The Josh Project

Writer, Youth Advocate, Mentor, and Life Coach, Joshua Stern is dedicated and committed to improving the lives of as many At-Risk & Homeless Youth as possible. The Josh Project is an organization that has been setup to help enable these goals and to help bring Marion’s Place (See Heading on Website) to fruition. At The Josh Project we hope to create more awareness, assist with prevention, and finally, initiate change for current and potential At-Risk Youth.

The main focus of The Josh Project is to combat the many hurdles today’s youth inevitably encounter and societies immediate willingness to accept that these kids are suffering from a mental disorder, and in turn, instantly put them on prescription drugs, or toss them to the side and label them as outcasts or “bad seeds”. Without the proper medical evidence to back up such claims, nobody should be diagnosed or dismissed so simply. We believe it’s this attitude that creates a world where teen suicide is continuing to grow at alarming rates. Nobody should be too afraid to admit that we all struggle with life sometimes, and nobody should be made to feel that his or her emotions are insignificant or unimportant, no matter the age or situation.

Through The Josh Project we plan to create several fundraisers in an attempt to raise as much money as possible to increase programming and facilities across Ontario. After school mentoring and activity programs are first and foremost on the “wish” list. Even more important is how we plan to fill the immediate need for creating as much awareness as possible, through such events. Secondly, The Josh Project would like to be an assistant to any other group, organization, facility, or individuals, which have also taken up the fight for At-Risk Youth. Lastly but hopefully most important, Joshua Stern himself is currently creating an At-Risk Guide, which is loosely titled, “At-Risk Youth; Awareness, Prevention, Change”, with this book he is pushing for every school in Canada to include it as mandatory curriculum for students and teachers. Our belief is that if every teacher, and every student younger than 12 years old, must read this book and as part of the curriculum complete a report or test on it, this will significantly reduce the percentage of kids falling through the cracks. It will also be an enormous step in the direction of awareness and prevention. Joshua will also be dedicating 50% of the proceeds of this book to At-Risk Youth programs, research, and facilities, in order to alleviate some of the immense financial burdens these organizations face. Joshua has also pledged a minimum of 35% of the proceeds of all other fictional and non-fictional books he has published successfully, as well as 40% of all proceeds from personal speaking engagements, life mentoring/coaching projects, and all other business endeavors.

Joshua Stern himself is the National Spokesperson for Youth Assisting Youth (www.yay.org), a large At-Risk Youth Organization located in Toronto, Canada, as well as he is working with Horizon’s Youth Shelter and The West Scarborough Neighborhood Community Centre to create programs for the At-Risk Youth commencing in the early stages of 2012. Most recently, with 4 days notice, Joshua and his collaborators were able to provide 20 homeless teens with their full Christmas Wish list at Choices Youth Shelter in Orangeville, Ontario. They raised over $3,000 in gifts and donations and it was a Merry Christmas indeed. The immense positivity felt by Joshua and all others associated, has definitely been an incredibly motivating factor for him and his team to increase their reach, and abilities, to help.

Please visit www.joshuastern.ca to read more about our future plans, projects, and events that you can assist with or attend in person. As always we need as much support from the community and individuals as possible, and all donations will be tax deductable as well as we are setting up a system so each supporter can specifically see how their donations are being put to use. We at The Josh Project believe that the biggest change begins with something as simple as communication. Just by talking about it more we automatically create change.

Thank you for your time, and I truly believe that if we all put in a tiny amount of effort, we can make a significant impact in the lives of many kids that so desperately need it.