By Kamil Kuzminski
After signing in, all seventeen of us were given two minutes to introduce ourselves to our new peers. Then, we were tested to see how many names we remembered immediately. This was how the One York Brotherhood meeting began.
Despite the frantic beginning that was also exciting, the meeting’s ambiance was inviting as an hour passed in the blink of an eye.
What was shared on the event poster correlated well with what actually happened. There was no judgment for anyone who entered. This was regardless of any perceptions or anything they chose to share. The safety without fear of backlash was well appreciated as a first-time attendee.
The York Male Initiative organized a professional event. All speakers delivered with an engaging tone with a PowerPoint presentation for everyone to follow. We all looked at terms about mentality and determined keywords in definitions.
I thought I would serve as an observer, but I felt compelled to participate in the event slowly but surely. This began by sharing with a peer about a time when I was struggling. Then we had to develop an image or self-belief and figure out how to tweak it to a positive affirmation. Finally, the group shared these in pairs before sharing them with everyone.
I had the chance to interview Joshaun Jakes, a freshman, who told me his thoughts on the event.
“The workshop has a good balance of interaction and lecture to keep people engaged. The workshop’s content informs people of how much control you can gain over your life just by believing and motivating yourself to do better.”
It was a great event to network as I met new people. Ultimately, the event also proved to be productive for students to understand themselves better.
The One York Brotherhood plans to have more diverse subject matters at subsequent meetings to appeal to a broader audience and encourage more students to attend. These include covering other academic, cultural and social-economical topics.
Further meetings have been scheduled every Wednesday at 5 p.m. from Feb 22 to April 19.
