TORONTO,ON (May 10, 2010) - The Armenian Youth of Toronto (AYT) hosted the nation’s first-ever United We Rock! The Concert for Human Rights on Saturday, May 8th, 2010, in an effort to raise public awareness about the dangers of international human rights violations. This public outdoor event was held at Toronto’s Yonge and Dundas Square from 12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., and featured a number of local established and up-and-coming artists from a variety of genres. The performance line up included Amos the Transparent, Aramik, Karina Es, One Fell Swoop, Fame City Boiz, Graydon James and the Young Novelists, Birds of Wales, and Humble the Poet. Though the weather was not favourable, devoted fans, supporters, and human right activists still came out in support.
United We Rock! The Concert for Human Rights initially began as an idea within the Armenian Community Centre to commemorate the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide however, the event quickly expanded, and emphasized the importance of promoting and educating about human rights as a united front. Through the expressive power of music, the concert shed light on current human rights abuses such as war crimes, racism, genocide, and the restriction of the freedom of expression. In this effort, AYT collaborated with many human rights and cultural organizations all of whom came together to have their voices heard on May 8th. The list of the event's partners included: STAND Canada, International Institute for Genocide & Human Rights Studies, Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Genocide Watch, Cambodian Genocide Project and Oxfam Canada. The event's participants were the Sentinel Project, Hope for Rwanda Children's Fund, Pan-Pontian Federation of US and Canada, Nepomak Canada - World Organization for Young Overseas Cypriots, Assyrian Chaldean Syriac Student Union, Canadian Federation of Jewish Students, Brotherhood Pontian Toronto Panagia Soumela, Run for Palestine, and Shelter Them.
“Ultimately, our goal was to facilitate the interaction among the thinkers and leaders of social justice in our community,” said Ara Hasserjian, AYT Chairperson.
“Human rights issues are interrelated and there is a phenomenal potential for synergy, no one should have to go through it alone, which is why United We Rock! is about giving each cause the audience it deserves.”
United We Rock! was a free event, open to the general public. For more information regarding the event, performing artists and participating organizations please visit www.unitedwerockconcert.com.
The Armenian Youth of Toronto is joint committee comprised of all the youth and student organizations in Canada including: the Armenian Youth Federation (A.R.F.Y.O.C.), Armen Karo Student Association, Armenian Association of Toronto Youth Group, ACYOC, AGBU YP, Youth of the Armenian Evangelical Church of Toronto, Youth of the St. Mary Apostolic Church of Toronto and the Armenian Students' Associations at York University, Ryerson University, McMaster University, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, and Univeristy of Toronto at Scarborough.
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