Fashion and Compassion: Joan Kelley Walker and Jason Cameron on Summer Youth Fashion Initiative

Margarita: Could you tell me more about Summer Youth Fashion Initiative?

Jason: Youth Initiative, managed by Toronto Fashion Academy, is basically the project where we are bringing 30 at-risk  young individuals, working in social services, who will be given free workshops every Sunday for the month of August with industry professionals and mentors like Joan Kelley Walker. These kids are at the point, where they either love the police or hate them, so they need a mentor to look after them. We approached Joan, because she knows what is happening in the city, she has kids, and she is an ambassador of the World Vision Canada. We knew she would connect with kids on so many levels. And we will also have Toronto Police in every class without their uniform. They will have to take workshops too to create a bond with these kids. And in the end, we are going to have a meting with all the sponsors and partners involved.

Joan: This is a great opportunity for kids who are interested in this business. Fashion industry is hard to get into. And it is hard to find your place there. You might want to be a model, but you might be better at photography. This is an opportunity for them to learn about different aspects within the fashion industry. I personally had a hard time breaking into the modelling world and television business. And these kids may not even get that opportunity. So I think it is super important that we support them, because, otherwise, they could end up on the streets.

Talking about different aspects, what exactly will they do?

Jason: So there are 4 departments. Fashion, style, and design are merged together. There is photography, there is makeup, and there is walk. We have weeks laid out in fun fashion. So the first week, one of our sponsors, Kerr’s Candy, will provide us with candies. The kids will make candy dresses, tops, hats, and they will also get trained on how to do that. The second week, we are doing the Infiniti downtown photoshoot that will be headed by Joan. She will teach them how to pose, model, and how to work with a camera. And then, the third week, we are doing the Anokhi event where these kids will actually get to work backstage and prop celebrities and performers for the show. And then, the final week, they are doing a fashion show for all the sponsors and partners, and Joan will teach them to walk the runway. There will be around 180 people, it is at 545 King St, Bright Lane.

And what is the goal of this project?

Jason: The goal is really to help these kids. We want them to get off the street, to be able to understand that fashion is a segment you can get into. Because right now, it’s more about sports, academic, and nothing about fashion industry. So this will give them that practical experience, give them an idea what fashion is all about, and will help them to move forward with it.

Joan: I think a lot of parents of these kids have an idea that you don’t really make money in fashion industry. So this is a way for parents to actually see it as a career option. I grew up in a very small town in Saskatchewan, and there were no options, and no fashion. So when I came here, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out where do I fit in, do I really want to do it, can I really make money doing this, who can I trust. And those are valuable years. So this is a way for kids to get the information they need and work with with mentors, who will show them a really good strategy how to begin. It’s emotionally important to help people. If we help these 30 kids, then they will help someone in the future. And if we all do better, the place we live in will be better. So I’d much rather have a positive injection like this in the city that will just keep mushrooming. I have been a Child Ambassador for World Vision for 18 years, so I do a lot of other work in field where I go on trips to Kenya, Mozambique, Costa Rica, and other countries. This is a way for me to give back to the community – fashion and compassion.

Do you want your kids to be involved with fashion?

Joan:Umm.. If that’s what they want to do.. My younger one is 15 and neither of them has shown any interest in fashion, although my older son was asking about modelling the other day. So I thought well, he is tall and handsome, so maybe he could do it, he is seventeen. I said to him that he doesn’t have to go to university right away, but I’d like him to do something. Just pick something in your heart and follow it. It’s harder to be successful, when you are doing something you don’t want to do. And my stepson is a DJ, Frank Walker, he plays music all over the US, Ibiza, Vegas, Mykonos, he is everywhere. He is on fire now.