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Welcome to In the Business of Change, where we speak with social entrepreneurs and changemakers impacting their communities and the world. I’m your host Elisa Birnbaum publisher and editor in chief of SEE Change Magazine.
On today’s special episode we speak with Rico King, director of the award-winning documentary Nekai Walks and Devon Jones, community activist, and one of the film’s subjects whose voice you just heard a moment ago.
Nekai Walks recounts the story of a 16-year-old survivor of gun violence in Toronto’s Jane and Finch community. While Nekai’s personal story is one of resilience and hope, its backdrop is one of frustration, anger and despair, with the documentary highlighting the unrelenting cycle of violence in the community and its far-reaching impact.
Against that backdrop we find community leaders like Devon Jones. A longtime educator, who worked in Toronto’s Jane and Finch community for over 25 years, Devon lost over 30 former students to guns. Determined to stem the tide of violence, in 2007 Devon founded YAAACE (Youth Association for Academics, Athletics and Character Education), an organization that delivers diverse programming to help young people succeed and build safer communities.
In this heartfelt conversation, Rico and Devon share their individual journeys with gun violence. They discuss the insidious, inter-generational impact that guns have on communities across Toronto and why they believe it’s proving so difficult to combat. We talk about the important work undertaken by leaders like Devon to turn things around, and why action, compassion and community are necessary for real change to occur.
Listen. Learn. Enjoy. Share.
Nekai Walks won the Audience Award for Best Canadian Documentary at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival and is now streaming on TVO. To watch, click here