JINGLE BELL ROCK 2008

 

THE UNION, X92.9 AND EXCLAIM! MAGAZINE ARE PLEASED TO PRESENT

JINGLE BELL ROCK 2008

featuring METRIC
and TOKYO POLICE CLUB

With THE DEARS, SEBASTIEN GRAINGER & THE MOUNTAINS
and DJ MIKE RELM

Friday December 19 - MacEwan Hall

2500 University Dr. N.W., University of Calgary, Calgary, AB
Show 6:30 PM – all ages welcome – general admission
Tickets $38.50+ S/C  on sale SATURDAY NOVEMBER 1 at 10 AM at Unionevents.com,
all Ticketmaster outlets, charge-by-phone (403) 777-0000, online at Ticketmaster.ca,
limited tickets available at Megatunes and Sloth

A PORTION OF TICKET SALES WILL BENEFIT THE DOORWAY (formerly The Back Door)

 

‘Tis the season to rejoice, and spread some good cheer! The JINGLE BELL ROCK 2008 tour brings together some of Canada’s greatest indie bands for a common goal, to raise awareness about youth in distress. Leading the way is METRIC, a band with a strong commitment to social justice. The band is taking a break from finishing their highly-anticipated new album – due for release in early 2009 – to blitz across the country with a message of hope and action. Joining them are the incredible TOKYO POLICE CLUB, who are wrapping up a phenomenal year of tour and critical acclaim for their full-length Elephant Shell. Rounding off the line-up are transcendent alchemists THE DEARS, and fierce popster and ex- DFA 1979 SEBASTIEN GRAINGER and his band THE MOUNTAINS. Finally, threading the evening together, is

American multi-media DJ sensation MIKE RELM.

 JINGLE BELL ROCK was created in 2005 by Alberta-based event promoters The Union, as a way to say thanks to music fans in the region, and raise funds for youth in distress. Its debut at Edmonton’s Shaw Conference Centre, headlined by Rise Against, was a sold out affair, a feat repeated in subsequent years. Last year, in 2007, JBR added Calgary to the itinerary, and this year marks the next stage in the project’s evolution as it stretches across the country.

 To help draw attention to the tour, METRIC will offer fans a free download of a brand new song, entitled Help I’m Alive, through their website ilovemetric.com, starting Tuesday October 28.

A production of The Union – www.unionevents.com

One of Calgary’s Most Effective Non-Profit Orgs is Evolving

The Back Door is community supporting youth in their transition from street to mainstream living. 7 out of 10 participants succeed.  2008 marks The Back Door’s 20th year of service to Calgary and long-term street dependent  young people in our city. What’s even more remarkable than two decades of uninterrupted support is that over 70% of participants who commit to the 24 month BackDoor contracting program get off the street. For good. 

To mark this milestone, on Tuesday, October 28th at 11:30 a.m. on the steps of city hall, The Back Door will be presenting to the people of Calgary - through alderman Joe Ceci - a gift of thanks “for believing in young people”. They will also be officially announcing an evolution of their current identity. The BackDoor will now be known as The Doorway.

Marilyn Dyck, co-founder and the Executive Director of the BackDoor, explains the need for the change:  “The street is not just where these important young people live, it is a culture and how they think. As community and young people listen and learn together, they have shown us that a door sometimes gets in the way of the exchanges between people and ideas. “The BackDoor” was the beginning of a process that has grown much larger. A “doorway” offers ease in the transitions from one space to another. Young people who succeed make choices to move from the culture of the street to safer

, healthier and managed life style options. THIS is what we are about. THIS is the transition we facilitate. We saw the need to better reflect these truths and we believe our new identity ‘The Doorway’ strikes a perfect balance between who we are now, the heritage of how we became that, and the vision we have for our continued growth.  We did not want to abandon our name, we wanted to evolve it.”

 The new tagline of The Doorway -- ‘Transitioning to Choice’ -- echoes the organization’s philosophy. Personal transitions do not just happen for young people; they are the experience of the community people who participate with and support us. By understanding the organization’s purpose, volunteers, employees, donors and the board of directors all transition to a commitment and belief in young people and to choices of support that end up making the difference in the futures of these young people. 

From Halifax to Victoria

Multi-Faith Walk Against Violence Reached Victoria, B.C.

Closing ceremony at the parliament building today at 3:00 PM

Imam Syed Soharwardy will dip his feet in the Pacific Ocean

Yesterday the historic Multi Faith Walk Against Violence reached its final destination, Victoria, British Columbia where a closing ceremony for the cross country walk against violence will be held at 3:00 pm today at the Parliament Building.  

 

The walkers, lead by Imam Syed Soharwardy, are walking on highway #17 south. They have now completed more than 6,470 km of their cross-country walk. The walkers began their walk on April 20^th at the docks of Halifax and today they will end their walk in Victoria by dipping their feet in the Pacific Ocean.

 

Monday, October 27 at 3:00 pm, a Multi-Faith gathering hosted by the Victoria Multifaith Society will be held at the Provincial Parliament in Victoria, B.C. to celebrate the completion of the seven-month-long, Canada-wide walk against violence. A number of faith and community leaders are expected to attend the gathering. 

 

A Community Potluck Dinner hosted and jointly organized by Canpak and Inter Cultural Association of Greater Victoria with Imam Syed Soharwardy - leader of the Walk Against Violence - will be held on Monday October 27th 2008 @ 6:00-8:00 PM at the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria,930 Balmoral Road- 1st Metropolitan Church (corner Balmoral and Quadra).

 

The Walk aims to raise awareness about the dangers, and the consequences of using violence to resolve conflicts. The concept of the dignity of life, “Save a life, save humanity”, is sacred to all faiths, and it is this concept which unites their followers.  The Walk is also a graphic representation of the fact that faith and faith leaders, far from being an impediment to conflict resolution, can be a powerful and valuable resource – especially when faith groups work together!

 

Syed Soharwardy, the leader of the walk, and the founder of Muslims Against Terrorism, has made a commitment to walk the entire length of the route across Canada.  Other faith leaders, who will be joining him along the way, have made their own resolutions as to the distances they will be walking.