This Way Up Collective

This Way Up is hosting our 3rd annual Juneteenth Cookout!!

This year we're hosting it at Dufferin Grove park on June 17th (Saturday) from 2-6pm. As usual, the food will be bomb, the entertainment will be fun and we'll have games with prizes 👀

Stay tuned for updates re: performers and upcoming volunteer opportunities!

As we say each year: THIS IS BLACK JOY AS A FORM OF PROTEST! COME EAT, VIBE AND ENJOY 💜💛

Here are the options for our PWYC bake sale 😋

Cookie options:
Coconut, oatmeal raisin & chocolate chip

Cupcake options:
Coconut, strawberry, birthday cake & red velvet

Click this link: https://forms.gle/ZJmAoVya3YXaL3r2A

Or the link in our bio to preorder ☺️

PICKUP IS NOV 20 BETWEEN 11AM-5PM AT 1250 DUPONT ST ( )

✨Trans Day of Remembrance Love Offering✨

Trans Day of Remembrance is a day to honour and memorialize those who have lost their lives as a result of transphobia. We also view it as a day to give those who are still here their flowers 💐

Last year we put together 100 care packages for Black q***r/trans folks for Trans Day of Remembrance. This year, we simply don't have the capacity to reach that same number, but we still want our community to feel loved.

This Way Up Collective & TRU Tattoo Shop are teaming up to offer care packages, baked goods and tattoos as love offerings to q***r and trans BIPOC youth living in Toronto.

Black, Brown and Indigenous folks have been honouring ourselves and those we love for generations. In lieu of a large quantity of care packages this year, we have a limited number available on a first come, first serve basis.

The funds raised through our pay what you can bake sale will be put toward subsidizing a number of tattoos for marginalized trans BIPOC folks, as well as for future programming.

A HUGE THANK YOU to the wonderful people over at the TRU Tattoo Shop for helping make this possible!!! Please check out their instagram page for more details about the tattoo portion of the event:

QTBIPOC youth, please fill out the form in our bio to claim your care package. Other folks, feel free to use the other link in our bio to preorder a yummy treat 😋

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This Way Up Collective

Hey everyone!

We are fundraising for a teammate who is going through a really rough time right now and is in need of some survival funds!

6 months ago her chronic health issues took a turn for the worst and she was hospitalized for 3 weeks. She was then diagnosed with kidney failure and has been doing dialysis treatments 3 times a week since then. In 2020, when the pandemic was in the early stages, Renee caught COVID-19 and has been suffering with the effects of long COVID ever since. It made all of her previous health issues worse - the ashtma, lung issues, knee issues (she was hit by a car in 2019 and has been navigating a lawsuit this entire time!), etc. She's in the process of looking for a live kidney donor, as well. Suffice to say, she hasn't been able to work and this has led to many ongoing financial issues.

After having to leave her previous work position in childcare back in 2020, she decided to make the brave decision to go back to school and get her ECE diploma. After years of working in the field, we convinced her it was time for her to get PAID. Unfortunately, she's had to put that on pause. It's hard to go to in-person classes and do dialysis at the same time, after all.

Throughout everything happening, she has also been doing her best to raise her son. Despite the difficulties with raising a Black son in the midst of this current political climate, as well as navigating the difficulties of online learning, and being chronically ill and struggling.