Working as a teacher, Newmarket’s Megan Glanfield said she could see the impact of marginalization on young people.
The York Region District School Board teacher decided to go a step beyond t-shirts that celebrated a single occasion that came up on the board. She launched a company in 2021, Revolution Now, dedicated to raising funds for charities addressing social issues.
With more than $14,000 donated to charity over two years, she said it has been a joy to see the impact of her team’s work.
“I see how when we work consciously and directly to address systems of oppression that we can make live's tangibles better for the people,” she said. “When people feel free and loved and supported and seen and heard, that makes for much better communities.”
The company offers clothing, pins and stickers themed around truth and reconciliation, 2SLGBTQIA+ and Black excellence, with a portion of sales going to charities. In addition, Revolution Now has held events celebrating marginalized communities, including a party to raise money for a scholarship for Black students and holding an inaugural award for local 2SLGBTIA+ youth last October.
Glanfield said she has a belief that collective love can make a difference. She compared the spirit of the company with children running a lemonade stand.
“It is important that adults hold onto that spirit of agency. This is our only time. This is the time we get, and I think that if each one of us uses it in a really conscious way, then we really do have the ability to create revolutionary change,” she said.
But managing the company and being a teacher is a balancing act, she said. She added that adding staff, such as director of youth engagement Megan DeClaire, has made it easier.
“The more that what we’re doing catches on, the less work is on my shoulders because there’s a team of people who want to do this work,” Glanfield said. “If it’s on one person’s shoulders, that’s not how big change happens. Big change happens when many people work together.”
The organization launched a community rainbow awards night this year. Glanfield said it was a response to what is a difficult climate right now for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth.
“Young, queer people’s lives have been used as a wedge issue,” she said. “The impact that that has had on their lives is just terrible, and I think it’s important to recognize the excellence that queer youth bring into the community.”
The shirts have gained popularity locally, and the effort has got Revolution Now recognition. Pickering College honoured Glanfield at its annual changemaker awards in May. The organizations have also fundraised for several non-profits, including the Newmarket African Carribean Canadian Association.
Revolution Now itself is not a non-profit, something Glanfield said helps them raise more money and put it into the pockets of the artists who design their shirts.
“Just by being a business, we’re disruptive,” she said, adding that other large businesses could stand to take an approach of better paying their workers. “Really look at your bottom line and how much is going into people’s pockets that don’t have what you have.”
The efforts of Revolution Now go beyond her, Glanfield said.
“It couldn’t be done without an incredible team,” she said, adding Revolution Now is a collective “of really amazing people who believe the world can fundamentally be better.”
