The UpNextAjax Program

I had the honour of being a participant of a wonderful youth initiative that took place over a three-week period over the summer. The Town of Ajax created the "UpNextAjax" program as a way to help improve participants chances of landing a job or starting their own business by training them in digital marketing and offering real-world experience to use these skills with small business owners. This program came as perfect timing for me, as I was resigning from my current job and beginning a new one after the program ended, so this program kept me busy during my transition.

Youth unemployment is a serious and chronic issue in Ontario, and it is particularly bad in the Durham Region. For example, the youth unemployment rate in the Oshawa CMA is around 20%, which is higher than the national rate. I can imagine the youth unemployment rate for Pickering and Ajax to be a similar number to Oshawa. In my opinion, the federal and provincial governments do not do enough to reduce youth unemployment in the province, but to see a municipal government like The Town of Ajax attempt to take this problem head-on is refreshing to see. Not only do The Town of Ajax want to reduce youth unemployment, but also by collaborating these young professionals with small business owners, they have a desire to make Ajax an attractive place to work and to keep jobs in the area. Personally, I would rather work here in Ajax than drive or take public transit to Toronto, as The Town of Ajax is a great community to live and work in. The UpNextAjax program has reaffirmed that in me.

Every day in the three-week program consists of a presentation in the morning by an industry professional/small business owner or a group, and the afternoon consists of a technical session where we would learn how to use social media for businesses. We would then have time to work with our businesses to create and post content on their social media platforms to maximize reach and engagements. The morning presentations consisted of everything it takes to market yourself to potential employers, from writing a good resume and how to network to something like how to dress properly for an interview. All of the morning presentations were informative, and I always found myself learning something different every day that I can use in my future career. All of the presenters were memorable in their own way, and the stories and insights that they have provided were interesting.

I gained valuable experience in digital marketing, through the afternoon technical sessions where we would learn how to use social media for business use, and from actually working with our assigned businesses to apply what we have learned. The businesses that I have worked with were very excited to work with me, and they understood the fact that I was learning the aspects of digital marketing myself. These businesses presented unique challenges, which had me thinking of different ideas for each business in order to market themselves. I did not expect to make miracles, but as long as I could make a positive impact, by getting more likes and engagements and extending the reach of the business, then I am happy.

I was also happy to meet many other young professionals that were just like me. They all came from different backgrounds and I could sense that they all had their own personal motivations as to what they wanted out of this program. From talking to many of these young professionals, it was fascinating to hear their stories about what motivated them to sign up for this program and what they hoped to get out of it, from gaining new skills to find a job, to growing their professional network.

Overall, I am glad I signed up for the UpNextAjax program. I could have remained at home and kept my free time between my jobs, but I wanted to further my personal and professional development, as well as to continue to build my professional network. The wonderful thing about all of this is that I can use the digital marketing skills I learned here in my new job where I can be a more valued employee. I have met so many great, motivated people here, and I hope this program was an asset to them as it was to me. I also hope that they can take what they learned here and apply it to their future careers, instead of putting this knowledge in the basement of their brain. The Town of Ajax should continue this program for years to come, so that other young professionals can absorb things that they can use in their careers. This experience is something I will never forget.

The 2015 Gold Cup Matches in Toronto

I went out to BMO Field to watch a couple of Gold Cup Group B matches, which were Jamaica vs El Salvador and Canada vs Costa Rica. As someone who regularly goes to Toronto FC (and some Canada) matches, this would serve to be a rather unique experience for me, especially watching the Jamaica/El Salvador match, where I was a neutral.

It was a poor start to my evening, as I missed my train to the stadium and showed up in the 20th minute of the Jamaica/El Salvador match. The first thing I noticed was the amount of El Salvador supporters in the stadium. They vastly outnumbered the Jamaica supporters and they made a lot more noise. The stadium attendance itself was a bit sparse, but the El Salvador supporters made sure that they made their voices heard. I got the feeling that making noise came naturally to the El Salvador supporters, and they made more noise than Toronto FC supporters did on some TFC match days.

The match itself was decently entertaining despite the fact that it was low scoring. Both teams had their chances, but El Salvador were the more aggressive side, as they needed to get a result to have a chance of advancing to the next round, and they were also spurred on by the boisterous support. The overwhelming El Salvador support also affected the referee, as he made a number of calls in their team’s favour. It was a heated affair, as both sides looked like they would come to blows on multiple occasions throughout the match. Despite Jamaica being down a man due to the referee sending off Darren Mattocks and El Salvador applying pressure on Jamaica's back line, they managed to get a late winner and win the match 1-0. With El Salvador having all that pressure, they seemed more intent on passing the ball among themselves instead of getting shots on goal and testing the keeper. 

With Jamaica winning the group, the attention turned to Canada and Costa Rica. Canada had to win in order to advance. As the south end Canada supporters sections started to fill up and supporters started to make more noise, the rain came crashing down, which only made the Canadian supporters louder and more fervent. When the rain came down before the teams came out, it felt like I was in a pool of hungry piranhas.

Canada actually did not play too badly against Costa Rica. They were solid at the back, but they lacked the final product on offense, which were two major story lines of Canada's Gold Cup campaign. Costa Rica did not play like the team that made the 2014 World Cup quarterfinals, and it was an opportunity Canada wasted when the match ended scoreless. A Canada goal ruled offside and a shot cleared off the Costa Rica goal line only contributed to the visible anguish of the Canadian supporters. Many people point the blame of Canada failing to advance at Benito Floro, and I think that is fair. He felt more content to play for the draw instead of going for the win, especially for this match, and it reflected his game management and substitutions (putting in Andre Hainault, a defender, for example). On the other hand, Canada was missing a number of regular starters, and I think Floro's priority lies in progressing in the World Cup qualifiers, rather than the Gold Cup. Floro’s tactics raises some concern, but I would hold off on pulling the trigger and firing him.

Speaking of the Canada supporters, I think it was the loudest I have ever heard the Canadian supporters at BMO Field, in which the periodic, pounding rain and the Canadian team's "must win" situation contributed to it. I always thought going to Canadian national team matches produced a much stronger atmosphere than going to Toronto FC matches, and this match reinforced that thought, even though the attendances are much smaller. That night was something special, because everyone in the sections came together to create unified support. One particular moment from the supporters section came before halftime, where someone decided to let off a smoke bomb in our section. Personally, I have nothing against smoke bombs, even though it is against the rules, but it ended up being more of a nuisance than anything else. I was not able to watch the rest of the half because of it!

Overall, it was a unique and interesting night to go watch some football on a Tuesday, from El Salvador supporters fighting among themselves, to the smoke bomb incident in the Canada supporters section. I hope that there are more events like this in the future, because I had a lot of fun.

Around the Stands: Toronto FC 1-2 Houston Dynamo

It was finally that time when I could put my season ticket to use for the first time this year. Toronto FC were back home for their 2015 home opener against the Houston Dynamo. I'm not really going to talk about the result and the match itself, because there are hundreds of people who have already done that and who can do a better job at it than I can. What I am going to talk about is my personal experience on that day, from the pre-game festivities to the new additions at BMO Field. I can definitely tell you that it was an interesting experience.

I was at the pre-game fan event at the Brazen Head, which was a little bit lame, if I'm being honest. Before their "pep rally", I was up in the patio having a large pint, when Cabbie came up to the patio and told everyone of the rally that was going down at 3:00 PM. He was clowning our group on the fact that no one (besides me) was wearing any TFC gear, so I thought that was a pretty cool moment. We go downstairs to the rally, and Cabbie and the new TFC girl (whose name escapes me) were hosting the event. I noticed that the crowd was a little bit relaxed, in the sense that I felt that most of the fans were more casual supporters, rather than hardcore supporters. This observation I had was reinforced when the new TFC girl had to go over how to sing "O When The Reds" with the crowd, and on top of that, the actual chanting at the event was sporadic at best.

Tim Bezbatchenko was there, said some things to the crowd, and then proceeded to chug a beer, to the delight of the crowd. Tim Leiweke also said some things to the crowd, and he boldly claimed that TFC will make "the p-word" (his words, not mine). I'm not sure why he wouldn't actually say the word "playoffs" in the first place. It was all nothing but hot air from the club's top brass, which is what they do best. The marching band starts up, a homeless guy dances in front of us, and we all start marching to the stadium. The lack of chanting continues, and anyone who tries to start one is drowned out by the drumming of the marching band.

We come out of the tunnels at Exhibition Station and in front of us was this gargantuan, imposing structure which was the new BMO Field east stand, It looked much bigger in person, and once the roof gets put on the stands, BMO Field can finally look something like a proper stadium. We get in the stadium, and as usual, we get bombarded with the imagery of all of TFC's sponsors, because corporatism is the message. The stadium looked great, although there was still some construction happening around the stadium. My seat was at the top of the upper deck of the new stand, and even though it offered a great birds-eye view of the pitch, the amount of stairs I had to take to get up there was brutal. Now, I'm not the most athletic guy out there, but I felt like I had run a marathon just to get up to my seat.

I decide to stand behind section 112 for the duration of the match. Toronto FC overloaded on the fireworks before the players came out of the tunnel, which I thought was a bit unnecessary, but they have to sell the experience, of course. The pre-game tifos looked nice, though. The match started, and sections 111/112 and 114 were bringing the chanting and singing, while section 113 looked like a wasteland, as only a few people from that section were actually taking part in the chants. The atmosphere from the supporters section was okay, but it really could have been a lot better. Obviously, the support was harmed by the fact that TFC were losing, but I felt that there could have been better communication between 112 and 114. This wasn't helped with the fact that 113 doesn't really join in the chanting. If TFC's vision was to have a united south end all singing the same song, so far, they are failing. The support is too fractured right now, with all these different supporters groups.

I had a good time, as I always do, but TFC's loss hurt a bit. Houston played very well, Michael Bradley was awful, and TFC couldn't push the tempo. It felt like the same old tune we have been hearing for the past 9 years. It was just disappointing to watch, and TFC have really seemed to go all in on how the club is branded, especially since Defoe came to TFC. The entire organization needs to know when to just shut up and try to string some wins together. Until that happens, TFC's marketing strategy feels like it is just being shoved down our throats.

So, that was my experience at the new BMO Field. I hope to put up some video soon.

UPDATE: I took some video of my experience. Watch it down below.

4 Years and 10,000 Views Later

So, I've recently hit two milestones in regards to this blog. The first milestone is that I have recently passed my 4-year anniversary since this blog's creation, and the second milestone is that this blog has recently passed 10,000 page views. This may not seem like a lot to many people, but for me, these are two significant milestones. I know that I haven't really posted to this blog on a regular basis, but the fact that I am able to post whenever I feel like it keeps this blog fresh, and I don't have to feel burnt out because of it.

Back in April 2011, I took the plunge into writing, and created this blog. I created this blog because I wanted a space to express my thoughts on the things that were going on in the world and were affecting my life in some way. To this day, that hasn't changed. This blog is a hobby for me, and it will continue to be a hobby. I still post whenever I feel like it, and I don't have to feel pressured by deadlines. I feel that I am able to post my best work on the blog if I didn't have someone who wanted me to have a blog post completed by a certain time and date. I love the fact that I have total control over this blog, and that I can take it in any direction that I want. I wouldn't post something on this blog if I wasn't completely satisfied with it, because I want the reader to get the best of me every time I post something. That is my promise to you.

When I created my blog, it was known as "Beefing with the World", and it was a reflection of the angst I felt at the time. My first posts were basically attacks and criticisms of certain groups of people I didn't like (soccer haters, high-school wannabe gangster types, overreacting sports parents). As time went on, the focus of the blog shifted more to writing about Toronto FC and to also talk about the experiences in my life, as well as reactions to certain things and events. The current title of this blog, "Cultured Individual", is a reflection of that. The other reason why I changed the title of my blog is just to make my blog more accessible and welcoming to the reader.

I never expected my blog to have any sort of popularity. I felt like writing simply because I wanted to. I would never think that my blog would be read by hundreds of people all over the world. Yes, it can be viewed as a drop in the ocean to people with a popular following, but to me, this was like a tidal wave. People were actually interested in what I have to say! The last blog I wrote about Toronto FC was shared by so many people, probably the most shared post on the blog to date. To see personalities with thousands of followers and with real influence in the Toronto sporting landscape read and share something I have personally written is very encouraging for me. It makes me want to keep doing this as a real hobby. I feel like this blog is my personal contribution to society. With every blog post that I write, I always want to present something that no one else has covered or explored. I think that is what makes my blog posts unique. If I can't present something entirely new or present a new angle to something that has already existed, then it loses the uniqueness that I crave.

The most interesting experiences I have had with the blog are the face-to-face interactions I have with people who have read some of my posts. Admittedly, it is a bit weird to talk openly with someone in public about something I wrote on the internet and where I would be used to interacting with people online, but I also find these face-to-face interactions the most rewarding. I'll give you an example. The next night after I wrote about my experiences of going to university, I met up with a lady friend of mine for a drink in the back room of a seedy Irish pub in St. Catharines. Inevitably, the conversation turned to the blog post I wrote, and I couldn't help but feel embarrassed for myself a little bit. But she told me about how she enjoyed reading it and how impressed she was that I would pour my heart out like that. That felt like the greatest compliment of them all. To have someone personally describe to you how your blog has personally impacted someone's life is one of the greatest feelings one could ask for.

To everyone who has read my posts, shared my posts on social media, left comments on the blog, and interacted with me through every medium possible, I want to express my sincerest gratitude. This blog wouldn't be where it is without you. Although I may not post all that often, I want to continue to create quality posts that I hope you will enjoy. I feel more motivated than ever to post content on my personal space that I share with you.

This has been quite the roller coaster ride, but I'm not looking to hop off just yet.

Appreciating Supporters: The Toronto FC Way

This season, Toronto FC have declared that this April should be known as "Supporter Appreciation Month" as a way to give thanks to the TFC fans that have stuck with the team through the small hills of positives, and the deep crevasses of negatives. On the surface, it looks like a goodwill gesture from the organization to the long-suffering supporters of the club, but if you peel back the onion, this "Supporter Appreciation Month" only reinforces the fact that there is a damaging disconnect between Toronto FC, the supporters, and the interaction between them. Despite the claim that Toronto FC appreciates their supporters, the actions they have taken this April are negatively affecting the already toxic relationship between them and their supporters. I have 3 specific examples that I hope can back up my argument.

Before I present these examples, I have a couple of remarks about TFC implementing this "Supporter Appreciation Month". First of all, why is this only for a month? For all the garbage TFC supporters have endured since their first season in 2007, TFC should be making a note to appreciate what's left of their support every single day of the year. Toronto FC should consider themselves lucky that they still have individuals who still have an interest in this team, so they should be thankful for what they still have. The second remark I have is that Toronto FC are stupid to have this "Supporter Appreciation Month" on a month where there are no TFC home games. They are trying to remedy this by hosting viewing parties at the home pubs of supporters groups across the city, but TFC should have attempted to make a meaningful contribution at the place where TFC supporters congregate together, and that is BMO Field. So now, here are my examples.

This April, as construction was nearing completion on the BMO Field expansion (which happened to be over-budget and behind schedule), talks were heating up between MLSE and the Toronto Argonauts to have the Argos play at BMO Field for their CFL season in the near future. Obviously, TFC supporters are irate that a football team should be allowed to play in a soccer-specific stadium (as evidenced by the #NoArgosToBMO hashtag on Twitter), and what better way to appreciate TFC supporters than to basically guarantee that the Argos will play at BMO Field at some point. It's clear that the Argos playing at BMO Field will devalue Toronto FC as a property and as a destination for players, whether it is damage to the pitch, or the chance that there will be remaining football lines by the time Toronto FC plays. Many supporters have stated that they will stop supporting Toronto FC if the Argos move in, and it will be interesting if these supporters will hold true to their words.

As part of "Supporter Appreciation Month", Toronto FC have "rewarded" their supporters with a completely meaningless friendly on May 27 against Manchester City. Now, it is widely known that Toronto FC's mid-season friendlies are nothing more than a blatant cash grab for MLSE, but what makes this specific friendly particularly useless is the fact that this friendly will come after Manchester City's season. Does MLSE really think that Man City players will relish coming to play in Toronto after an exhausting regular season? No, they won't. What makes this friendly even worse is that tickets for the match are (in true MLSE fashion) ridiculously expensive. The cheapest tickets for this match are around $50-$60, and they aren't even included in the season ticket package. The timing for this friendly is not good, either. This match comes in between two crucial regular season matches for TFC, which will limit their rest time and preparation for those matches. This friendly further reinforces the belief that MLSE cares more about blatantly lining their pockets, as well as exploiting the team and their supporters, than building a team that can compete in the MLS playoffs, with minimal distractions.

Also this April, Toronto FC have launched a "Banner Contest" in which people can draw up an idea of a banner to be displayed at a TFC home match. People can submit their digitally-created banner to the Toronto FC website where others can vote on it. The person whose banner gets the most votes gets to actually create their banner idea with a supporters group and have it displayed at the TFC home match against Portland.

Toronto FC hosting this "Banner Contest" is a bad idea and there is something disingenuous about the entire thing. The club should not have any involvement with the operations of the supporters groups, and frankly, this banner contest reaffirms the fact that the entire TFC experience is becoming more sanitized. Of course TFC are going to reject the banner ideas that are more realistic of the club as a whole, and instead, choose a banner that will be family-friendly and unrealistically positive. The fact that a supporters group is involved with this "official" contest is incredibly disappointing. Support for this club needs to be organic and natural, and contests like these create the impression that the club is manufactured and fake.

Another thing with contests like these is that they open themselves up to trolls who can submit their banners with hidden messages about the club. That exactly happened when Columbus Crew submitted this entry to the contest. Read the first letters of each line of text.

In case you didn't notice, it reads "WE SUCK" vertically on the first letters of each line. Toronto FC initially didn't catch the hidden message, and they even promoted that specific banner on all of their social media accounts! It was incredibly embarrassing for TFC and its supporters, and the fact that they didn't see the hidden message at the beginning made them look very bad. Apparently, Crew fans have another banner submission in the contest with another hidden message in it.

So, lets recap. How are Toronto FC "appreciating" supporters this month? By prolonging the Argos to BMO Field discussion (making it closer to a confirmation), announcing a pointless friendly, and hosting a bogus, manufactured contest. These actions taken by the club are only alienating and embarrassing the fans who follow and live vicariously through them. If Toronto FC are not careful, their support will dwindle further.

"Supporters Appreciation Month" can be chalked up as a TFC failure. As much as the club wants to spin this as a success, this initiative has backfired on them, big time.