Know Your Neighbour: Oso Agie
THE GREEN LINE
VIDEO STORY
Know Your Neighbour: oso agie
Alexandra Park Community Centre youth coordinator Oso Agie reflects on the changes to the neighbourhood and how the community's togetherness can help it survive.
Oso Agie is a youth coordinator at Alexandra Park Community Centre.
: Ron Sanchez/The Green Line.
Ron Sanchez
Volleyball player and music listener. Frequent volunteer at Scadding Court Community Centre.
August 21, 2024
This video was produced by a youth journalist who participated in The Green Line's Alexandra Park Youth Journalism program in partnership with Scadding Court Community Centre. It's part of the series "Know Your Neighbour," which profiles the people and places important to community members in Alexandra Park, Kensington Market and Chinatown.
Think of the most welcoming neighbourhoods you know in Toronto. Did Alexandra Park come to mind?
Alexandra Park is a small, often overlooked neighbourhood at the intersection of Kensington Market and Chinatown. It's home to a large population of immigrants of different ethnicities.
The Green Line spoke to Oso Agie, an Alexandra Park resident and youth coordinator who runs multiple programs at Alexandra Park Community Centre (APCC). He describes how local youth are involved in their community, what makes Alexandra Park special and how the neighbourhood can survive rapid urban development.
In an effort to engage neighbourhood youth, APCC is running two intertwined summer programs: Leaders in Training (LIT) for teens from 13 to 16 and a summer camp for kids ages 6 to 12. The teenage group volunteers to help with the kids’ summer camp, and receives training to become camp counsellors later on. Through the program, they gain a sense of responsibility, participate in the camp’s decision-making processes and fulfil their school volunteer hours.
Aside from the youth programs, APCC runs many activities for its elderly residents, including Bingo nights.
For Agie, the best part of working at the centre is the people. Despite the changes that Alexandra Park is witnessing, the neighbourhood's sense of togetherness gives him hope for its survival.
“This community is made up of people from so many different cultures, and they all bond with each other, care for each other and look out for each other,” he says. “This welcoming togetherness is beautiful.”
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