Thu Sep 26 14:13:25 UTC 2024: ## Format Empowers Underserved Youth Through Partnership with Kickback
**Toronto, ON -** Format, a leading portfolio website platform for creative professionals, has partnered with Kickback, a non-profit organization focused on empowering underserved youth, to provide free portfolio services to participants in Kickback’s Portfolio program. The initiative allows young photographers to gain real-world experience by documenting the Canada Basketball Youth U15 & U17 tournament.
Kickback, founded by Jamal Burger, aims to provide opportunities in sports, arts, and education to underserved youth. The organization believes that experiences and opportunities can help young people reframe their narratives and achieve success.
“I founded Kickback for kids like me,” Burger explained. “Growing up, I didn’t know that you could have a job in this world and enjoy it.”
The partnership with Canada Basketball provides a unique opportunity for these young photographers. Kickback alumni, Nicholas Williams, now a professional photographer for Canada Basketball, served as a mentor during the tournament. He emphasized the positive impact of the Kickback program on his career: “It has opened the doors for me–now I shoot for Canada, I shoot for the Raptors here and there, and for MLSE.”
Aliya Ahmed, a participant in the program, highlighted the importance of representation in sports photography: “I feel like I have the responsibility toward all [young women] around me… It’s a difficult area to break into without adding any other barriers.”
The partnership between Kickback and Canada Basketball, with the support of Format, is a testament to the power of mentorship and the positive impact of providing opportunities to young people.
First Piper 