OUR STORY

a story from our founder, Anita

I began volunteering with social impact organizations in July 2017 at the age of 13. Through my volunteering and work facilitating youth programming, I was introduced to the brilliant world of non-profit work.

It was an amazing time, and I met some of my greatest life lessons, friends, and mentors through this work, attributing much of where I stand today to the organizations I worked alongside.

However, I also experienced difficulty getting some youth ideas off of the ground in larger organizations, which were managed by people different in background from the client base they were providing services for. Moreover, I found that there were many gaps in youth services for newcomer/minority youth, with some corners cut due to administrative and bureaucratic demands. I began to dream of something powered by a passion for creating tangible change for youth.

Over summer 2023, at the age of 19, I found myself with the time and resources to actualize my dream. The incorporation of ANIMO represents the beginning of this journey for me.

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ANIMO currently operates under a grassroots for youth by youth structure, and there is a very long way to go. We are still assembling a team, an advisory board, and a website. We are busy applying for grants, and in the meantime, everything is self-funded (which also slows things down - at the end of the day we are students above all haha).