My friends and neighbours,
Working in this community for the public good for almost 20 years has been a privilege. My wife and I made this our home and it is the place where we hope to raise a family one day. I love our neighbourhoods, our green spaces, our diversity, our festivals, our spicy food places and our youth. But it is a fact that society does not give our kids the same opportunities that they could get in other parts of this city. This I want to change and I want you to join me in this fight. That is why I am running for Trustee for Ward 4 in Humber River - Black Creek.
I believe in public education, because it is the only ladder available to many of us for personal development and success. I saw my mother struggling to pay the bills when the only work she could find in her profession was as a volunteer due to a lack of Canadian experience. I know what it means to have to work multiple frontline part-time jobs to get an education. I finished my own post-secondary studies with over $60,000 in debt, which took me years to pay off. I also know there is much I do not know and have not had to experience such as anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism, homophobia, sexism, and ableism. I want to work alongside the many advocates who are fighting to create a more just, fair, education system in our community and city. I want to help build a system which listens to different voices and is flexible and responsive and can provide high, quality education and be a springboard for the disenfranchised.
As Chief of Staff for Councillor Perruzza and Executive Director for the DUKE Heights Business Improvement Area, I have brought in tens of millions of dollars in investment into the area. I have worked to rebuild greenspaces and parks, public realm improvements, public roads, public sewers and public spaces. I have loved that work, because I am passionate about public services and universality of access. Whether working to create exercise pods in parks, adding new playgrounds, rebuilding libraries, or working on public art projects, the impact has always been amazing. Adding colour, art and green spaces to our communities has been a significant achievement of my professional career, but it has also taken a significant amount of work, and I want to bring that skillset to the challenge of improving our schools.
As an organizer and activist in the area, I have worked to ensure more equitable opportunities for youth in our area. I have started bursaries for different groups and schools in the tens of thousands of dollars. I have personally supervised placements for over 100 youth. I have created youth programs for hundreds of youth. I have created multiple organizations that have then gone on to create opportunities for an untold number of youth. I have created events where kids have received free bikes, laptops, backpacks and more. I have worked with organizations to start lunch programs, breakfast programs and more in schools. I have advocated with local parents for their kids and local schools for improvements. And I will continue to work with local parents and active members of our community to bring in the resources and help that we need to create a more equitable system.
I want to ensure that elected officials are held accountable to the members of their communities and believe that I have the experience, organizational acumen, and determination to do so. Join my team. Sign up to volunteer, subscribe to the newsletter and follow me on social media.
Together we can make a difference.
Sincerely,
Matias de Dovitiis