The Hero: Dwayne Holness, Co-Founder of Highclass, Photography/Videographer, Youth Leader
Current Local Project/Cause: “The Bigger Picture Workshop”. Highclass and I have a youth workshop that is focused on building youth into young entrepreneurs. Also teaching them how to use the Internet as a source of building connections/resources.
Most influential role model in your life: My Cousin Dwayne Brown. He has molded me since I was 5. He taught me how to think smart, critically and effectively.
Most important social Issue: I am all about trying to find ways to give people an opportunity to gain. I feel that we as a community don’t focus enough on helping each other and there are fewer programs for youth to participate in. It’s only right for me to try bridge that gap because when I was younger I was involved in these programs that tested my team building skills, my punctuality, and ultimately my ability to be responsible.
One of Toronto’s up and coming social activists, Dwayne Holness uses art and technology to push for a better society for his peers. Having recently won the prestigious City Of Toronto’s “Identify N’ Impact” “Award For Building Community Through The Arts” this month of December. We got to speak to Dwayne to further understand why he was chosen for that important youth award.
Thanks for giving Alternavox your time. I want to understand a little about your roots and how you evolved in the arts and your earliest motivations
When I was young I always had a computer, I would always want to figure out what everything did so I’d stay on it for hours trying to know everything. That continued over the years until Adobe Photoshop came along, it’s a program that gives you the ability to edit photos and create web page layouts. At the time I didn’t know how to use it so I had to ask around if someone would do it for me. It got to the point where people didn’t want to help anymore so I decided to take the time out to learn. I would stay up all night watching tutorials on how to use the program. Now I know what almost every button and feature does within Adobe Photoshop. Those people who didn’t want to help me back then are now turning to me for help!
I was also into acting. In grade 8 I became a member of Actra, which is a Union for Independent Canadian Actors. I also did theater for a while.
After learning all about Photoshop I moved into music engineering then shooting, doing photography, and editing videos. These are things I learned on my own time.
Going forward I went to Humber College for Multimedia design and production technician and won the Tomas Green First Year Award for becoming the top student from the program. I also graduated from the program with honors.
So yea when it comes to the arts I have a lot of experience and I love to teach my skills so that’s why I decided to run workshops based around the arts.
Not only do you seem a rather multifaceted and creative person but you have also made the active choice of sharing this creativity in a way that will reach youth. Why is reaching youth, and in particular, reaching youth within risk communities in Canada of importance to you? And how do your creative/artistic skills play a part in moving your social concerns forward?
I came from a community called “at risk”, Jane and Finch, which is my home and one I will always represent proudly. Doing these workshops for youth is my own way of sharing and giving back and also giving these youth someone to look up to as a role model. I want to be a role model for not only my community but for youth who started from the bottom. Being involved in the arts gave me the opportunity to connect with everyone involved in all the different art forms. I know so many talented youth and I only wish I was able to give each and every one of them a chance to be in the spot light. Change starts with you! I felt like I had to make major changes towards the way I viewed things to be able to help others progress.
You have also gone beyond our borders and brought your experience and passion to other countries. How was your particular Jamaican experience and what would you say were its benefits and challenges in comparison to working within Canada?
I’m big on building a network. I’ve been building this network of mine for years and years. The outcome of me being able to stay connected gave me the opportunity to travel and connect face to face with people whom I knew over the Internet. I wish you could feel my emotion when I say that being able to build a network was a gift from God. I was born in Jamaica, my mom and I came to Canada when I was 5. My father has never left the country of Jamaica before and I hope one day I can give him an opportunity to see the world. These are reasons why I work so hard. I want to give opportunity! Being able to work in Jamaica made me closer to my dad and my family who live out there. Every time I get out there I feel missed, we laugh and we cry every single time. I’m blessed, I’ve been to Jamaica 3 times in 2011 for FREE! That’s God working and every time I go out there my connections get stronger. I know I will be out there more frequently which makes me very happy.
The benefits of working in Jamaica is that I’m tapping into a market that needs my skills, they love me! They take care of me because I will take care of them. The only challenge is that I got to learn to take a loss because they are not financially stable to provide for my services, but they accommodate that by showing appreciation which ultimately means so much more. In contrast in Canada it’s much harder in a way because you have about 1000 people trying to do the same thing and the actual art itself gets diluted. I also find that Canadians, well Torontonians, don’t show appreciation for the arts and it is hard to build a team because everyone wants to be the main person. I do so many things and I still don’t have a job, so what does that tell you about our society? But as I said I’m not worried, God has my back.
What did it mean to you to receive the recent City Of Toronto’s “Indentify N’ Impact” Award For Building Community Through The Arts?
For me to receive an award from the City Toronto means so much to me. I wish my words could express how I feel, I’m blessed. It’s always good to be noticed for the work that one puts in. I feel appreciated and it gave me that extra fuel I need to keep my head up. I will continue to do what I love to do and I hope I can continue to be recognized.
What’s next for Dwayne Holness?
I ask myself this same question every day; and everyday is different from yesterday, who knows what’s next. I might get a call to go to Africa, Jamaica, and New York, who knows I might get a call for a job offer. All I can say is that I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing now and let God lead the way. I’m happy and as long as I can be happy then life’s good
But aside from that I can tell you what’s next for Highclass. We will be going harder than ever in 2012 so you will hear more about my team. We are all leaders. We are looking for more funding to be able to continue these amazing workshops. If we had the right funds I’m confident that we can make a change that will affect the way we look at these “at risk” communities. Everyone has a talent, some people just need help searching for it and once you can tap into that then you’ve identified and impacted someone’s life.
Want to know more? Want to help? Want to reach Dwayne?:
Contact:
647.283.9316
Do you know anyone work in the community that you believe is above and beyond what you see every day? Someone who gives selflessly of their time for others? An organization we should all know about? Let us know here
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