2022

TMC – Nipsey Hussle

To many in the Eritrean community, Nipsey Hussle represented the embodiment of the dream for those in the diaspora who hoped to secure a better future for themselves and their families.

Kickback connected with Toronto’s Eritrean community to spotlight how Nipsey’s impact and inspiration continues to ring true on the importance of family, education, and the never-ending pursuit of achieving one’s dreams.

Jamaica

To close out the year, we had the opportunity to visit Jamaica and give back on a very personal level. In partnership with LifeYard, we had the opportunity to host a day filled with fun, food and sneakers.

We were so grateful for this opportunity as Jamaica is home for a few of us at the Kickback. Being able to experience such a positive exchange on home soil has touched us all and has shown us how far the little things go.

London

We’re proud to say we made it to London. We were able to connect with youth over the course of a week and build special connections which we’ll continue to develop in years to come. It was remarkable to see how sneakers, experience, and language bring similarities to the forefront, thousands of miles apart.

Greenbrae

With us, Greenbrae represents potential. The kids and the youth workers are such beautiful people, and out of all three projects, this court needs the most love. We were able to start a much-needed conversation around prioritizing the court’s build alongside consistent creative programming.

Cycle Jordan 3

Cycle Jordan is a single-day awareness event in the form of a bike ride brought to you by Kickback in partnership with ManDem Cycling Club. The ride raises money to support Black families who have a child or adult living with Down syndrome. This year we raised enough to grant 4 families, $4000 each. The funding will go towards support services.

Empringham

The youth in Empringham exemplify resilience, love and respect. Though they’ve experienced loss, this genuine community sticks together. In designing the court, its youth leads wanted to ensure it was built and designed in honour of members eternal to the community’s legacy.

Empringham represents family, it means understanding, and this is why making a statement with the court felt necessary. With the design slated for 2023, we kicked off our relationship with a basketball tournament to celebrate the newly designed ball court.

Confident Cuts

Confident cuts is a safe space for our youth where everyone can feel loved. A moment for all to gather, get a cut and leave with a smile, looking fresh.

This year, we held the event at the new Moss Park court. A place that is seamlessly turning into a home base.

Thank you to everyone who could come by and show their love and support.

BLKZ Day

Each year with Tier Zero, our go-to creative agency, Kickback aims to bring the best day in the hood to life for St. Jamestown’s (Bleecker), youth and residents. In year four, the yearly event has been a driving force in creating lifelong relationships within our community. Though a handful of outside forces are working against this community, BLKZ Day is a reminder that we will always have a community and can achieve anything with each other.

Kickback Court – Moss Park

Working with Puma for five years, what began as a yearly tournament now exists as an itinerary focused on impact throughout summer. We intend to create safe spaces and optimal programming through basketball.

This year, we can say our court is our home. Amidst the need for refurbishment, we’ve always seen the court as a safe space for the community. It’s been grounds for laughter, competition, dreams and more.

A safe space to us, wasn’t always so safe though. From balls going onto the road into live traffic, to a lack of space, and dated presentation that made kids feel like their court was uncared for.

We changed the feeling. We changed our community, and we let our kids lead the way. UP has always represented the trajectory basketball can provide, and in real time we made a dream come true. Hundreds of kids happy, safe, and lively.

We made history. In our own community.

With the help of the City of Toronto and Toronto Community Housing, this year was monumental for us as we built our first basketball court. With the success of the first, we’re now in the process of building two more over the next two years. What is unique about this relationship, in particular, is its potential. Impact feels special when the city and a brand we believe in can work together to provide wraparound support.
The City of Toronto has supported the design aspect of the refurbishments with comprehensive programming, enabling us to involve the youth in the design process. Toronto Community Housing was integral on the ground with safety and development, and Puma ensured all the kids looked fly with their latest ball kicks. A dream team for real.

Puma Hoops and Kickback started downtown, so it only made sense for our first court to come to life close to home. A dream come true is an understatement of what this court means to us. We now have a home, a place we run programming, lights where kids can play ball at night, and a tangible example of what a group of individuals from a community can do for the same community which raised them. A basketball court with the TKB logo on it was something we aspired to from day one. To see and experience it now still doesn’t feel real. Hopefully, the impact will sink in with all the time we spend there.

Studenten

High School graduation is the not so subtle transition from childhood to young adult.

Equally exciting as it is daunting, this new kind of freedom presents as many life changing opportunities as it does challenges over an incredibly short period of time.

This year, Asics Canada helped us surprise Swedish youth with shoes that celebrate their achievement while encouraging them to put their immediate future towards pursuing their dreams, whatever they may be.
Our collective effort is what results in Kickback establishing a new blueprint for non-profit organizations moving forward.

Amidst confused excitement, High School and University graduations each saw pivotal shifts in Anthony’s planned career path. Before leaving Sweden to come to Toronto, Anthony ​​spent two seasons coaching the boys basketball team the featured youth played on, and with 2022 being a year for him to take on projects more personal to him – checking in to celebrate the youth he mentored was a first step into more personal work.

This project aims to celebrate the accomplishments of each young man featured. Both to prompt them to appreciate this fleeting moment and to encourage their newfound freedom towards discovering and pursuing their dreams, whatever they are.

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