CanTYD’s Awards of Excellence Gala Recognizes Exceptional Tamil-Canadian Youth Achievement
On October 30, 2011 the Canadian Tamil Youth Development Centre (CanTYD) hosted its 12th Annual Awards of Excellence gala. The night recognized Tamil-Canadian students who have achieved excellence in academics, athletics, the arts, and community service. The gala was hosted at the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto in Scarborough. The reception began at 5:30 pm and was followed by the Awards of Excellence programme at 6:30 pm. The evening showcased several dance and drama performances by CanTYD’s Medai Konal team. The keynote speaker was Kesavan Balasingham, a prominent pastor who spoke of a tragic occurrence in his life and his inspiring turnaround. Also speaking were Mark Beckles, Regional Vice-President of RBC, and Kumaran Arul of TD Bank Financial Group. Both speakers emphasized the commitment of their organizations to community youth development…Continues on Page 24.
Tamil pastor shares his story at CanTYD
His anger was uncontrollable. Kesavan Balasingham was 19 and part of a gang, or something close enough to one, a group of Tamil youths who came together to “show ourselves strong.” They meant to protect each other, he said, but soon were fighting other young Tamils. “We sort of turned against each other for no good reason.” When Balasingham’s best friend was brutally beaten, his group “decided we were going to do something about this,” he recalled. “Revenge was the theme of discussion.” A week later, in June 1999, Balasingham and his friends were out looking for their enemies.On Ellesmere Road, they exchanged gunfire…Continue reading here.