“I had no problem finding jobs—it was keeping a job that was the problem,” Robert explained during a panel discussion about YSM President & CEO Angie Peters’ new book Just Act. “Because as soon as an employer would find out about my criminal record, they would let me go. I’ve had very good jobs, but they would never last because of this thing hanging over me. So I made a decision to start my own business. I went to school, got all my certificates, but I still had some issues around technology.”
Robert participated in the Just Act event to explain how he had firsthand experience of the book’s premise: anyone can take action to help someone in need, and together we can end the long-term experience of poverty.
“I felt like giving up many times, but a friend of mine, Tonya, was incredible,” Robert said. Tonya was as determined to share her computer skills as Robert was to learn them. Now he’s become proficient, to the benefit of his catering business.
Angie wrote Just Act because she knows from her own life what a difference it makes when people choose to take action. When Angie was a child, both a piano teacher and a neighbour took the time to encourage and help Angie’s mom to find work—breaking the cycle of poverty in her own family.
“Some of us have our feet planted in rich soil, and some have our feet planted in concrete,” Angie explains. “We need to come alongside our neighbours and leverage the skills we have to get rid of the concrete.”
While rising poverty numbers in Toronto can feel overwhelming, Angie’s book helps us better understand poverty, while providing a practical blueprint for creating a Just Act plan for ourselves, our businesses, or our churches.
Today Robert takes action in his own way, giving away meals and clothing to neighbours who need them. “What Tonya did to help me, she thinks it’s small, but for me it truly was life-changing. My advice is: be a Tonya for someone, doing whatever you are able to do.”
You can learn more about creating a Just Act plan at www.justact.ca. This story originally appeared in YSM’s fall 2024 Urban Lights.
