate the people and projects that are making our community more environmentally sustainable.  This project was a collaboration between the Amazing Tutors Children's  Foundation and the Boulevard Shelter in Surrey.  We extend our gratitude to Canex Building Supplies, the Surrey Interfaith Council, Village Surrey Transition Initiative and the Surrey Blue Dot Movement for inspiring all of us to initiate positive and productive actions towards clean air, water and land. The purpose was to engage individuals, neighborhoods and organizations to take action and affirm our commitment to building sustainable communities. 

In celebrating the theme of environmental sustainability, Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation and the Boulevard Shelter initiated a shelter beautification project which focuses on economic sustainability and healing.  Sustainable development is a unique pattern of growth in which resources use aims to meet human needs while preserving and protecting the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but for generations to come.  The Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation was blessed with the opportunity to help them develop a summer beautification and Eco-Friendly Woodworking Program which focuses on building skill, confidence and community while developing life skills and a greater connection with nature.  We wanted to inspire fresh thinking that creates economic opportunity, social equality, and environmental well-being.  We were fortunate to receive pallet and recycled wood from Home Depot, Fraser Valley Equipment Inc., Signarama, Bosa Properties, local arborists, framers and neighbors and surrounding renovation and construction projects in Whalley and Newton.  We provided all the power tools to build and stain West Coast rustic, outdoor furniture. Working together, we launched a ground breaking community healing garden and a unique "Do-it-together beautification and Eco-Friendly Woodworking Program" featuring recycled, reclaimed, repurposed, thrifted and upcycled supplies and items. We used various economic sustainable strategies for employing existing recycled resources optimally so that a responsible and beneficial balance can be achieved over the longer term.  

This program met regularly on Fridays to manage and share logistical tasks of coordinating the Eco-Friendly Woodworking Program, and to support each other socially and emotionally.  We continue to acknowledge the importance of building relationships and developing a sense of connection, belonging, and a well-developed group support system.  Like any successful relationship, a very effective group needs to be constantly nurtured and re-created. Our work has become generative, not extractive.  Extractive community work is what happens when one project or group simply extracts resources and capacity from another group.  Generative community work, however, is about "working together" in ways that generate more cooperation, energy, healing, interest and engagement.  

In addition, we offered the opportunity for Boulevard Shelter's clients to build skills and valuable experience that can be used for resumes when re-entering the workforce.  We initiated a peer-run mentoring program.  Peers are people, who through their own lived experience, can relate to and mentor others.  For vulnerable population served by the shelter, many of the same challenges that cause homelessness (physical, or mental illnesses, substance use, disabilities) reap havoc on a person's self esteem and their ability to even imagine stability in their lives such as maintaining a job.

While supportive shelter services and housing provide stability and works with residents on areas such as life skills and community engagement, tenants commonly face many challenges in attempting to find and maintain employment, including mental health issues, addictions and other disabilities.  However, employment access opportunities that lead to employment can play an important role in recovery and contribute to ending homelessness.  Employment also increases confidence, provides individuals with a feeling of success and supplements their income for daily living expenses.  Lookout Emergency Aid Society was honored with a Community Partner of the Year Award by Options Community Services Whalley WorkBC-Employment Services Centre. This award recognizes contributions to the community and the job opportunities provided to those struggling with unemployment.  The Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation's Eco-Friendly Woodworking pilot project offered an excellent opportunity for individuals to spend their time productively.  At the same time they begin to believe in themselves and take pride in their abilities.  As our Foundation offers opportunities to develop leadership skills to youth attending our programs, Boulevard shelter's leadership and contributions are an excellent example of people working together.  

Many thanks to Lookout's Boulevard Shelter for their long-standing dedication, excellence in customer service, and generosity to our community.  We feel extremely blessed to have been given the opportunity by Boulevard Shelter to engage with the community in such an important way, and to have youth in the community volunteering.  At Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, we believe that providing our students with positive and community based volunteer activities is an essential part of their development growing into responsible and capable citizens. 

The Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation appreciates the Surrey Interfaith Council, Village Surrey Transition Initiative and the Surrey Blue Dot Movement for encouraging and inspiring all of us to respond to contemporary environmental sustainability challenges.  These challenges include climate change, scarce cheap oil, and economic sustainability and volatility.  Essentially, the initiative fosters community connections, food security, healing, and the development of skills, knowledge and technologies to transition to a less energy intensive and healthier way of life. Thank you for providing the opportunity for all of us to participate in a caring, giving, greener, and friendlier community.  Together we can create a world of caring and consideration in our community. 

 - Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation

A Kind Word from Lookout Emergency Aid Society

To Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation

"Thank you for all your hard work and dedication.  The wood work program at the Boulevard Shelter has provided our guests with an opportunity to share their passion, talent and contribute to the beautification project at the shelter."

G. Leung, Program Coordinator at the Boulevard Shelter

Thank you for the beautification of our shelter and for your donations of winter shelter food packages. Our vision is to help transform the lives of people with few, if any, housing options, and to go beyond traditional solutions to homelessness by fostering change, providing innovative services and building collaborative partnerships."

Linda Fox, Surrey Program Manager of Lookout Emergency Aid Society

A Special Thanks to Home Depot

The Amazing Tutors' Children's Foundation would like thank the Home Depot Canada Foundation's "Orange Door Project" for donating $40 000 to Crawford Manor, Lookout's young adult stabilization and transitional living home in Surrey, B.C.  This transition home serves male youth aged 19-24 who have current or recent mild to moderate substance use issues.  This facility offers a program where residents learn to build coping skills necessary for employment and housing success, reducing the risk of homelessness. Home Depot's generous funding for this project will create a safe outdoor space for group activities that include:  peer mentoring and counselling sessions, development of employable skills, family unification and social networking for secondary spaces for clinicians to provide non-tradition programming (yoga, gardening, group barbeques, sports and leisure activities).  The Home Depot Canada Foundation is committed to putting an end to youth homelessness in Canada.  On any given night, more than 6,000 young people are without a place to call home, making youth homelessness one of the most urgent social issues facing Canadians today.  Through The Orange Door Project initiative, their Foundation has pledged $20 million by 2018 to support renovation and repair projects and programs that provide vulnerable youth with access to safe, stable housing and support services.  

Principles of the Transition Initiative

We build healthy communities, appreciate our natural environment and sustain our economic vitality.  Transition is an approach rooted in values and principles. These are described slightly differently in different parts of the global movement:

We respect resource limits and create resilience --The urgent need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, greatly reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and make wise use of precious resources is at the forefront of everything we do.

We promote inclusivity and social justice--The most disadvantaged and powerless people in our societies are likely to be worst affected by rising fuel and food prices, resource shortages and extreme weather events.  We want to increase the chances of all groups in society to live well, healthy and sustainable livelihoods.

​We pay attention to balance--In responding to urgent, global challenges, individuals and groups can end up feeling stressed, closed or driven rather than open, connected and creative.  We create space for reflection, celebration and rest to balance the times when we are busily getting things done.  We explore different ways of working which engages our heads, hands and hearts and enable us to develop collaborative and trusting relationships.

We are part of an experimental, learning network--Transition is a real-life, real-time global social experiment.  Being part of a network means we can create change more quickly and more effectively, drawing on each other's experiences and insights.  We want to acknowledge and learn from failure as well as success- if we are going to be bold and find new ways of living and working, we will not always get it right first time.  We will be open about our processes and will actively seek and respond positively to feedback.

​We freely share ideas and power--Transition is a grassroots movement, where ideas can be taken up rapidly, widely and effectively because each community takes ownership of the process themselves.  Transition looks different in different places and we want to encourage rather than unhelpfully constrain that diversity.

We collaborate and look for synergies--The transition approach is to work together as a community, unleashing our collective genius to have a greater impact together than we can as individuals.  We look for opportunities to build creative and powerful partnerships across and beyond the Transition movement and develop a collaborative culture, finding links between projects, creating open decision-making processes and designing events and activities that help people make connections.  

We foster positive visioning and creativity--Our primary focus is not being against things, but on developing and promoting positive possibilities.  We believe in using creative ways to engage and involve people, encouraging them to imagine the future they want to inhabit.  The generation of new stories is central to this visionary work, as having fun and celebrating success.

We adopt subsidiarity (self-organization and decision making at the appropriate level) --The intention of the Transition model is not to centralize or control decision making, but rather to work with everyone so that it is practiced the most appropriate, practical and empowering level. 

If our youth arise and act, they have the strength and dynamism to generate a huge transformation in society

Amazing Volunteers embark on a Spiritual Friendship Walk 

In a world of headlines igniting fear and uncertainty, there is another story of peaceful religious intercultural harmony that exists right here in Surrey, B.C. We recently embarked upon a one-day Spiritual Friendship Walk through a myriad of Richmond's religious houses of worship. With approximately 207,500 people and 65 per cent of whom are of Asian heritage, Richmond, has gracefully morphed into a thriving multi-faith community. It is also a spiritual haven with more than 60 mosques, temples, churches and religious schools of all denominations. Here at Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, we believe in a holistic approach to working with at-risk youth.  While many organizations focus on one aspect of a wraparound model, we believe that in order for an individual to be successful, his or her needs must be addressed in every area of personal development:  emotionally, mentally, physically, socially and spiritually. We drove and walked from venue to venue to connect with the hosts and share gratitude and fellowship with others. The purpose of the Spiritual Friendship Walk was to open doors and inspire young people from diverse backgrounds and worldviews together to affirm our collective commitment to building peace and understanding in our community.  We learned about the Buddhist, Christian, Muslim and Sikh traditions thriving in our backyard.  Each place was architecturally unique, mesmerizing, and rich in culture.

As our Foundation engages in interfaith dialogue and cooperation, we are discovering that across Canada, immigrants and visible minorities are much more likely to be religiously committed. Our faith shapes how we relate to one another, and if we are going to prosper as a caring and giving society in the future, we really need to understand each other in a context of increasing faith diversity.  At the Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, we offer volunteer opportunities to develop leadership skills to youth attending our programs. The International Buddhist Society, India Cultural Center,  Az-Azahraa Islamic Center, Nanaksar Gurdwara Gursikh Temple and the Joy Christian Fellowship's leadership and contributions are an excellent example of people connecting and working together. We are one and we are Canadians working for compassion, peace and understanding.  If we aspire to build cultures of compassion, peace and understanding and healing in a fragmented world, we can do this together.  We can promote interfaith dialogue and co-operation to end politically and religiously motivated violence, and to create cultures of peace, respect, understanding and healing.  May we walk together on every Easter Sunday to discover a spiritual haven which tells a true story of religious intercultural harmony woven together out of the best values each faith represents. The Spiritual Friendship Walk was surprisingly a youth elevation project ladened with beauty, compassion, grace and mercy.

 A Kind Word from the Youth Group

Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation believes in engaging in Programs for Youth that build character, increase self-esteem and, develop life skills.  Social development plans provide both children and teens with positive peer interactions, opportunities to develop problem-solving skills and positive adult support.  In turn, these help reduce the risk factors associated with juvenile offenders.  In addition, Amazing Tutors provides access to organized sports which serve throughout the world as a dynamic mechanism to engage youth of all races, genders, and classes.  Though not the complete solution to stopping negative behaviors, organized sports and development programs can contribute to their reduction by giving young people a positive identity, feelings of empowerment and by helping youth acquire leadership, teamwork, and self-governance skills under adult supervision.

​​Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation's Youth Leadership Development Program

At Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, we are very gratified for the depth and breadth of community support.  We thank the International Buddhist Society, India Cultural Center, Az-Azahraa Islamic Center, Nanaksar Gurdwara Gursikh Temple and the Joy Christian Fellowship for providing us a tour of their facilities and receiving us with kindness. Through our Youth Leadership Development Program, we are building peace and understanding in our community.  Our Youth Leadership Development Program facilitates the personal growth and leadership development in youths.  We empower our youth to learn valuable leadership and life skills through a variety of diverse, spiritual experiences, peer engagement and active community involvement. Students earn school service credits.  We focus on charitable works, community outreach and service activities, education, fundraising and organized sports.  Our directors emphasize the importance of leadership through education and teamwork and our programs build and instill confidence, cooperation, discipline, hope, and high self-esteem. 

Our Youth Leadership Development Program challenges youths to take on a leadership role both in life and in their caring community.  We integrate participants into our organization's decision making body and volunteer programs.  Additionally, we strive to offer youth the skills and competitive edge required for personal, relational and successful community growth.  Through our Youth Leadership Development Program, our students and participants use hands-on learning to develop youth-to-adult and peer-to-peer relationships based on compassion, engagement and social awareness.  We offer skills training workshops in the following areas:  communication, community, co-operation, environmental sustainability, global awareness, leadership, and self-awareness.  For more information about our tutoring and volunteering programs, please contact us today. We welcome your inquiries. 

No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, show up, and never give up!

Amazing Tutors' Youth Hub Promotes Career Education and Youth Wellness

Amazing Tutors' Children's Foundation believes in engaging in Programs for Children and Youth that build character, increase self-esteem and, develop life skills.  Our community Outreach Program is an after school drop-in program designed to provide high quality programming that is open to our students. We meet twice a month and we provide a safe and nurturing environment and supports the principles of healthy child development.

We have been working on understanding our personal skills and strengths which we can use to help and support others.  We have gone for volunteering trips to the Lookout Emergency Aid's shelters, Option's Hyland House, Night Shift Ministries, Powell Street Getaway Resource Centre, Surrey Food Bank, and Surrey Urban Mission to give back to our community while cultivating our strong work ethic. Students have roles and responsibilities which they can perform safely to provide a charitable service to their patrons with a good experience.  

We have been working on patience, understanding and leadership as we build connections with our community.  Working with younger students provides an opportunity to share and practice the skills we have mastered. Through our career education youth hub, our tutors teach students and volunteers to recognize personal preferences, skills, strengths, and abilities to connect them to possible career choices. They learn to question themselves and others about how their personal public identity can have both positive and negative consequences.  We examine the importance of service learning and the responsibility of individuals to contribute to the community and the world. Furthermore, we explore volunteer opportunities and other new experiences outside school and recognize their value in career development.

Children and youth have the opportunity to:

• Participate in meaningful engagement with charities​
• Build positive relationships with peers and staff
• Develop social-emotional skills
• Develop leadership skills and feel a sense of belonging to their community
• Take part in group discussions and planning
• Learn and develop a set of different skills
• Have their voices heard
• Be part of a caring, giving and supportive community 

Between the ages of eight to twelve, the middle years set the foundation for success in adolescence and adulthood.  With the support from government and community partners, children and youth can acquire important skills needed in their age group.  Research reveals that after school hours are defined as the critical hours, a time of day when children and youth, if left unsupervised, may be vulnerable and exposed to risky behaviors and disengaged from positive activities.

Additionally, social development plans provide both children and teens with positive adult support.  In turn, these help reduce the risk factors associated with juvenile offenders.  Though not the complete solutions to stopping negative behaviors, organized sports and development programs can contribute to their reduction by giving young people a positive identity, feelings of empowerment and by helping youth acquire leadership, teamwork, and self-governance skills under adult supervision.       

Carving Your Psychology Career during University

"Working at Amazing Tutors has given me an abundance of life skills that I can use in my future career.  As a student of psychology at a local university, working with students teaches me about how to communicate with and understand people.  I also work with students who require academic coaching and remedial tutoring services.  Although challenging, it has really allowed me to see the different kinds of learning that exist and that not everybody learns the same way.  It is really rewarding to work and help students with their school work.  More importantly, we teach them how to harness the power of vision so that it leads to the realization of their own dreams and how to transform their obstacles into opportunities.  It is nice to know I made a difference in their day."        -K. Jagpal

Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation's Youth Leadership Development Program

At Amazing Tutors' Children's Foundation, we are very gratified for the depth and breadth of community support. Through our Youth Leadership Development Program, we have delivered over one thousand shelter food packs to various shelters and charities in Surrey and Vancouver.  Our Youth Leadership Development Program facilitates the personal growth and leadership development in youths.  We empower our youth to learn valuable leadership and life skills through a variety of diverse, spiritual experiences, peer engagement and active community.  Students earn school service credits.  We focus on charitable works, community outreach and service activities, education, and fundraising.  Our directors emphasize the importance of leadership through education and teamwork and our programs build and instill confidence, cooperation, discipline, hope, and high self-esteem.

Our Youth Leadership Development Program challenges youths to take on a leadership role both in life and in their caring community.  We integrate participants into our organization's decision making body and volunteer programs.  Additionally, we strive to offer the skills and competitive edge required for personal, relational and successful community growth. Through our Youth Development Leadership Program, our students and participants use hands-on learning to develop youth-to-adult and peer-to-peer relationships based on compassion, engagement and social awareness.  We offer skills training workshops in the following areas:  communication, community, co-operation, environmental sustainability, global awareness, leadership, and self-awareness.

Amazing Tutor's Children's Foundation thrives on the dedication of students who volunteer their joyful energy, time, and their incredible skill sets.  Volunteers are the foundation of our non-profit organization and without them we would not be able to help many people in our communities.  By volunteering with us, people are given an opportunity to make a positive difference in their community.  Volunteers are also given the chance to serve the community, build awareness, heighten their visibility, establish a connection with members of the community, and most importantly, they will have the opportunity to develop themselves individually through personal and relational growth. For more information about our tutoring and volunteering programs to earn school service credits, please contact us today.  We welcome your inquires.  

 If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere!

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Amazing Tutors' Eco-Health Giving Club Promotes Eco-friendliness

"We look forward to working together championing issues that are important to wildlife conservation, climate change, elimination of single-use plastics, biodiversity, saving trees and habitats, banning the captivity of cetaceans, and the health of our oceans." 

Amazing Tutors' Eco-Health and Giving Club captures the connection among healthy functioning ecosystems and the benefits of nature. We celebrated this year's charitable ecological-health giving by cleaning up two acres of forested area behind Princess Margaret Secondary. We carefully recycled, removed and sorted waste from the forest trails. Our Eco-Health Giving Club was designed as part of our Community Outreach Program to create volunteer opportunities and environments that foster our students' ability to participate in a caring, giving and supportive community. The aim was to grow our team-spirit while giving back to our community. Our integrated, hands-on Eco-Health Giving Club works in conjunction with our Eco-Friendly Harvest Giving Club which featured recycled, reclaimed, re-purposed, thrifted and upcycled supplies and items to encourage waste minimization and reuse strategies.

Where Has all the Wilderness Gone? 

BC's spotted owls rely on old-growth forests to forage, nest and roost.  The loss of this habitat has collapsed their population to fewer than six owls in Canada's wilderness today. They are among many  wildlife species threatened by habitat loss, toxic insecticides, logging, pollution, and climate change --- but what is the real killer of wildlife in Canada?

The World Wildlife Federation (WWF) reports that the populations of all wildlife species on Earth have declined by an average of 60% between 1978 and 2018.  The situation is even more dire in Canada, as roughly half of all wildlife species in Canada had their population diminish by an average of 83% between 1970 and 2014.  Our wilderness is continuing to shrink at a rate unprecedented since the great Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction 66 million years ago, when 75% of all of Earth's flora and fauna (including the last dinosaurs) went extinct.  Later, mega fauna like mammoths, saber-toothed cats, and giant sloths disappeared soon after humans arrived in the Americas 13,000 years ago.  Paleoecologist Paul Martin's Blitzkrieg Hypothesis suggests humans created havoc as they spread through the Americas, wielding spears to annihilate animals that never before faced a technological predator.  Fortunately, this extinction was not exhaustive.  North America kept its black bears, deer, smaller bison, etc., while South America kept its jaguars, llamas etc.

The countries with the most remaining wilderness today are Russia, Canada, Australia, Canada and Brazil, in that order. Together these five nations house 70% of the remaining global wilderness and biodiversity today.  Canada's position as a "champion of the wilderness" may sound reassuring, but the reality is far more chilling. While most of our and agriculture development is clustered around the 49th parallel, the natural exploration, resource exploitation, and infrastructure that supports our cities' rapid growth extends all over our would-be wilderness.  Something has to give, but what, and at what cost?

Human activities often detrimentally affect nature. Canadians currently rank among Earth's highest per capita energy consumer and disproportionately impact our wilderness. The state of Canadian ecosystems can be measured by the direct impact of projects like the Athabasca Tar Sands Project, Site C Dam, and Trans Mountain Pipeline, and also by the rapid disappearance of wildlife accompanied by an increase in incompetent after-the-fact crisis management. As with spotted owls, caribou populations across Canada are collapsing. This is largely due to decades of extensive forestry and oil and gas extraction and not by natural hunting for survival as conducted by First Nations People for millennia.

Orcas are intelligent social mammals that pass survival information across generations in Pacific Northwest Oceans. They are surrounded by toxic contaminants, face supply changes, and are continually bombarded with noise from vessels. These are major factors declining their numbers, with Orcas dying due to boat strikes, malnutrition, starvation, and toxins.  At a crucial time when Orcas' future hangs in doubt following the Chinook salmon population collapse and intensified ship traffic, oil tanker traffic is set to increase sevenfold. Half of the Orcas' will perish within a decade.

 Perhaps the most publicly recognized endangered species in Canada are our polar bears, which are declining in the face of climate change shrinking available ice and their food supply alike. The decline of polar bears, caribou, and Orcas are merely the most wildly publicized concerns. This begs the question, can we expect to have healthy wildlife living in a disturbed and increasingly threatened and ecologically unhealthy wilderness? Canadians take it all with a grain of salt when the general attitude is that "they are too expensive to save." Moreover,  half of BC's salmon populations have been found to be endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSWIC). Due to mismanagement, we have overfished the oceans and polluted spawning grounds.

The real culprit is humanity's dramatic population growth.  We are turning rural landscapes into vast unsustainable suburbia.  Our negative encounters are a symptom of an unhealthy environmental condition driven by mankind when we press into areas inhabited by wildlife. We do the greatest harm when we encroach directly into wild habitats by spraying insecticides, uprooting trees and poisoning water. We must learn to manage our own behavior and its associated wilderness destruction; otherwise we'll be even more destructive than our ancient spear wielding ancestors.  Where should our priorities lie? We must begin protecting Earth's environment, life, and resources. This is a collective responsibility for all who inhabit this planet.  We must be good stewards on Earth and minimize our negative impact.  We must reduce our consumption and properly dispose of our waste.  We must replace the resources we consume whenever possible and protect the wildlife and habitats threatened by human activity and the changing climate alike.

Our Eco-friendly Program

​​Maintaining and enhancing the integrity of ecosystems and other natural features is essential for ensuring that local neighbors continue to benefit from the ecosystem services that contribute to our collective well-being and prosperity for all living organisms and friendly wildlife. There is no substitute for hard work to remove litter, plant trees, or to reduce and take plastic packaging back to the store that sold the items. We can implement eco-friendly strategies to minimize impacts on the environment, build stronger connections to community and family, forge bonds of trust, and teach self-improvement and accountability. Our guiding principles recognized that each community has unique characteristics, knowledge, experience and expertise to address prevention and early intervention for vulnerable youth. Criteria included providing integrated and collaborative services that support community capacity to build healthy relationships. Essentially, these are the core principles we impart in our programs designed to provide leadership training. We encourage our students to reflect on their interactions, to help them understand the value of caring, compassion, empathy, and to use their new awareness to help in the communities they live in. We follow a micro eco-health framework which encapsulates our efforts around ecological health and provides guiding principles, goals, and strategies to help achieve the vision of a greener, beautiful, healthy, and resilient environment for current and future generations. Students and youth help the environment while being trained in local ecological stewardship. We can work with different organizations and help renew trails, enhance local wildlife habitats and park features, plant and identify flowers and trees, monitor wildlife, and build gardens. Our micro ecological health framework sets the following high-level goals for ecological health to guide our Amazing Tutors' volunteering actions.  

• Ecology goal 1:  Build ecological resilience and minimize impacts
• Ecology goal 2:  Protect natural areas and conserve ecosystem services
• Ecology goal 3:  Nurture nature within communities
• Ecology goal 4:  Integrate Biophilia and the health benefits of nature in decision making

​Most families now live in cities, and we spend nowhere as much time outside as the Aboriginal and pioneers of Canada. This trend to urbanization accelerated in the second half of the 20th century in developed countries where food production slowly became mechanized. Although this has been seen as desirable progress, our migration away from nature has had adverse mental and physical health effects. Our Community Outreach Program teaches that Biophilia is an innate feeling of caring and affiliation for living entities on the planet and it is important to be a good steward in our local communities and our planet. Our Community Outreach Program in our Youth Zone is facilitated by our Youth Group team with the goal of supporting those in a positive youth and community leadership role to develop the life skills and confidence to identify and safeguard people who may be at risk of juvenile delinquency. Both of our Eco-Health Giving and the Eco-Harvest Giving Clubs are designed to help build awareness for environmental protection and reduce the risk factors associated with juvenile offenders. We support the development of our students' emotional intelligence and we teach skills that strengthen students' ability to learn, have empathy, manage emotions, and solve problems.  We base the skills and concepts taught on research that connects the development of social-emotional competence and self-regulation skills to success in school and life. The ecological health wheel outlines the different ecosystem services.

​

 Our North West Coast Ecosystem is a dynamic complex of plant, animal and microorganisms and their nonliving environment interacting as a functional unit.  Ecosystem services are the benefits local neighbors obtain from ecosystems.  These services can be grouped into four main types as outlined by Metro Vancouver:

• Provisioning services include material and energy outputs from ecosystems, including food, fresh water, and raw materials used for construction and energy like wood.

• Regulating services refer to the services provided by ecosystems in processing and assimilating pollution, stabilizing water flows and soil erosion, control local climates, and storing or sequestering carbon.

• Cultural services are the non-material benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, recreation, and aesthetic enjoyment.

• Supporting services underpin all other ecosystem services.  Ecosystems provide habitats for all plants and animals while depending on a diversity of species and maintain their own functions.

​At Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, the Community Outreach workshops fosters a caring, learning and safe environment where discussions are openly encouraged.  Students and participants learn how to communicate effectively with one another.  We help our students develop critical thinking skills, problem solving, simple conversation and conflict resolution skills.  We covered a range of current issues and incidents which have an effect on cohesion and multi-cultural integration.  We analyzed initiatives including event planning, fundraising, environmental protection, community outreach and research.  

We can help students develop their sense of the world through positive conversations with important adults in their lives. We can use our language carefully to help students learn to view themselves and others as strong individuals, free to choose their own paths.  Every student should take time to visit and reflect upon his or her experience.  We encourage all students to discover their unique potential.

A Kind Word from an Amazing Student

"For the last one year that I have been teaching at Amazing Tutors, I have also been working towards my Environmental Protection Technology Diploma at KPU. As a former student of Amazing Tutors, I have been accustomed to the effective values and techniques that tutors have been sharing to support and help their students succeed.  These values and techniques have shaped me to become a better student and had motivated me to learn and experience more complex and interesting concepts.  This led me to become a student of the Science faculty.  I believe that during my time at Amazing Tutors as a student, I was mentored and received a large amount of support and encouragement in my studies, which helped me become more interested in the field of environmental science. Please go confidently in the direction of your dreams and live the life you have imagined."

​ -S. Toor, ( An Environmental Protection student at Kwantlen Polytechnique 

University) He is the recipient of the District/Authority Scholarship.  This scholarship is distributed across school districts and independent school authorities that recognize graduating B.C. students for excellence in their chosen area of interest or strength such as indigenous languages and culture, fine arts,applied design, skills, and technologies, physical activity, international languages, community service (volunteer activity) or technical and trades training.  Winners receive an one thousand scholarship voucher to use towards their post-secondary tuition.

"It is important for children and students to have access to mentors in their communities.  When children have access to mentors in their communities, they gain a sense of belonging and connection.  These relationships allow children exposure to new opportunities and perspectives to help expand their understanding of relationships and the world around them.  Additionally, sharing personal connections with positive role models enables children to reach their full potential and provides them positive reinforcement of their strengths, which naturally contributes to increases in a child's self-esteem.  Community-based mentors also aid in reducing social isolation and expanding a child's relationship skill set, allowing for genuine personal connections where the child can feel valued and secure and transfer those skills into other avenues of their lives."

-B. Varty ( Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver)

​​​​For more informative resources, please see the following sites:

Use this Labour Market Navigator link to find out which jobs are in demand and where in B.C.

www.workbc.ca/jobs-careers/explore-careers.aspx

Press the Educational Planner link to find out which program, school or path is right for you.

http://www.educationplannerbc.ca/

Click on this Industry Training Authority link to discover opportunities for youth apprenticeship.

​http://www.itabc.ca/youth

Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation's Youth Leadership Development Program

At Amazing Tutors' Children's Foundation, we are very gratified for the depth and breadth of community support. Through our Youth Leadership Development Program, we have delivered over one thousand shelter food packs to various shelters and charities in Surrey and Vancouver.  Our Youth Leadership Development Program facilitates the personal growth and leadership development in youths.  We empower our youth to learn valuable leadership and life skills through a variety of diverse, spiritual experiences, peer engagement and active community.  Students earn school service credits.  We focus on charitable works, community outreach and service activities, education, fundraising and organized sports.  Our directors emphasize the importance of leadership through education and teamwork and our programs build and instill confidence, cooperation, discipline, hope, and high self-esteem.

 Our Youth Leadership Development Program challenges youths to take on a leadership role both in life and in their caring community.  We integrate participants into our organization's decision making body and volunteer programs.  Additionally, we strive to offer the skills and competitive edge required for personal, relational and successful community growth. Through our Youth Development Leadership Program, our students and participants use hands-on learning to develop youth-to-adult and peer-to-peer relationships based on compassion, engagement and social awareness.  We offer skills training workshops in the following areas:  communication, community, co-operation, environmental sustainability, global awareness, leadership, and self-awareness.  For more information about our tutoring and volunteering programs, please contact us today.  We welcome your inquire.  

The generous giving of ourselves, can produce a bountiful generous harvest!

​

Amazing Tutors' Eco-Harvest Giving Club Promotes Eco-friendliness

"At Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, we believe that everything we can do in this world is done by hope. Good things come to those who believe, better things come to those who are patient and the best things come to those who do not give up.  " 

The Amazing Tutors' Eco-Harvest Giving Club celebrated this year's charitable giving by collecting donations of fresh cut flowers, vegetables, food donations and pumpkins.  We carefully sorted, packed and delivered these charity baskets with blessing goods to a shelter. Our Eco-Harvest Giving Club was designed as part of our Community Outreach Program to create volunteer opportunities and environments that foster our students' ability to participate in a caring, giving and supportive community. The aim was to grow our team-spirit while giving back to our community. Our integrated, hands-on Eco-Friendly Harvest Giving Club featured recycled, reclaimed, re-purposed, thrifted and upcycled supplies and items to encourage waste minimization and reuse strategies. We work in conjunction with our Eco-Friendly Health Giving Club to beautify our local community.

At Amazing Tutors' Children's Foundation, we look forward to working together championing issues that are important to wildlife conservation, climate change, elimination of single use plastics, biodiversity, saving trees and habitats, banning the captivity of cetaceans and the health of our oceans. We can implement eco-friendly strategies, build stronger connections to community and family, forge bonds of trust, and teach self-improvement and accountability. Essentially, these are the core principles we impart in our programs designed to provide leadership training. We encourage our students to reflect on their interactions, to help them understand the value of caring, compassion, empathy, and to use their new awareness to help in the communities they live in.  

The Community Outreach Program in our Youth Zone is facilitated by our Youth Group team with the goal of supporting those in a positive youth and community leadership role to develop the life skills and confidence to identify and safeguard people who may be at risk of juvenile delinquency. This Eco-Harvest Giving Club is designed to help build awareness for environmental protection and reduce the risk factors associated with juvenile offenders. We support the development of our students' emotional intelligence and we teach skills that strengthen students' ability to learn, have empathy, manage emotions, and solve problems.  We base the skills and concepts taught on research that connects the development of social-emotional competence and self-regulation skills to success in school and life. 

​At Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, the Community Outreach workshops fosters a caring, learning and safe environment where discussions are openly encouraged.  Students and participants learn how to communicate effectively with one another.  We help our students develop critical thinking skills, problem solving, simple conversation and conflict resolution skills.  We covered a range of current issues and incidents which have an effect on cohesion and multi-cultural integration.  We analyzed initiatives including event planning, fundraising, environmental protection, community outreach and research.  

We can help students develop their sense of the world through positive conversations with important adults in their lives. We can use our language carefully to help students learn to view themselves and others as strong individuals, free to choose their own paths.  Every student should take time to visit and reflect upon his or her experience.  We encourage all students to discover their unique potential.

A Kind Word from an Amazing Student

"For the last one year that I have been teaching at Amazing Tutors, I have also been working towards my Environmental Protection Technology Diploma at KPU. As a former student of Amazing Tutors, I have been accustomed to the effective values and techniques that tutors have been sharing to support and help their students succeed.  These values and techniques have shaped me to become a better student and had motivated me to learn and experience more complex and interesting concepts.  This led me to become a student of the Science faculty.  I believe that during my time at Amazing Tutors as a student, I was mentored and received a large amount of support and encouragement in my studies, which helped me become more interested in the field of science. Please go confidently in the direction of your dreams and live the life you have imagined."

-S. Toor, ( An Environmental Protection student at Kwantlen Polytechnique University)

"It is important for children and students to have access to mentors in their communities.  When children have access to mentors in their communities, they gain a sense of belonging and connection.  These relationships allow children exposure to new opportunities and perspectives to help expand their understanding of relationships and the world around them.  Additionally, sharing personal connections with positive role models enables children to reach their full potential and provides them positive reinforcement of their strengths, which naturally contributes to increases in a child's self-esteem.  Community-based mentors also aid in reducing social isolation and expanding a child's relationship skill set, allowing for genuine personal connections where the child can feel valued and secure and transfer those skills into other avenues of their lives."

-B. Varty ( Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver)

​​​​For more informative resources, please see the following sites:

Use this Labour Market Navigator link to find out which jobs are in demand and where in B.C.

www.workbc.ca/jobs-careers/explore-careers.aspx

Press the Educational Planner link to find out which program, school or path is right for you.

http://www.educationplannerbc.ca/

Click on this Industry Training Authority link to discover opportunities for youth apprenticeship.

​http://www.itabc.ca/youth

Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation's Youth Leadership Development Program

At Amazing Tutors' Children's Foundation, we are very gratified for the depth and breadth of community support. Through our Youth Leadership Development Program, we have delivered over one thousand shelter food packs to various shelters and charities in Surrey and Vancouver.  Our Youth Leadership Development Program facilitates the personal growth and leadership development in youths.  We empower our youth to learn valuable leadership and life skills through a variety of diverse, spiritual experiences, peer engagement and active community.  Students earn school service credits.  We focus on charitable works, community outreach and service activities, education, fundraising and organized sports.  Our directors emphasize the importance of leadership through education and teamwork and our programs build and instill confidence, cooperation, discipline, hope, and high self-esteem.

Our Youth Leadership Development Program challenges youths to take on a leadership role both in life and in their caring community.  We integrate participants into our organization's decision making body and volunteer programs.  Additionally, we strive to offer the skills and competitive edge required for personal, relational and successful community growth. Through our Youth Development Leadership Program, our students and participants use hands-on learning to develop youth-to-adult and peer-to-peer relationships based on compassion, engagement and social awareness.  We offer skills training workshops in the following areas:  communication, community, co-operation, environmental sustainability, global awareness, leadership, and self-awareness.  For more information about our tutoring and volunteering programs, please contact us today.  We welcome your inquires.  

Mother Earth is Worth Fighting For!

​

Amazing Tutors' Permaculture Garden Club Promotes Decarbonization

At Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, we believe that some of the world's problems can be solved in a garden. Good things come to those who believe, better things come to those who are patient and the best things come to those who do not give up on planting more plants and trees. Decarbonization can halt climate change!" 

The Amazing Tutors' Permaculture Garden volunteers celebrated this year's charitable giving by growing organic vegetables and collecting fresh cut flowers and fresh fruit food donations. We carefully sorted, packed and delivered these seasonal charity baskets a local shelter. Our Bee Friendly, Permaculture Garden and sun room was designed as part of our Community Outreach Program to create volunteer opportunities and environments that foster our students' ability to participate in a caring, giving, supportive, and sustainable community. The aim was to grow our team-spirit while giving back to our community. Our integrated, hands-on Eco-Friendly Permaculture Garden featured recycled, reclaimed, re-purposed, thrifted and upcycled supplies and items to encourage waste minimization and reuse strategies.

The youth of today understand that we do not have the technology to neither remove or pump greenhouse emissions out of the earth, so we planted more plants, shrubs and trees to convert carbon dioxide to re-oxygenate mother earth. For decarbonisation to work, the continued shift away from fossil fuels is essential.  At Amazing Tutors' Children's Foundation, students look forward to working together championing issues that are important to wildlife conservation, climate change, elimination of single use plastics, biodiversity, saving trees and habitats, banning the captivity of cetaceans and the health of our oceans.

Permaculture Gardening 

Permaculture is a design system which sprang up during the 1970s oil crisis. It is a reaction to food insecurity and the desire for self-reliance for growing food. Combining a change in attitude, simple observation and practical application, it encompasses recycling, reusing and regenerating. Permaculture land-use ethics invite us to protect intact ecosystems where they remain and, where ecosystems have been destroyed, to help heal and restore them.  Permaculture design also suggests that we take care of earth while taking care of all living beings.  It is really about working with nature, not against it.

When applied to gardening, it suggest that we can grow food almost anywhere --from fruit shrubs in container pots to vines on fences. We can get higher yields with less effort simply by imitating nature. In contrast to many modern agricultural methods, a natural growing system should be able to sustain a continuous cycle, with dead plants becoming mulch for new growth. Permaculture gardening rediscovers ways to recreate this natural cycle through composing. By turning food waste into valuable compost and replacing slug pellets and weedkillers with natural predators and natural competition, we can always leave the soil better than we find it.  

The modern Village Surrey Transition Initiative and Transition Town movement emerged from the permaculture model, as a reaction to concerns over peak oil. It is really possible to grow food in a sustainable way using practical knowledge, skills, while benefiting ourselves, our local communities and wildlife.  

A Kind Word from an Amazing Student

"Volunteering at Amazing Tutors' Children's Foundation over the years has been an opportunity to realize the issues of poverty and food scarcity which exist within our own community. Volunteering is an impactful way to positively influence the community and people around us.  The Amazing Tutors' Children's Foundation facilitates and assists each child's growth and development intellectually, socially, emotionally, physically, and culturally.  They do this so that each child can realize his or her full potential. Students and volunteers are held to higher expectations from the coordinators and mentors.  

The learning goals for volunteers were to:

• Explore volunteer opportunities to recognize their value in developing their transferable job skills (communication, customer service, collaboration, time management, efficiency, enthusiasm, problem solving.)
• Demonstrate leadership skills through collaboration activities in the community
• Examine the importance of service learning and the responsibility of individuals to the contribute to community and the world."  - An amazing student volunteer

"It is important for children and students to have access to mentors in their communities.  When children have access to mentors in their communities, they gain a sense of belonging and connection.  These relationships allow children exposure to new opportunities and perspectives to help expand their understanding of relationships and the world around them.  Additionally, sharing personal connections with positive role models enables children to reach their full potential and provides them positive reinforcement of their strengths, which naturally contributes to increases in a child's self-esteem.  Community-based mentors also aid in reducing social isolation and expanding a child's relationship skill set, allowing for genuine personal connections where the child can feel valued and secure and transfer those skills into other avenues of their lives."

-B. Varty ( Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver)

​​​​For more informative resources, please see the following sites:

Use this Labour Market Navigator link to find out which jobs are in demand and where in B.C.

www.workbc.ca/jobs-careers/explore-careers.aspx

Press the Educational Planner link to find out which program, school or path is right for you.

http://www.educationplannerbc.ca/

Click on this Industry Training Authority link to discover opportunities for youth apprenticeship.

​http://www.itabc.ca/youth

Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation's Youth Leadership Development Program

At Amazing Tutors' Children's Foundation, we are very gratified for the depth and breadth of community support. Through our Youth Leadership Development Program, we have delivered over one thousand shelter food packs to various shelters and charities in Surrey and Vancouver.  Our Youth Leadership Development Program facilitates the personal growth and leadership development in youths.  We empower our youth to learn valuable leadership and life skills through a variety of diverse, spiritual experiences, peer engagement and active community.  Students earn school service credits.  We focus on charitable works, community outreach and service activities, education, fundraising and organized sports.  Our directors emphasize the importance of leadership through education and teamwork and our programs build and instill confidence, cooperation, discipline, hope, and high self-esteem.

Our Youth Leadership Development Program challenges youths to take on a leadership role both in life and in their caring community.  We integrate participants into our organization's decision making body and volunteer programs.  Additionally, we strive to offer the skills and competitive edge required for personal, relational and successful community growth. Through our Youth Development Leadership Program, our students and participants use hands-on learning to develop youth-to-adult and peer-to-peer relationships based on compassion, engagement and social awareness.  We offer skills training workshops in the following areas:  communication, community, co-operation, environmental sustainability, global awareness, leadership, and self-awareness.  For more information about our tutoring and volunteering programs, please contact us today.  We welcome your inquires.  

Art Enables Us to Find Ourselves 

Local Artists' Works Raise Climate Change Awareness in our Community

​Mellisa Burgher's painting, "An Age of Innocence," is symbolic of a child getting their toes wet in what we call life. The child does not fully know what life means, she is learning through her experiences. She is just dipping her toes, without any care. There is beauty in seeing how children interact with nature. They do not hold back and have a great capacity for experiencing. In this painting she questions if children will always have a clean planet to experience. One day the water and sky could be a place we keep our children from experiencing. Children are truly innocent, and she hopes we can sustain our planet so they can continue to experience it the way we all have.

The Amazing Tutors' Childrens' Foundation continues to celebrate the people and projects that are building awareness on climate change and environmental sustainability. Sustainable development is a unique pattern of growth in which resources use aims to meet human needs while preserving and protecting the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but for generations to come. We can encourage climate change awareness in our community by focusing on local and regional impacts. For example, sea level has already risen by several inches over the past century and the impacts can be obvious in some coastal habitats, marshes and beaches. As sea levels rises, stronger storm surges contribute to coastal erosion. We can lessen our impact on the environment by planting more trees to absorb carbon dioxide, using recycled, reclaimed, repurposed, thrifted and upcycled supplies and items. 

The Amazing Tutors' Children's Foundation is a community that respects, honours, and supports our local artists. Mellisa Burgher is a Canadian painter working with an array of mediums and techniques. She currently works in Vancouver, Canada and has sold many paintings internationally. We appreciate Mellisa Burgher and Carla Maskall's work. They raise awareness on climate change, get us engaged, inspire fresh thinking and individual community action. The arts can evoke a sense of awareness for nature, beauty, fortitude, kindness, and well-being which will make the world a more divine place. We must all take the responsibility to be good stewards of the earth and help heal, protect and save it for all living beings and our future generations. We can hope for the good in this world and the hereafter, and strive to do something good that makes a positive difference in our world. We can do this together to champion issues that are important to wildlife conservation, climate change, banning the captivity of cetaceans, elimination of single-use plastics, biodiversity, saving trees and habitats, and the health of oceans.

​​​​​A Kind Word from our Team 

"At Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, we believe in engaging youths in community programs that build character, increase self-esteem and, develop life skills. Social development programs, developed through the arts, provide both children and teens with positive peer interactions, opportunities to develop artistic ability, problem-solving skills, and positive adult support, which help reduce the risk factors associated with young offenders.  Although development programs are not the complete solution to stopping negative behaviors, they can, however, contribute to their reduction by giving young people a positive identity, feelings of empowerment and by helping youth acquire leadership, teamwork, and self-governance skills under adult supervision. 

  - Alexandra H., Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation  

Walk softly together, giving what you can and taking only what you need

The Surrey Earth Walk: Celebrating and Looking Beyond Today for Green, Sustainable ideas for our Future Needs

The Surrey Earth Walk is an incredible 14 km self-supported walk across Surrey, that celebrated the people and projects that are making our community more environmentally sustainable.  This event was a collaboration between Village Surrey Transition Initiative and the Surrey Blue Dot Movement, a group that continues to inspire positive and productive actions towards clean air, water and land. The purpose was to engage individuals, neighbourhoods and organizations to take action and affirm our commitment to building sustainable communities. 

​In celebrating the theme of environmental sustainability, the Surrey Earth Walk offered a wide variety of activities including a tour of Zaklan Heritage Farm, a generous lunch at Henry's backyard garden, a tour of Bear Creek Native Plant Garden, Green Timbers Urban Forest, and an exploration of Lehmann Grove.  Newton Safeway, Newton Free Food Garden, Newton PLOT, The Roots Ecovillage Co-op, Gro Carts Project at Holland Park and the Surrey City Centre Library hosted insightful venues to receive all the participants.  Moreover, they offered an incredible selection of healthy food, from organic fresh fruits to salads, and plenty of points of interest along the way for both children and adults to bring everyone in the community together.  

The Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation appreciates the Village Surrey Transition Initiative and the Surrey Blue Dot Movement for encouraging all of us to respond to contemporary environmental sustainability challenges.  These challenges include climate change, scarce cheap oil, and economic volatility.  Essentially, the initiative fosters community connections, food security, and the development of skills, knowledge and technologies to transition to a less energy intensive and healthier way of life. Thank you for providing the opportunity for all of us to participate in a caring, giving, greener, and friendlier community. 

Keep true to the dreams of your youth

Amazing Volunteers and Students work forward to Provide Support to Parkway Shelter in Surrey, B.C. $20 000 Received from the City of Abby for Rustic Outdoor Wood Planters and Tables

When it comes to creating a culture of caring in Surrey, Fraser Health and Lookout Emergency Aid Society lead by example.  With Lookout's support, Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation was able to set up a community garden in their Parkway Shelter's courtyard.  Parkway Shelter is a low-barrier, shelter for homeless adults and operates in conjunction with The Front Room, a 24 hour drop-in resource center.  It is operated in partnership with and funded by BC Housing. 

The Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation was blessed with the opportunity to help them develop a summer beautification and woodworking program which focuses on building confidence and community while developing greater connection with nature. We wanted to inspire fresh thinking that creates economic opportunity, social equality and environmental well-being.  We donated patio furniture, supplies to create container gardening and installed a Hempster Bay gazebo to protect our local residents and marginalized youth from the heat and rain.  We were fortunate to receive pallet and recycled wood from Fraser Valley Equipment Ltd., Home Depot and local arborists, framers and neighbors in Newton.  Potters contributed some plants and vegetables.  We provided all the materials and power tools to build, paint, and stain West Coast rustic, outdoor furniture. Working together, we launched a ground breaking community garden and a unique "Do-it-together woodworking program" featuring recycled, reclaimed, repurposed, thrifted and upcycled supplies and items. This program used various economic sustainable strategies for employing existing resources optimally so that a responsible and beneficial balance can be achieved over the longer term. In addition, we offered the opportunity for Lookout clients to build skills and valuable experience that can be used for resumes when re-entering the workforce.  For vulnerable population served by Lookout, many of the same challenges that cause homelessness (physical, or mental illnesses, substance use, disabilities) reap havoc on a person's self esteem and their ability to even imagine stability in their lives such as maintaining a job.  Our project offered an excellent opportunity for individuals to spend their time productively.  At the same time they begin to believe in themselves and take pride in their abilities.  As our Foundation offers opportunities to develop leadership skills to youth attending our programs, Lookout Emergency Aid's leadership and contributions are an excellent example of people working together.  

Many thanks to Lookout Emergency Aid Society for their long-standing dedication, excellence in customer service, and generosity to our community. We feel extremely blessed to have been given the opportunity by Lookout to engage with the community in such an important way, and to have youth in the community volunteering.  At Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, we believe that providing our students with positive and community based volunteer activities is an essential part of their development growing into responsible and capable citizens. 

Through the prism of God's perfection, he casts a rainbow of grace, mercy and justice; and our souls are colored with the perfect faith he created for us.  We look forward to partnering together in the future by bringing unity, brotherhood, hope, and happiness to the family of man. Together we create a world of caring and consideration in our community by providing opportunities to students and young adults to become confident, thoughtful and responsible members of the community.

Amazing Tutors' Youth Leadership Development Program

Amazing Tutors' Youth Leadership Development Program encourages marginalized youth to become actively involved in positive activities and outreach throughout the Surrey community.  The Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation aspires to build an international youth community committed to discovering who they are and the power to make changes they can implement. Our Youth Leadership Development Program fosters the desire and capacity to affect positive change both in their communities and own lives.  The Youth Leadership Development Program is meeting the needs of youth by developing leadership skills.  The Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation focuses on charitable works, community service activities, education, fundraising, and organized sports.  The importance of leadership is emphasized through education and teamwork. The Youth Leadership Program builds and instills confidence, cooperation, discipline, hope, and self-esteem.

 A Kind Word from Lookout Emergency Aid Society

To Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation

"Thank you for all your hard work and dedication.  The wood work program at the Boulevard Shelter has provided our guests with an opportunity to share their passion, talent and contribute to the beautification project at the shelter."
-G. Leung, Program Coordinator at the Boulevard Shelter

"Thank you for the beautification of our shelter and for your donations of winter shelter food packages. Our vision is to help transform the lives of people with few, if any, housing options, and to go beyond traditional solutions to homelessness by fostering change, providing innovative services and building collaborative partnerships."
-Linda Fox, Surrey Program Manager of Lookout Emergency Aid Society 

A Special Thanks to Home Depot

The Amazing Tutors' Children's Foundation would like thank the Home Depot Canada Foundation's "Orange Door Project" for donating $40 000 to Crawford Manor, Lookout's young adult stabilization and transitional living home in Surrey, B.C.  This transition home serves male youth aged 19-24 who have current or recent mild to moderate substance use issues.  This facility offers a program where residents learn to build coping skills necessary for employment and housing success, reducing the risk of homelessness. Home Depot's generous funding for this project will create a safe outdoor space for group activities that include:  peer mentoring and counselling sessions, development of employable skills, family unification and social networking for secondary spaces for clinicians to provide non-tradition programming (yoga, gardening, group barbeques, sports and leisure activities).  The Home Depot Canada Foundation is committed to putting an end to youth homelessness in Canada.  On any given night, more than 6,000 young people are without a place to call home, making youth homelessness one of the most urgent social issues facing Canadians today.  Through The Orange Door Project initiative, their Foundation has pledged $20 million by 2018 to support renovation and repair projects and programs that provide vulnerable youth with access to safe, stable housing and support services.  

​​We offer many thanks to Fraser Health Authority and Lookout Emergency Aid Society for their long-standing dedication, excellence and generosity to our community. We feel extremely blessed to have been given the opportunity by Lookout to engage with the community in such an important way, and to have youth in the community volunteering.  At Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, we believe in providing our students with positive and community based volunteer activities.  Through these actions, we provide an essential part of their development growing into responsible and capable citizens.  We look forward to our partnership for building the future. Together we create a world of caring and consideration in our community.  

​Amazing Community Outreach Program

Amazing Tutor's Children's Foundation is a place of caring, diverse connections and youth transformation.  Our Programs for Youth instill in students a sense of bravery and resourcefulness by taking action for a better world.  Our students strengthen their leadership  capabilities by organizing events and teaching each other new development skills.  Our LEAD programs include leadership, education, and development programs that substantially benefit our community.  Amazing Tutors develops proactive events that address and develop a range of skills and abilities.  These include:  academic coaching, mentoring, self-esteem, relief of poverty, advancement in education, religion, charitable works and fundraising. Students test their limits as they push themselves to overcome obstacles and achieve new goals.  Our students identify issues of importance, and take action on them to make an impact on their community through service and fundraising projects.  

The Amazing Tutors' team helps our students and young people build confidence, increase self-esteem, and discover their spiritual potential.  When they need friendship, feel loneliness and vulnerability, or need somewhere fun and safe to connect to, we are here to speak with them, help them develop life skills, support their growth as a person, and discover their unique potential.  We do this through our youth leadership development program and Amazing Tutors' community-based drop-in centers.  We collaborate with other youth groups, and charitable organizations accessible throughout Surrey.  Our aim is to make genuine connections with our students and support them with the help they need by providing emotional, physical, mental, social and spiritual support.

Our community-based youth leadership development programs are engaging, inclusive, relevant, enjoyable, and most important --responsive to the spiritual need of youth within our local communities. We include charitable works, counselling, food programs, fundraising, peace building, mentoring, social justice initiatives and much more. We are very gratified for the depth and breadth of community support and appreciate the benefits of partnering with local schools, community groups, and working directly with families.  At Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, we are deeply committed and caring.  Guided by values of compassion, kindness, integrity, mercy and servitude, we have an extraordinary ability to connect with youth and help them reach their full potential.  We passionately believe in the potential of each young person with whom we interact, and and are dedicated to providing opportunities for them to be part of a caring, giving and supportive community.  There is something for everybody at our Amazing Tutors' Children's foundation, and we can do this for our children.

Amazing Youth Resources

For more informative resources, please see the following sites:

Use this Labour Market Navigator link to find out which jobs are in demand and where in B.C.

www.workbc.ca/jobs-careers/explore-careers.aspx

Press the Educational Planner link to find out which program, school or path is right for you.

http://www.educationplannerbc.ca/

Click on this Industry Training Authority link to discover opportunities for youth apprenticeship.

​http://www.itabc.ca/youth

A Kind Word from Amazing Tutors

"Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for believers in speech, in life, in love, and in purity."  -Timothy

Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation believes in engaging in Programs for Youth that build character, increase self-esteem and, develop life skills.  Social development plans provide both children, teens and young adults with positive peer interactions, opportunities to develop problem-solving skills and positive adult support.  In turn, these help reduce the risk factors associated with juvenile offenders.  In addition, Amazing Tutors provides access to organized sports which serve throughout the world as a dynamic mechanism to engage youth of all races, genders, and classes.  Though not the complete solution to stopping negative behaviors, organized sports and development programs can contribute to their reduction by giving young people a positive identity, feelings of empowerment and by helping youth acquire leadership, teamwork, and self-governance skills under adult supervision.  

The digital revolution continues to advance the way information is shared and used

Amazing Tutors and Community Partners participate in Diversity Training Video Project

At Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, we designed our Community Outreach Program to create volunteer opportunities and environments that foster our students' ability to participate in a caring and giving community.  Building stronger connections to community and family, forging bonds of trust, and teaching self-improvement and accountability are the principles we impart in our programs designed to provide leadership training. We encourage our students to reflect on their interactions, to help them understand the value of compassion, empathy, caring, and to use their new awareness to help in the communities they live in.  

The Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation believes that technology, especially video and new software, is revolutionizing the way knowledge is shared and used. The Surrey RCMP Diversity Unit approached our educational consultant for knowledge and expertise in creating a diversity training video to train front line officers on how to approach the South Asians and develop meaningful and inclusive policies.  For new hires to hit the ground running, supervisors need to effectively communicate large amounts of information.  Video training offers the ability to communicate organizational values and share up-to-date knowledge so that front line officers reach productivity at a faster speed.  Likewise, an on-demand video training library can help elevate new officers confidence by giving them instant access to refresh and deepen their learning of sensitive diversity issues.  

Many thanks to Surrey RCMP Diversity Section for their long-standing dedication, excellence in customer service, and generosity to our community. We feel extremely blessed to have been given the opportunity by the Surrey RCMP to engage with the community in such an important way and to have our educational consultant and youth in the community volunteering.  At Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, we all care about each other and the community where we live. We believe that providing our students with positive and community based volunteer activities is an essential part of their development growing into responsible and capable citizens. 

A Kind Word from the Surrey RCMP Diversity Section

To Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation,

"On behalf of the Surrey RCMP, we would like to thank you for participating in our Diversity Video Project.  Your knowledge and expertise will help educate our police officers on the diverse community they provide service to. Our goal is to target front line police officers so they are equipped with the knowledge and tools when responding to calls, in this case specifically, from our South Asian community.

Surrey RCMP is committed to ensuring safe homes and safe communities for all those who live and work here.  Working in cooperation with community partners, like yourself, will help us reach that goal and we truly appreciate you taking your time to assist us in our training videos."

-Sincerely, Surrey RCMP Diversity Section

RCMP Diversity Unit

The Surrey RCMP embraces the values of diversity and recognizes the importance of working with diverse communities to promote public safety.  The goal of the Surrey RCMP is to have a workforce that is reflective of the city they serve. The Surrey RCMP Diversity Unit is composed of a Diversity and Community Engagement Sergeant and Constable, a First Nations Policing Constable and two municipal employee Diversity Coordinators.  The unit's mandate is to enhance Surrey Detachment's ability to connect with the City of Surrey's diverse communities.  The Diversity Unit also works with community partners to enhance the Surrey community and promote diversity.  The Surrey RCMP is part of the following committees:

• BC Law Enforcement Diversity Network (BCLEDN)
• Inter-municipal Diversity Committee
• Surrey/North Delta Intercultural Council (SIDC)
• Surrey Local Immigration Partnership (LIP)
• City of Surrey Diversity Advisory Committee

Projects and initiatives undertaken by this unit include the following:

• Participation in cultural community events
• Outreach to the City of Surrey's cultural centers and places of worship
• Coordination of detachment tours and safety workshops for newcomers
• Facilitation of diversity workshops and educational sessions for employees
• Translation of public safety materials into multiple languages 
• Working together to build relationships with Surrey's First Nations communities through projects such as the Pulling Together Canoe Journey
• Hosting neighborhood safety meetings that are facilitated in specific languages such as Arabic, Mandarin Chinese and Somali to meet with, and engage Surrey's diverse communities
• Collaboration with the Surrey School District Safe Schools to implement the Next 100 Years youth peer mentorship program to support elementary school students in cultural identity building

Amazing Tutors Community Outreach Program

Youth from a variety of backgrounds can become involved in crime and gangs for many reasons and it is often a combination of these factors that lead to vulnerability.  The following points highlight the main reasons youth in BC and Surrey are vulnerable to joining a gang.

• Trauma or domestic abuse
• Substance use
• Lack of parental involvement
• Peers or family involved in crime
• Lack of positive friendships
• No positive adult role models
• Cultural identity issues
• Poverty
• Mental health and behavior issues
• Perceived glamour, status and desire for money
• Lack of fear of consequences or enforcement
• Neighborhood influences
• They owe the gang money and are threatened with violence if they do not repay the debt

The Community Outreach Program in our Youth Zone is facilitated by our Youth Group team with the goal of supporting those in a positive youth and community leadership role to develop the life skills and confidence to identify and safeguard people who may be at risk of juvenile delinquency. This workshop is designed to help reduce the risk factors associated with juvenile offenders. We support the development of our students' emotional intelligence and we teach skills that strengthen students' ability to learn, have empathy, manage emotions, and solve problems.  We base the skills and concepts taught on research that connects the development of social-emotional competence and self-regulation skills to success in school and life. 

At Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, the Community Outreach workshops fosters a caring, learning and safe environment where discussions are openly encouraged. Students and participants learn how to communicate effectively with one another.  We help our students develop critical thinking skills, problem solving, simple conversation and conflict resolution skills.  We covered a range of current issues and incidents which have an effect on cohesion and multi-cultural integration.  We analyzed initiatives including event planning, fundraising, community outreach and research.   

Keep true to the dreams of your youth by awakening creativity and sparking potential

Amazing Volunteers and Students Provide Support for a Community Facility

At Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, we designed our Community Outreach Program to create volunteer opportunities and environments that foster our students' ability to participate in a caring and giving community.  Building stronger connections to community and family, forging bonds of trust, and teaching self-improvement and accountability are the principles we impart in our programs designed to provide leadership training. We encourage our students to reflect on their interactions, to help them understand the value of compassion, empathy, caring, and to use their new awareness to help in the communities they live in.

We helped to raise funds for W.E. Kinvig Elementary, an inner-city school, to support their breakfast program, field trip operations, and new playground.  A large-scale study of school breakfast programs done in Canada shows that giving students a nutritious meal at the beginning of the day improves their academic performance and attendance. The school breakfast is a critical support for struggling families trying to stretch limited resources and provides children a significant portion of the nutrition they need to learn and be healthy. Our Surrey education community is extremely grateful to William Vandekerkhove, CEO of Super Save Group.  The EdCom Surrey Now-Leader announced that William Vanderkerkhove has donated $100 000 to meal programs in the district, helping keep the more than 3000 students who receive breakfasts and/or lunch each day fed and ready to learn.  The $100 000 donation is the largest personal donation the district has received to meal programs.

 Any donations of $20 or more will receive a tax receipt from the Surrey School District. If you would like to make a donation in person, please contact the school directly.  Many thanks for considering our request for support. We are forever grateful to those who choose to partner with the Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation.  Thank you to the generous donors, countless individuals and caring families who support our foundation's charitable works. Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to you for your support in reaching the neediest of our community. For more information about getting involved, volunteering or donating, please use the contact form below.   

A Kind Word from W.E. Kinvig Elementary School

To Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation,

"Thank you for your outstanding community service, leadership and for providing citizenship opportunities for youth."

-J. Atwal, Principal of W.E. Kinvig Elementary School

​Amazing Community Outreach Program

Amazing Tutor's Children's Foundation is a place of caring, diverse connections and youth transformation.  Our Programs for Youth instill in students a sense of bravery and resourcefulness by taking action for a better world.  Our students strengthen their leadership  capabilities by organizing events and teaching each other new development skills.  Our LEAD programs include leadership, education, and development programs that substantially benefit our community.  Amazing Tutors develops proactive events that address and develop a range of skills and abilities.  These include:  academic coaching, mentoring, self-esteem, relief of poverty, advancement in education, religion, charitable works and fundraising. Students test their limits as they push themselves to overcome obstacles and achieve new goals.  Our students identify issues of importance, and take action on them to make an impact on their community through service and fundraising projects.  

The Amazing Tutors' team helps our students and young people build confidence, increase self-esteem, and discover their spiritual potential.  When they need friendship, feel loneliness and vulnerability, or need somewhere fun and safe to connect to, we are here to speak with them, help them develop life skills, support their growth as a person, and discover their unique potential.  We do this through our youth leadership development program and Amazing Tutors' community-based drop-in centers.  We collaborate with other youth groups, and charitable organizations accessible throughout Surrey.  Our aim is to make genuine connections with our students and support them with the help they need by providing emotional, physical, mental, social and spiritual support.

Our community-based youth leadership development programs are engaging, inclusive, relevant, enjoyable, and most important --responsive to the spiritual need of youth within our local communities. We include charitable works, counselling, food programs, fundraising, peace building, mentoring, social justice initiatives and much more. We are very gratified for the depth and breadth of community support and appreciate the benefits of partnering with local schools, community groups, and working directly with families.  At Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, we are deeply committed and caring.  Guided by values of compassion, integrity, kindness, mercy and servitude, we have an extraordinary ability to connect with youth and help them reach their full potential.  We passionately believe in the potential of each young person with whom we interact, and and are dedicated to providing opportunities for them to be part of a caring, giving and supportive community.  There is something for everybody at our Amazing Tutors' Children's foundation, and we can do this for our children.

Amazing Youth Resources

For more informative resources, please see the following sites:

Use this Labour Market Navigator link to find out which jobs are in demand and where in B.C.

www.workbc.ca/jobs-careers/explore-careers.aspx

Press the Educational Planner link to find out which program, school or path is right for you.

http://www.educationplannerbc.ca/

Click on this Industry Training Authority link to discover opportunities for youth apprenticeship.

​http://www.itabc.ca/youth

A Kind Word from Amazing Tutors

"Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for believers in speech, in life, in love, and in purity."  -Timothy

Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation believes in engaging in Programs for Youth that build character, increase self-esteem and, develop life skills.  Social development plans provide both children and teens with positive peer interactions, opportunities to develop problem-solving skills and positive adult support.  In turn, these help reduce the risk factors associated with juvenile offenders.  In addition, Amazing Tutors provides access to organized sports which serve throughout the world as a dynamic mechanism to engage youth of all races, genders, and classes.  Though not the complete solution to stopping negative behaviors, organized sports and development programs can contribute to their reduction by giving young people a positive identity, feelings of empowerment and by helping youth acquire leadership, teamwork, and self-governance skills under adult supervision. 

Creative thinking is critical in today's economy

Woodworking Program at Parkway Shelter Gets a Boost from Sponsors

We lift our hands and hearts in deep appreciation and gratitude to all of the sponsors, the government of B.C. and Lookout Emergency Aid Society.  Without the valuable support, the woodworking program could not have developed at the rate that it has.  With their support, Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation was able to set up a community garden in their Parkway Shelter's courtyard.  Parkway Shelter is a low-barrier, shelter for homeless adults and operates in conjunction with The Front Room, a 24 hour drop-in resource center.  It is operated in partnership with and funded by BC Housing. 

The Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation was blessed with the opportunity to help them develop a woodworking program which focuses on acquiring skills, building confidence, developing life skills, financial responsibility, and community while developing greater connection with nature.  We wanted to inspire fresh thinking that creates economic opportunity, social equality and environmental well-being.  We were fortunate to receive pallet and recycled wood from Fraser Valley Equipment Ltd., Home Depot, Chinna and Sons Contractors, Signarama, and local arborists, framers and neighbors in Newton. Potters contributed some plants and vegetables.  We provided all the materials and power tools to build, paint, and stain West Coast rustic, outdoor furniture. Working together, we launched a ground breaking community garden and a unique "Do-it-together woodworking program" featuring recycled, reclaimed, repurposed, thrifted and upcycled supplies and items. This program used various economic sustainable strategies for employing existing resources optimally so that a responsible and beneficial balance can be achieved over the longer term. In addition, we offered the opportunity for Lookout clients to build skills and valuable experience that can be used for resumes when re-entering the workforce.  For vulnerable population served by Lookout, many of the same challenges that cause homelessness (physical, or mental illnesses, substance use, disabilities) reap havoc on a person's self esteem and their ability to even imagine stability in their lives such as maintaining a job.  

The program is structured similar to a high school woodworking program and utilizes real-world learning experiences to help program participants acquire carpentry skills, develop entrepreneurial thinking, practical money management skills and a drive to make a difference. They set and achieve goals, work in teams, engage in community therapy, acquire confidence and develop practical life skills.  When program participants volunteer their time, they discover the beauty and impact of giving back.  Essentially, the program provides a dynamic experiential learning environment to help program participants be part of a caring, giving and supportive community.  They learn about tools and safety rules, acquire carpentry skills, build confidence, develop life skills, receive professional counselling, and financial responsibility by exploring the real world of social enterprises and business ventures. This program is designed to help them prosper, provide an opportunity to fulfill their potential, and to give them a sense of hope for the future. This ensures that they are developing skills that will be useful and they can look forward to opportunities that will help them to develop the capacity in their lives to move forward out of poverty.

This program met regularly twice a week to manage and share logistical tasks of coordinating the Eco-Friendly Woodworking Program, and to support each other socially and emotionally.  We continue to acknowledge the importance of building relationships and developing a sense of connection, belonging, and a well-developed group support system. Like any successful relationship, a very effective group needs to be constantly nurtured and re-created. Our work has become generative, not extractive.  Extractive community work is what happens when one project or group simply extracts resources and capacity from another group.  Generative community work, however, is about "working together" in ways that generate more cooperation, energy, healing, interest and engagement.  We were inspired by the values and good works of Canex Building Supplies, the Surrey Interfaith Council, Village Surrey Transition Initiative and the Blue Dot Movement.  

As the woodworking skills programming develops, it will continue Lookout Society's evolution to serve the changing needs of the most vulnerable and marginalized people in Surrey.  They will provide the training and employment of people who are typically excluded from the mainstream economy, thus creating capacity and self-sufficiency for individuals, and impacting their communities lessening reliance on the social safety net.  This noble intention and element alone can denote a social enterprise.  Unique products will be sold to help finance the social enterprise mission.  The crew will receive additional mentorship from staff, honing their woodworking, carpentry, carving skills and gaining experience in the field.  Throughout their participation and or employment, they are encouraged and supported to seek full-time employment in the trades.  When consumers purchase products, they are not only getting handcrafted wood products --they are directly contributing to the next group of crew members to move through the training and take their career into their own hands.

Program participants can learn skills, prepare sample business plans, create unique and special products and marketing materials, and have a blast by participating in a summer Skill Show Competition and Barbeque outside the Parkway Shelter courtyard.  This event provides an equal opportunity for them to showcase their achievements, gain valuable experience, win prizes and learn to earn money. Interactive exercises are used to introduce business planning steps. They learn to find sponsors to provide supplies, purchase and organize wood supplies, make the product and create a sample, professional-looking business plan.  Throughout the program, they will make notes and track their own progress.  Along with a foremen who professionally trains program participants to use tools, initiates on-site renovation projects, handles commissioned custom woodworking orders, a second coordinator teaches them to create unique and special seasonal products, supervises, guides and supports the program participants' volunteer work in the woodworking shop before entering the social enterprise. We provide the opportunity for program participants to experience all the responsibility, challenge and satisfaction of building a social enterprise. It is essential that they be the decision makers at every stage of this project and we help them view any "mistakes" as greater opportunities for learning. 

​

This program was created to foster independent thinkers and innovators with the confidence to carve out their own unique roles in society. It is embedded with a creative element which encourages them to explore their own passions, incredible talents and interests.  Program participants are provided with an opportunity to develop unique products, business plans and marketing materials.  Coming up with a one of a kind product idea requires program participants to delve deep into themselves and harness their creative thinking skills.  The challenge is to encourage them to create a product or service that "solves a problem or makes a difference in the world." They may choose to use natural materials or recycled items that would otherwise go to waste and landfills.  We encourage program participants to make our world a better place by naturally creating ecological and environmental friendly products.  In addition to acquiring practical money management tools and an entrepreneurial mindset, program participants actively develop vital 21st century skills as communications, creativity and critical thinking.  By providing a real-world business venture experience, we teach them to plan and execute goals in a way that really empowers them to take charge of their own learning.

A Journey of a Thousand Miles towards a Social Enterprise begins with a Single Step

Part 1:  Social Enterprise Business Ideas and Goals

This component provided an introduction to the operation planning system.  Three different types of social enterprises such as manufacturing, service and retail were discussed and then program participants learned that their challenge for this program is to each make a unique product.  They established goals for the social enterprise projects:  learning about business, making money and supporting charities by donating ten percent of their profit.  They were encouraged to make realistic goals and to use this learning opportunity to build practical skills for the future.  They learned that they must first consider their target market.  Program participants explored examples of products and were instructed to each select their own product idea.  They will use their ideas to create market research surveys.  

Part 2:  Market Research and Social Enterprise Business Operations

Program Participants need to consider why customers will want to buy their one of a kind, special products.  They initiated a critical discussion about the importance of making the product unique and special and what product features their potential customers and donors would like.  They completed the product description then designed their own market research surveys and were challenged to use the results to create their products.  Safety and business operations were introduced to help them start thinking about the steps they need to take when making their products.

Part 3:  Social Enterprise and Money Plans

In this third component, program participants explored the concepts of cost, price and profit.  They learn that as the price of a product increases, the number of buyers decreases.  They must consider the "cost to make" and the "price to sell"  and "break even analysis."

Part 4:  Developing Marketing Skills

 Program participants discussed creative ways to market products and services to attract customers and potential donors.  They analyzed real-life examples and then started considering their own marketing strategies to help the social enterprise grow.  They also created advertisements that will promote the Skill Show at the Parkway Shelter Courtyard.

Part 5:  Developing Business Plan 

In this component, we concentrated on preparing business plans.  We worked in teams and were responsible in preparing plans for a social enterprise or business.  The team members presented their plans to the group during a role playing activity.  This exercise helped them gather ideas for their own future social enterprise or business plans.

Part 6:  Evaluating Success

In this component, program participants reflected on their achievements.  They discussed their own personal experiences, the effectiveness of their products and the importance of charitable giving.  We praised their achievements and pointed out any personal growth that we have noticed.  We asked the following questions:  What worked for you?  What would you do differently next time?  What have you learned through this program? 

Our project offered an excellent opportunity for individuals to spend their time productively.  At the same time they begin to believe in themselves and take pride in their abilities.  As our Foundation offers opportunities to develop leadership skills to youth attending our programs, Lookout Emergency Aid's leadership and contributions are an excellent example of people working together.  

Many thanks to Lookout Emergency Aid Society for their long-standing dedication, excellence in customer service, and generosity to our community. We feel extremely blessed to have been given the opportunity by Lookout to engage with the community in such an important way, and to have youth in the community volunteering.  At Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, we believe that providing our students with positive and community based volunteer activities is an essential part of their development growing into responsible and capable citizens.  We feel that meaningful engagement with students and volunteers supports crime reduction, and increases positive behavior, self-confidence, academic-related outcomes and overall healthy child and youth development.  Through the prism of God's perfection, he casts a rainbow of grace, mercy and justice; and our souls are colored with the perfect faith he created for us. We look forward to partnering together in the future by bringing unity, brotherhood, hope, and happiness to the family of man.  Together we create a world of caring and consideration in our community.  

If our youth arise and act, they have the strength and dynamism to generate a huge transformation in Society and Surrey's 278 Cormorant Squadron

Amazing Students become Air Cadets in Canada's newest Royal Air Cadet Squadron in Surrey, B.C.

 At Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, we support our students' participation with the Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron in Surrey, B.C. The Cadets of Canada Program is open to all youths from 12-18 years of age. Students are given the opportunity to develop powers of leadership by means of training to promote the qualities of responsibility, self reliance, resourcefulness, endurance and perseverance.  Cadets participate in challenging and rewarding activities and learn valuable life and work skills. They engage in activities that involve: aerospace, aircraft identification, airport operations, citizenship, community service, communication, First Aid, leadership, marksmanship, meteorology, music, sports and survival skills.  This program requires commitment, discipline and hard work.  However, the rewards are far greater than what a student can put into it, and ultimately it is a fun program with friends and family, that happens to build confidence, incredible life skills, lifelong friendships, and lasting memories.  

The cadet program is provided through a partnership between the Department of National Defence, and the Air Cadet League of Canada.  Cadets are not, at any time, enrolled in the Canadian Forces.  They are taught by Canadian Forces officers a curriculum and maintained by the Canadian Forces, but they are not members.  Similarly, cadets make absolutely no commitments regarding future military services and are free to leave at any time. However, those who decide to join the Forces later on start with the advantage of having learned valuable skills through cadets.  Many successful military members were former cadets--like astronaut Chris Hadfield.

For summer training, Cadets travel to one of twenty-eight Summer Camps located in different parts of Canada.  In addition, selected Cadets go on exchange trips to other countries.  Exchange Cadets are selected on their high standards in performance, fitness and involvement in Cadet Activities.  More locally, cadets often travel to areas within the lower mainland to participate in survival training, as well as training (and competition) held at other squadrons and cadet corps.  

 The 278 Cormorant Squadron has taught our amazing air cadet students valuable life skills. Students are looking forward to sharing what they have learnt during the Canada Air Cadet Program with their peers at the Youth Zone. Our Youth Zone provides a diverse staff team, central location and our community-based center is open to a wide range of age groups which helps give a good foundation to work with a real mix of young people.

We offer many thanks to the Canada Air Cadet League of Canada for their long-standing dedication, excellence and generosity to our community.  We feel extremely blessed to have been given the opportunity by the Canadian Air Cadets to engage with the community in such an important way, and to have youth in the community volunteering.  At Amazing Tutors' Children's Foundation, we believe in providing our students with positive and community-based volunteer activities.  Through these actions, we provide an essential part of their development growing into responsible and capable citizens.  As our Foundation offers volunteer opportunities to develop leadership skills to youth attending our programs, the Cadets Canada Program's contributions are an excellent example of people working together.  We appreciate the Cadets of Canada Program.

A Kind Word from the Youth Group

Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation believes in engaging in Programs for Children and Youth that build character, increase self-esteem and, develop life skills.  Our Community Outreach Program in our Youth Zone is an after school drop-in program designed to provide high quality programming that is open to everyone.  We meet once a week and we provide a safe and nurturing environment and supports the principles of healthy child development.  

Children and youth have the opportunity to:

• Participate in meaningful engagement with charities
• Build positive relationships with peers and staff
• Develop social-emotional skills
• Develop leadership skills and feel a sense of belonging to their community
• Take part in group discussions
• Learn new things and develop a set of different skills
• Be part of a caring, giving and supportive community and have their voice heard

Between the ages of eight to twelve, the middle years set the foundation for success in adolescence and adulthood. With the support from government and community partners, children and youth can acquire important skills needed in their age group. Research reveals that the after school hours are defined as the critical hours, a time of day when children and youth, if left unsupervised, may be vulnerable and exposed to risky behaviors and disengaged from positive activities. 

​Additionally, social development plans provide both children and teens with positive peer interactions, opportunities to develop problem-solving skills and positive adult support.  In turn, these help reduce the risk factors associated with juvenile offenders.  Though not the complete solution to stopping negative behaviors, organized sports and development programs can contribute to their reduction by giving young people a positive identity, feelings of empowerment and by helping youth acquire leadership, teamwork, and self-governance skills under adult supervision.

​​Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation's Youth Leadership Development Program

​At Amazing Tutors Children's Foundation, we are very gratified for the depth and breadth of community support. Through our Youth Leadership Development Program, we have delivered over one thousand shelter food packs to various shelters and charities in Surrey and Vancouver.  Our Youth Leadership Development Program facilitates the personal growth and leadership development in youths.  We empower our youth to learn valuable leadership and life skills through a variety of diverse, spiritual experiences, peer engagement and active community involvement. Students earn school service credits.  We focus on charitable works, community outreach and service activities, education, fundraising and organized sports.  Our directors emphasize the importance of leadership through education and teamwork and our programs build and instill confidence, cooperation, discipline, hope, and high self-esteem. 

Our Youth Leadership Development Program challenges youths to take on a leadership role both in life and in their caring community because we believe that meaningful engagement of children and youth during the school year and after school time supports crime reduction, and increases positive behavior, self-confidence, academic-related outcomes and overall healthy child and youth development.  We integrate participants into our organization's decision making body and volunteer programs.  Additionally, we strive to offer youth the skills and competitive edge required for personal, relational and successful community growth.  Through our Youth Leadership Development Program, our students and participants use hands-on learning to develop youth-to-adult and peer-to-peer relationships based on compassion, engagement and social awareness.  We offer skills training workshops in the following areas:  communication, community, co-operation, environmental sustainability, global awareness, leadership, and self-awareness.  

At Amazing Tutors' Children's Foundation, we thrive solely on the dedication of others who volunteer their joyful energy, time, and their incredible skill sets.  Volunteers are the foundation of our organization and without them we would not be able to help many people in our communities.  By volunteering with the Amazing Tutors' Children's Foundation Team, people are given an opportunity to make a positive difference in their community.  Volunteers are also given the chance to serve the community, build awareness, heighten their visibility, establish a connection with members of the community, and most importantly, they will have the opportunity to develop themselves individually through personal and relational growth.  For more information about our tutoring and volunteering programs, please contact us today. We welcome your inquiries.