On November 19th, 2021, Dare to be You hosted their first Youth Inspire Community Day. Speaking with founder Shannon Tobin and the Director of Development, Drew Simon, we were thrilled to learn that as the first sponsors to come on board for the event, we had played a big role in starting the momentum for this amazing day to come together
The Dare to Be You Foundation was founded in 2012 by author, speaker, and transformational coach Shannon Tobin. Shannon’s experience in transformation and personal development stems from her own experiences, starting with the loss of her father at a young age. During her journey, Shannon saw the need for programs that would develop youth and adults to their full potential by strengthening their resilience. She created the Dare to Be You Foundation to help women, youth and families find their power through discovering and nurturing their strength, skills, and talent so they may live a happy life. In 2012, we started off a fundraising foundation to support women and youth based organizations. Shannon shared, “20 months ago, at the beginning of the pandemic, DTBY made an in intentional decision to turn a challenging time into a time for opportunity. Our name and direction has recently been expanded to DARE TO BE YOUTH CHARITY. (DTBY).”
SB Partners’ strong track record of “accounting for the community” and dedication to leadership aligned with the mission of Dare to Be You. The initial meeting resulted in the discovery of how passionate and in sync SB Partners and Dare to Be You were on commitment, community, and leadership skill development. These were all very important to both of us, for Shannon fostering intentional relationships is an important consideration when choosing partners. For SB Partners, we have always been committed to finding charitable partners that are aligned with our core beliefs and values. With so many synergies between us, we were ready to get started!
Shannon was grateful SB Partners came on board so early, it really was the confidence needed to get the ball rolling on Youth Inspire Community Day, a virtual event featuring several inspiring keynote speakers, mentorship, and activities. Speakers included musical group CZN (Winner of the Canadian Families got Talent and the Jim Beam National Talent Search), 3-time Olympian basketball player Miranda Ayim, Geoff Conant -President of sales and marketing agency Kite, Emily O’Brian – founder of Comeback Snacks, and Josh Hidalgo a co-founder of MyTopChoice.
“The Youth Inspire Community Day really opened my eyes to the future me. I learned so much and gained such useful knowledge about my life and myself. I am so inspired after this event and I know I will use this information in the future!”-Anonymous participant of Youth Inspire Community Day
The event reached 300 students and garnered over 2000 positive comments through the online event platform. Drew Simon, Director of Development, is now working on how they can translate the success of the Youth Inspire Community Day into programs that can be accessed throughout the year.
Current programs include the Spotlight Program, highlighting Halton Grads and providing them a place to share their stories of strength, courage, and resilience. The current stories were so powerful, they have been collected in a commemorative book (included in the Inspire Box distributed for Inspire Youth Community Day). In addition to the Spotlight Program, ‘From Surviving to Thriving’ is a quarterly program dedicated to helping 17- to 24-year-olds develop their mental wellness, resilience, and confidence at a critical time in their life. Dare to Be You is also proud of its Community Youth Council, a movement that organically evolved and is dedicated to building, empowering, and inspiring young people.
Drew and Shannon are very aware of the impact of resilience on one’s financial confidence and literacy. With financial stressors cited as one of the biggest hurdles for the mental wellness of Canadian’s, you can expect to see new programs focused on financial resilience in the near future.
Fundraising was one of the biggest challenges for Dare to Be You throughout the pandemic. The Foundation relies on a mix of fundraising, private and corporate donors, and sponsors. They recently launched a new website, www.dtby.ca, where you can learn more about existing programs, how to get involved, donate, or get in touch with the team.
We congratulate Shannon, Drew, the Dare to Be You board and team, as well as all of the participants in Youth Inspire Community Day on such a wonderful event and thank you for letting us be a part of it.
