'Community Christmas' project to bring together African Nova Scotian children in Halifax
A young activist is spreading holiday cheer this year for African Nova Scotian kids in the Halifax area.
Trayvone Clayton is organizing a one-day community project with the GameChangers902 non-profit called Community Christmas.
The project’s goal is to help African Nova Scotian children connect with one another and give back.
Clayton, a 24-year-old criminology student, says Christmas is a hard time for children in his community.
“Christmas for me, honestly, like I grew up in a single-parent home of four. Like my mom, she always had her times, it was always a hard time in my community for us to celebrate Christmas the way we wanted to, but we found a way to overcome that stump and celebrate Christmas,” he told CTV’s Jayson Baxter during a recent interview.
Clayton plans on gathering 30 children from different communities and pairing them together to make a connection with one another.
The kids will also have a mentor from the African Nova Scotian community accompanying them to the Halifax Shopping Centre and each child will have $350 to spend on the other child they are matched with and their families.
“I come from a low-income community and so that’s why I want to put the foot down to say, ‘Hey, I’m here to help you as much as I can make it possible for you and your family to celebrate Christmas as you want to,’” Clayton said.
He adds that the response from the community has been overwhelming.
“Donations are coming in, I think we are half way there right now. Shout out to a lot of local organization that have donated,” he said.
The event will take place on Dec 18. Donations can be made online.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING | B.C. reveals plan for decriminalization of small amounts of drugs for personal use
British Columbia is taking a major step forward in its fight against the province’s deadly overdose crisis by decriminalizing the possession of a small amount of certain illicit drugs for personal use.

New alcohol recommendations could speed up changing drinking habits: businesses
Advocates and business owners in the beverage industry say new guidance for drinking alcohol could speed up changing consumer drinking habits as younger generations drink less and non-alcoholic beverages become more popular.
Adding milk to coffee may be anti-inflammatory: Danish study
Adding some milk to your morning coffee may boost the body's anti-inflammatory response, new research out of Denmark shows.
Girl, 6, dead after accident at ski resort north of Montreal on Sunday
A six-year-old girl died in hospital Sunday night after being involved in an incident at the Val-Saint-Côme ski resort in Lanaudiere. Quebec police are investigating, though details into the event are not yet known. Officers indicated that it involved a T-bar lift, but they were not able to say more.
WHO: COVID-19 still an emergency but nearing 'inflection' point
The coronavirus remains a global health emergency, the World Health Organization chief said Monday, after a key advisory panel found the pandemic may be nearing an 'inflection point' where higher levels of immunity can lower virus-related deaths.
Quebec minister calls on new anti-Islamophobia representative to step down over Bill 21 comments
Quebec's minister responsible for secularism, Jean-Francois Roberge, has called on Canada’s new special anti-Islamophobia advisor Amira Elghawaby to apologize and step down.
Health, economy, crime top issues of concern as House of Commons resumes
Members of Parliament return to Ottawa to resume sitting for the first time in 2023 on Monday, with the state of Canada's health-care system, the health of the Canadian economy, and rates of violent crime in this country all top of mind.
Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Hull dies at 84
Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Hull has died at the age of 84. He played for the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks and Hartford Whalers as well as the World Hockey Association's Winnipeg Jets over a 23-year pro career.
Are you a Ukrainian who recently moved to Canada? We want to hear from you
With Russia's invasion of Ukraine displacing millions of people, many refugees have begun to lay their roots in Canada. If you or someone you know has fled the war-torn country and settled in Canada, we want to hear from you.