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Ameena Nizam

Kitchener, ON

Ameena Nizam has a passion for helping seniors and music. Being able to combine these two passions and gain real-life experience in a business-related field was a perfect fit. As the Corporate Relations Director for the last three years, Ameena has used her education and skills to help Students for Music and Wellness (SFMW) gain numerous sponsorships, grants, and donations. Currently, Ameena is working toward a career in Financial Services with an ongoing desire to use her experience at SFMW as a way to create an inclusive work environment that empowers others to make a positive impact.

Live-streamed holiday concert for long-term care homes in Canada, US, and UK.

Led by Students for Music and Wellness (SFMW), "The Magic of Christmas," is our most significant annual event. It is primarily focused on developing an engaging virtual program, which includes both recorded and live components. The program is specifically designed to connect with long-term care and senior homes in isolated areas, where youth volunteers are typically scarce. In 2023, "The Magic of Christmas" successfully expanded its reach, impacting over 100 long-term care homes across Canada (10 provinces, and one territory), the United States, and the United Kingdom. This marked our first venture into engaging an international audience of this magnitude.

https://www.sfmwellness.org/

About this Project

Communities Served

My project will involve and/or impact the following communities:

  • Senior citizens

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

When it comes to community impact projects, the UN has created 17 Sustainable Development Goals. These are the Sustainable Development Goals associated with my project.

  • SDG 3: Good health and Well-being
  • SDG 10: Reduced inequalities

How the project works

The preparation for this event involved several months of meticulous planning, rehearsing, and practicing music. Youth volunteers from various parts of Ontario came together to record a one-hour concert over the course of multiple days. Our performance featured a diverse array of musical groups, including string quartets, jazz ensembles, and vocal duets. The repertoire included contemporary and holiday music. We also collaborated with young, emerging professionals in video and audio production, providing them with both exposure and compensation, thanks to the Sprout Fellowship Grant. Furthermore, our team dedicated efforts to assist numerous homes in setting up the program for live streaming. This initiative led to thousands of seniors RSVPing for the event. The impact of the concert was further underscored by the numerous emails and messages we received from individuals expressing their enjoyment and appreciation for the concert and its significance to them.

Project Impact

Reaching all 10 Canadian provinces was a remarkable achievement, particularly impacting those in rural or isolated areas. Our expansion into the US and UK marked a significant milestone, broadening the scope of our impact beyond previous years. We also saw an unprecedented engagement of musicians, enhancing the concert's diversity and reach. A novel addition to our program was the inclusion of personal segments, blending interviews, interactive games, and the heartfelt messages from senior members in the community, read aloud during the concert, which fostered a deeper connection between the audience and our intergenerational volunteers. The impact of the concert was further underscored by the numerous emails and messages we received from individuals expressing their enjoyment and appreciation for the concert and its significance to them. A particularly touching story involved a woman whose mother, a former professional cellist with Alzheimer's, had just moved into a long-term care home. Coincidentally, our live Christmas concert, featuring one of her former students, was broadcast on her first day there. This event brought immense joy and a sense of familiarity to her mother, underscoring the profound, personal impact of our program which helped soften her difficult transition.

Project Mission

Help seniors and promote wellness at all ages. Reach rural and isolated communities of seniors (where the majority of seniors retire, etc) to promote social inclusiveness and mental wellness and engage youth and promote social responsibility towards seniors as our aged population grows larger

Project Team

A team of 40 youth helping older adults and other vulnerable populations through music.

  • Harrison Gao, Ruthie Zhuang, Ameena Nizam, Yusuf Nissar, Erin Liu, Ashley Chan, Sydney Tran, Michelle Yu, Mara Hale, Carson Rust, Michael Chou, Cindy Zheng, Claire Gao, Victoria Yuan, Maggie Xu, Yohan Fernandes, Victoria Li, Yuhan Sun, Justin Nguyen, Riona Nanzeeba, Abigail Au, Ava Lentini, Brandon Chan, Caleb Lam, Caroline Ly, Eva Fang, Hanna Asheber, Lisa Zhao, Mandy Zhuang, Maria Daniel, Missy Kim, Saranya Varakunan, Sophia Lee, Yina Tian, Anthony Ung, Sophie Rhee, Tiffany Ye, Jonathan Cai, Neha Raina, Sophia Todorov, Felix Du, Cameron Rawlins

Video Name or info

Magic of Christmas Concert (2021)

Optional Photo Gallery