April Smith | AHA Media

Team Canada for Street Soccer at Rio 2010 Homeless World Cup Day 1

September 17, 2010 ahamedia Leave a comment

Coach Alan Bates writes:

Hi Street Soccer fans,

This update is coming to you straight from the Alpha Hostel in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro (aka Team Canada Headquarters). My aim is to write daily updates about our Homeless World Cup experience.

Yesterday was a long and very memorable day for all of us. We all gathered at the LifeSkills Centre right across from Oppenheimer Park to a very warm send-off by volunteers and fans. In characteristic fashion, Kailin See, Sarah Blyth and lots of other PHS volunteers put together a great event including a hot breakfast, haircuts, and matching track suits and bags for the whole team. We were looking slick by the time we stepped on our bus.

Like a post-game Canucks dressing room, the room was filled with media from radio, TV, and newspapers interviewing players. Kurt Heinrich has done an amazing job with keeping our media contacts informed and has created a real buzz in the city about the team.

The highlight of the morning was co-team captain Patrick Oleman’s uncle Tom performing a traditional Stlaltlium ceremony to send us on our way in the perfect mindset, telling our guys it’s time to “stand and walk like men”.

We were then followed to the airport by a CTV crew from the show First Story and were met there by another TV crew from CityTV. Fortunately, everything went smoothly at all the airports that we went through. It was a very long trip from Vancouver to Toronto, Toronto to Sao Paulo, and finally Sao Paulo to Rio. Imagine doing that on your first day of air travel ever, as was the case for a lot of our guys.

The ride from the airport to our hostel was a big eye-opener for all of us. The scenes included sprawling Favelas of makeshift housing along the highways and young men dodging cars in the middle of very chaotic traffic trying to sell popcorn to motorists. It wasn’t lost on the guys that the popcorn sellers probably don’t get a cheque on the third Wednesday of every month.

We had a good team dinner at a burger joint around the corner from our hostel and everyone was ready to crash after that.

It’s now the morning after we arrived, and today has already provided lots of fun. We’ve been joined by Vancouver volunteers Daniel Errey, Sarah Blyth, and Kailin See. Wendy Perkins from Toronto is also in Rio now and we’re looking forward to getting our fresh new unis from her later today.

Team Korea is also staying in our hostel and the highlight of the morning has been an exhibition game with them at an urban graffiti-encircled soccer court nearby. I was impressed with our skill and sportsmanship in a friendly 3-0 win.

As I type, the guys are out playing again with the local kids in the alley/street outside the hostel. They’re learning a lot of sweet moves.

To see pictures of the send-off, check out:https://ahamedia.ca/2010/09/16/aha-media-filmed-at-team-canada-for-homeless-world-cup-2010-send-off-to-brazil-from-vancouver-downtown-eastside-dtes/

Categories: AHA Media, Alan Bates, April Smith, DTES, Homeless World Cup 2010, PHS, PHS Community Services Society, Portland FC, Portland Hotel Society, Street Soccer Canada, Sun Eagles Street Soccer, Team Canada for Street Soccer, Vancouver, Vancouver Downtown Eastside

AHA MEDIA is very proud to be mentioned in Gillian Shaw’s article “Meet a Geek”

September 17, 2010 ahamedia 2 comments

AHA MEDIA is very proud to be in Gillian Shaw’s article “Meet a Geek” in Vancouver Sun

Gillian Shaw writes:

Got a pressing question that only a true geek can answer?

Your chance to meet a geek comes this Tuesday, September 21 at Vancouver’s first Meet the Geek event where a gourmet dinner will be served up with hearty helpings of geekery as some of the city’s top tech minds gather at The Salt Cellar to “meet, eat and give back.”

The idea behind the event, hosted by the Social Media Club Vancouver and sponsored byVancouver Food Tour, is to give the less technologically inclined a chance to get together and pose their most pressing tech questions to the experts and at the same time raise money for a worth cause.

The cause in this case is the independent documentary, With Glowing Hearts, a two-hour film that will focus on four Vancouver activists and artists living and working in the downtown eastside.

April Smith, with mobile media reporters Hendrik Beune (left), Ken Glofcheskie and Peter Davies Photograph by: Bill Keay, PNG

The documentary chronicles the impact of social media and how the four individuals saw their lives change through their social communities, both online and off. Among the participants is April Smith. Hers is an inspiring story that goes from a life in the streets to a life in which she has co-founded a social media company in the downtown eastside and uses her new media skills to help others.”

Read the rest of Gillian Shaw’s article “Meet a Geek”

AHA MEDIA thanks Gillian Shaw for always giving us support. We appreciate it so much! 🙂

Categories: AHA Media, April Smith, Community Engagement, Gillian Shaw, Hendrik Beune, Peter Davies, Vancouver, Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Games, Vancouver Downtown Eastside, Vancouver Sun, With Glowing Hearts - WGH The Movie

AHA MEDIA’s group photos from the 2010 DTES Heart of the City Festival photo shoot in Vancouver

September 17, 2010 ahamedia Leave a comment

AHA MEDIA is pleased to have some fantastic photos photos taken by David Cooper from the 2010 DTES Heart of the City Festival photo shoot recently! WIth great thanks to Terry Hunter of Vancouver Moving Theatre and Heart of the City Festival

The ^7th Annual Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival
Wednesday 27 October to Sunday 7 November, 2010

Over 80 events at over 25 venues throughout the Downtown Eastside

Below is Terry Hunter with AHA MEDIA’s Hendrik Beune, Alvin Clayton and Clyde Wright and April Smith

AHA MEDIA is looking forward to an amazing 2010 DTES Heart of the City Festival!

With a focus on the rich and diverse communities of the Downtown Eastside, the seventh annual Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival celebrates the culture, heritage and distinct character of the heart of Vancouver.

The festival features twelve days of cultural events, including cultural celebrations, outdoor festivities, processions, forums, workshops, discussions, history talks and history walks.

To celebrate and promote the spirit of our home community, the 2010 Festival theme is: “Downtown Eastside – Heart and Home.” The Downtown Eastside is the heart of the City of Vancouver and the home of choice for thousands of its residents.

The Festival takes inspiration from the words of Downtown Eastside resident Bud Osborn:
Our purpose is to live in community, and community is care, care for one another, care for those least able to care for themselves, care for all care in action.

2010 Festival highlights include: a community celebration at the new Oppenheimer Park club house; First Nations and Latin American days of cultural sharing; and a diverse array of exciting community showcases.

Program details will be posted on the website by 8 October 2010

Categories: AHA Media, Alvin Clayton, April Smith, Clyde Wright, DTES, Heart of the City Festival 2010, Hendrik Beune, Terry Hunter, Vancouver, Vancouver Downtown Eastside

With Glowing Hearts the Movie Fundraiser at Salt Tasting Room, Tuesday Sept 21 7-9pm in Vancouver

September 16, 2010 ahamedia 2 comments

Fundraiser for @WGHthemovie !!!!!

A portion of the evening’s proceeds will assist in the post-production of the independent Vancouver documentary “With Glowing Hearts”, which focuses on four Vancouver activists and artists living and working in the Downtown East Side and how their lives are changed through social media and community during the 2010 Winter Olympics. April Smith and AHA MEDIA are featured within this movie!

The excitement of the day is a SMCYVR ‘Meet the Geek’ dinner @salttastingroom!

We are honored that they have chosen to donate a portion of the proceeds from this dinner to complete our film. With the cuts to arts funding in BC and Canada we have found it most difficult to get any funding from traditional methods. Our current challenge is being able to compensate our editors for their enormous time commitment, the hours/days they are putting into finishing our film. So we are really excited that SMCYVR & Vancouver Food Tour are putting on this dinner. Jon, Kemp and I will all be there so come and meet the GEEKS!

More on our 09.21 event: great venue (@salttastingroom), benefiting charity (@wghthemovie) & @VanFoodTour involvement!

Limited to 40 registrants, the special dinner will be held Tuesday, September 21^st, from 7-9pm at The Salt Cellar, and organized by Melody “Gourmet” Fury of Vancouver Food Tour.

Below Salt Tasting Room in Blood Alley, one of restaurateur Sean Heather’s celebrated Gastown eateries, The Salt Cellar is a unique space which on Friday and Saturday nights doubles the capacity of Salt. SMCYVR members will be on hand to network, chat about all things geeky, and generally demystify the cloudy world of social media.

SMCYVR

Details

$40 includes tax, tip and a contribution to the charity. Of course, you’re free to donate more if you like, and everyone who donates a Toonie or more is listed as an official Producer of the movie, which surely has got to be worth some bragging rights.

Register at least three days in advance with our sponsor Vancouver Food Tour to ensure that you have a spot; we expect this to sell out completely!

Start time is 7pm, and all participants must be of legal drinking age

Meet at Salt Cellar, 45 Blood Alley in the basement banquet room of Salt. We’re going to be enjoying a custom menu created especially for us.

About Social Media Club VancouverLaunched in January 2010, Social Media Club Vancouver (SMCYVR) is a chapter of Social Media Club, a worldwide trade organization focusing on social media in business. Anyone is able to join Social Media Club, and we welcome volunteers to help with our organization and events. For more information, visit http://www.smcyvr.com, our Facebook page, or follow us on Twitter at @SMCYVR.

Also visit:

http://www.facebook.com/withglowinghearts

Categories: AHA Media, April Smith, Community Engagement, Downtown Eastside, DTES, Social Justice, Social Media, Social Media Club Vancouver (SMCYVR), Vancouver, Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Games, Vancouver Downtown Eastside, With Glowing Hearts - WGH The Movie

AHA MEDIA filmed at Team Canada for Homeless World Cup 2010 Send Off to Brazil from Vancouver Downtown Eastside (DTES)

September 16, 2010 ahamedia 4 comments

History was made today for our eight lucky Street Soccer players chosen to play for Team Canada against 64 other countries in the world! Downtown Eastside Vancouver was proudly represented today!