Who: OrKidstra is a charitable social development program that empowers children and builds community by teaching life-skills (such as teamwork, commitment, respect and pride in achievement) to kids from underserved communities of Ottawa through learning and making music together. With the passionate belief in the transformative power of music, OrKidstra started with 27 children in 2007. OrKidstra now has more than 500 children ages 5 to 18 from 42 linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
How: When Seb met with Jane and Rebecca in May last year to discuss the project, we immediately felt how important and heartfelt to the cause of helping children in need was to OrKidstra and its members. Being in the same neighbourhood, Baytek also have it at our heart to help children to become better adults, having recently joined a not-for-profit organization (Browning Reid Institute) to help children learn the importance of coding early on and to influence the school curriculum. We are very proud of the new website and feel that it represents well the love and passion we all have for our children, their future and success!
Feedback:
- “I love the new website.” – Amar, OrKidstra student (via Instagram)
- “Congratulations to @orkidstra on their new interactive website: https://Orkidstra.ca. Music has the power to change lives”– Shawn Menard, Ottawa Public School Board Trustee, Capital/Rideau Vanier wards(via Twitter)
- ”We’re big fans of what you do! Great informative site on what you do and your events. ‘100% of OrKidstra graduates complete high school and pursue post-secondary education’”– ARTSFILE (via Twitter)
- “You gotta check out @orkidstra’s new sleek website https://orkidstra.cahighlighting their work changing lives through the music. Over 600 students and counting, and 100% graduates complete high school AND pursue post-secondary education. Let me know if you’d like to support.”– Adam Moscoe, Advanced Policy Analyst Program, Government of Canada and Curator, Global Shapers Community (via Twitter)
- “Congratulations for the new OrKidstra website! It is stunning and energizing. Bravo to everyone involved!”– Salim Charabati, Development Planning and Management and OrKidstra Board Member (via email)
- “AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”– Roxanne Goodman (via email)
- “Wow! It looks fabulous!! So clean and easy to read. Congratulations!!!”– Cheryl Casey (via email)
- “This is fabulous –The photos are wonderful. Bravo!!!!”– Sylvia Gazsi-Gill(via email)
- “The website looks really great and leads you on to seek more. Bravo! Pictures are just as good!”– Robin Higham (via email)
- “Wow. It [orkidstra.ca] is amazing. Very clean. Bravo!”– Derek William (via Facebook)