| 180 Change Street | 180 Change Street | This program engages referred youth in a targeted intervention strategy designed to inspire positive and comprehensive change. Working with TDSB Caring & Safe Schools, these motivational and educational sessions include one-on-one mentoring, life coaching and training. Sessions cover topics such as grief, trauma, culturally-relevant mental health and well being, self-awareness, conflict resolution, critical thinking skills, culturally-responsive wrap-around services. Emerging from behind the walls of Canada's prison system, this program is built on its "E to the Power of 5 (E5)" framework and "PURPLE" life-skills acronym, helping youth to turn the stumbling blocks of life into the stepping stones of success. Created for the streets, by the streets, referred students are engaged in examining street culture through a comprehensive lens. The program has a history of successfully keeping participants from returning to or staying out of the justice system. Many referred youth have completed their education and graduated or found employment. Serving: Grades 7 - 12 |
| Urban Minds Planning and Design Studio | 1UP Youth City Builders Program | A youth leadership program that educates and empowers secondary students to become urban changemakers by giving them the skills to contribute to making our cities more livable, equitable and sustainable. Students learn about city building, urban planning, architecture and gain practical skills in civic leadership. Workshops lead students to identify urban issues/challenges and using design jam process to think of possible solutions. Activities may include a neighbourhood walk. Program is suitable for Grades 9-12 Geography or Civics classes. |
| CANVAS Arts Action Programs | 2SLGBTQ+ Inclusion and Consent Workshops | Interactive, arts-based workshops on 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion, consent, and gender equity engage an anti-oppression framework to support students in creating safer, more inclusive communities. Four series are available: “Speak Out” enhances students’ understanding about LGBTQ2S+ identities, how to be an ally, and ways to challenge homophobic and transphobic bullying. “The C-Word” : prepares students for real-life social situations; equipped with tools to enact consent, develop consensual relationships, recognize sexual pressures, challenge social expectations, and support survivors of assault. “RelateABILITY” : for students with developmental disabilities, this series engages arts-based education and role play to educate on consent, communication, and creating safe, positive relationships. Serving: Grades 6-12; Professional Learning for staff |
| The flight Power Foundation | 7 Pillars of Leadership | A workshop series demonstrating seven key skills/habits that establish a growth mindset and contribute toward leadership development and success for students in Grades 6-12. Areas of focus include responsibility, goal-setting, mobilizing change, changing thought patterns, how to make difficult decisions, communication and teamwork. These activity-based workshops engage students to expand their perspectives. Flight Power facilitators use meaningful content and current day examples to show students how to apply these skills in their lives. |
| York U | A Vaccine Against Fake News | A Vaccine Against Fake News is a three-part series that supports students' media literacy development in secondary classrooms. Led by professionals such as Canadian non-fiction filmmakers and professors who will facilitate learning about the ways editing can impact the ways stories are shared, provide space for students to create and alter their own media stories, and then consolidation through the screenings of a selection of scenes. Suitable: Grades 9-12. |
| Variety Village | Ability in Action | These workshops offer an increased awareness of accessibility, inclusion and adapted sport for teachers and all students. Sessions provide a unique interactive experience to increase awareness of inclusive participation, adapted games and sport activities for everyBODY. Sessions offered support physical and social inclusion learning to engage, excite and empower students to play, participate and/or compete in accessible and inclusive initiatives together. Teachers learn first-hand from Variety Village staff on how to incorporate these ability-based approaches in the classroom including Intensive Support Program (ISP) classrooms. Students participate in 2 physical activities - wheelchair basketball/games and sitting volleyball or floor curling. Suitable: Kindergarten, Grades 1-12; staff
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| York University | Aboriginal People, Identity and Education | This advanced credit experience includes both university and secondary school courses that provide students with the opportunity to learn from Aboriginal authors, filmmakers, and artists who are telling their own stories. What does it mean to be an Aboriginal/Indigenous person in Canada? What does it mean to be an Aboriginal person living in an urban environment like Toronto? The dual course includes reading books, watching films, and going to art galleries. Students investigate and develop their own responses to questions of identity and Aboriginality. They explore Aboriginal perspectives of "identify", "history", "literature", and "traditions"; and, allows them to develop their own understanding of Aboriginal worldviews. Students register with TDSB Continuing Education for either (NDA3M) Current Aboriginal Issues in Canada or (NDW4M) Issues of Indigenous Peoples in a Global Context. Delivered in person or virtually. Suitable: Grades 11-12
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| Zahra Brown Consulting | Accommodation Matters | Presentation for students with disabilities to learn self-advocacy tools to access accommodation as they transition into post-secondary pathways. Sessions focus on legal and practical tips such as understanding rights and responsibilities, how to advocate for yourself, duty to accommodate and strategies for success. Presentation shares how to find solutions that support each student’s individual needs. Suitable: Grades 9-12; staff; parents/caregivers
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| Stefanie Ricchio Business Consulting Inc | Accounting, Income Tax, and Business in the 21st Century | Financial literacy presentations bridge the gap between the classroom and workplace experience of accounting; filing income tax; and business entrepreneurship. Various sessions and downloadable tutorials on financial literacy are available with an emphasis on personal tax and business plan development. Sessions on Canadian Income Tax include “How To” demonstrations and materials to provide a foundational level of tax understanding. Sessions on how to apply for the Disability Tax Credit for individuals with learning disabilities are available for students and parents to learn more about the complexity in applying and the path to getting approved. Sessions on Business Plan development in a modern-day context include an emphasis on automation tools. Students learn how to create a business plan that leverages technology in order to understand business as it is today. Serving: Grades 10 - 12
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| ALPHA Education | Addressing Anti-Asian Racism | These virtual and/or in-person workshops focus on the successes, contributions, excellences in Asian communities as counter narratives to discrimination, exclusion, oppression and racism. Students will examine causes, consequences, and changes in historical and current racism and its intersectionality and explores positive and negative power dynamics. Suitable: Grades K-12.
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| Junglesport Inc. | Adventure Learning | A multi-day program with a series of one hour sessions offered each day. Students take part in wall climbing and vertical challenges, the Gorilla Gym individual swinging challenge, Ascending Lines, and challenges such as the Commando Course, Cable Ride and Obstacle Courses. Students are separated into groups by their age and complete age-appropriate activities. The initiative offers programs that engage students of all ages and abilities in climbing and ropes course activities in school gyms. Junglesport's staff supervises the activities. Suitable: Grades 1-12 |
| EMG Education Company | African Canadian History Theatre | EMG Education offers original 45-minute theatrical productions on Canadian Stories with a focus on African Canadian Change Makers who have shaped the fabric of this nation. Using multimedia , the performance weaves contemporary issues and reinforces messages of diversity, inclusion and that one person can make a difference, all within the context of Canadian history. Students will also enjoy an interactive game show to enhance their learning. Virtual shows available. Serving: Grades 9 - 12
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| Afiwi Groove School | African Dance and Drum Program | In-person or virtual performances and workshops instill an appreciation for self-expression and self-discovery through African-Caribbean dance and drumming to elementary students. Afiwi comes from the Jamaican Patois dialect which loosely means “for us; for everyone.” Workshops include introduction to djembe drumming, West African/Afro Beats Dance (African Hip Hop), and Afro-Fitness. Dance and drum workshops are led by dynamic and talented performers with lived experience and expertise in the cultures of Africa and the places it has influenced. Artists are dedicated to sharing and celebrating the unique contributions of African-rooted cultures. Through rhythmic beats and movements, children are connected to another world full of sensory experiences that awaken their imagination. Performances are available but not limited to Black History Month.
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| Drums Et Al | African Drumming, Dance, and Storytelling | The themes of leadership, character development and connection with those around us are explored in these interactive African drumming, dance and storytelling presentation and workshops. African philosophy – Ubuntu – an understanding of ourselves in relation with the world are underpinned in the presentations which are brought to life using songs, music, chants, drumming and story-telling. Workshops provide opportunities for students to further enhance the following skills: hand-drumming technique, West-African dance fundamentals, listening, reflecting and responding, and creating and performing. Presentations are suitable for Black History Month and professional development in drumming may be available. |
| Alpha Rhythm Roots | African Musical Journey | Guinean music, dance, traditions and culture are explored in these African drum circle and dance sessions. Presentations discuss the Guinean percussion orchestra, manufacturing and origins of instruments and history alongside live demonstrations of the instruments played in Western Africa. Performances bring history alive through full traditional outfits, drumming and dancing to the entire school. Workshops provide students the opportunity to participate in collective drumming and dance that develop teamwork, memorization, hand coordination and creativity. Students learn a full orchestra rhythm and/or choreographed dance routine. All sessions are available in English and French, year-round, and professional learning may be available to staff. Suitable: All students; staff; parents/caregivers |
| Coco Collective | Africanist Dance: Then and Now | This hands-on dance series ties history, politics and socio-cultural realities to the rhythm and movements of dance genres across African and Caribbean communities for grades 4-12. Sessions are offered in-person or virtually. Through dance languages from the West African region, Caribbean and North America, students learn dance narratives, musicality and dance functions tied to cultural histories and evolution. This culturally-responsive dance program is a safe space for students to engage in contemporary dialogue on misconceptions, stereotypes, share positive cultural identity, and acquire understandings and of structure and functions of some diasporic dances rooted in Sub-Saharan West African, Ghanaian, Trinidadian and Jamaican communities. Schools may choose two workshops from the following genres: traditional African, Kpanlogo, Dancehall, Soca, Afrobeats and Afro-Dancehall. |
| Coco Collective | Afro-Caribbean Art Experience | A group of intergenerational artists deliver a series of culturally-relevant arts workshops with specialty in African and Caribbean arts to elementary students, kindergarten - Grade 8. Sessions offered in-person or virtually. Students gain a cultural education from some areas in the African diaspora, positive identity formation, leadership skills using the arts (dance, visual arts, music, storytelling), performance expression and intercultural understanding. Six workshops are offered with two facilitators: African/Caribbean Dance, Percussion from African/Caribbean, Visuals Arts – Trinidad, Visual Arts – African/Caribbean agriculture, Visual Arts/Storytelling and Storytelling Through Performance. |
| New Tradition Music | Afro-Indigenous Colombian Drumming | Students engage in highly interactive workshops and performance to promote cross-cultural understanding of Afro-Indigenous Colombian music. Facilitators demonstrate rhythms and sounds using a variety of different percussion instruments, narrate the history of the traditional musical style Música de Gaita and share how the music has evolved into present day. Workshops with Ruben “Beny” Esguerra develop students’ drumming technique, sound development, communication skills and work on repertoire as an ensemble. Performances by New Tradition Music ensemble demonstrate the evolution of the traditional styles of Latin American music into today’s musical context including fusing elements of Hip Hop urban culture, beat boxing, body percussion, break dancing and spoken word. For a more enriching experience, workshops and culminating performance can be scheduled on the same day. Serving: Kindergarten - Grade 12 |
| Theatricks Theatre Co. | All About Acting | Unlock the secrets of acting and bring students' creative ideas to life on stage by exploring The Actor’s Toolbelt, a series of workshops proven to help all students amplify the creative process individually and collectively. Ready to take your students' acting to the next level? ' Improve Your Improv ' workshops hone the necessary skills to unlock the keys to improvisational acting. Proven to nurture peer support and empathy, improv increases self-confidence, teamwork, and practical abilities for students to express themselves publicly. On top of all of that, all of these sessions get students moving and grooving and laughing out loud, literally. Serving: Kindergarten - Grade 8 |
| ALPHA Education | ALPHA Project | ALPHA engages staff and students of diverse backgrounds to foster awareness of an often overlooked aspect of WWII history, in the interest of furthering the values of justice, peace, and reconciliation, both for survivors of the past and for those who shape the historical narratives of the present and future. Curriculum resources, in-school workshops, international guest speakers, professional learning sessions, assembly presentations; and conferences are all available to enhance understanding and critical analysis of the events of WWII in Asia.
Staff and students are inspired to make connections between these important historical events and the atrocities of war that continue in the present. Through experiential learning, students are enabled to connect what they learn in classrooms with local, Asian, and world events as contexts for their application of what they know, do, and value. It is also learning that is personal and creative as students engage in interdisciplinary historical inquiry on the complexities of war, security, power, and identity to understand how our world works today as part of being responsible citizens who advocate for peace and humanity over violence and war. |
| Community Music Schools of Toronto | Alternative Music Enrichment @ Wandering Spirit | Alternative music enrichment programming provides students at Kapapamahchakwew - Wandering Spirit School and staff in the Urban Indigenous Education Centre opportunities to further develop their musical skills as individuals, mentors and in ensembles; and, by participating in unique music theory sessions. Serving: Kindergarten, Grades 1-12, Staff |
| Hands on Exotics Inc. | Amazing Living World of Birds | This highly interactive presentation takes students on an avian tour around the world using a variety of species of birds. By being presented with multiple species of birds up close and personal, students hold, pet, feed and observe the animals' behaviours and traits. Trained facilitators guide students through the inquiry process to come to conclusions themselves about diet and habitat by examining the different beak shapes, toe formations, feathers, colours and size. In addition, students learn about native species of birds including every day good habits they can follow to be good neighbours to our wildlife, how to help with backyard conservation as well as discuss the consequences of being responsible agents to our natural resources. Serving: Kindergarten - Grade 12 |
| Dwayne Morgan | Amplifying Student Voice | In his youth, Dwayne Morgan found his voice, and has used it to carve out a life filled with unique experiences. In these motivational sessions, he shares the blueprint for creating a life built around our passions, based in love for self and others. Fused with spoken word poetry, Morgan weaves an inspirational and attainable story; challenges new thinking related to students' use of social media; and evokes engagement in students' sense of self and ability to develop their creative writing skills as an expression of their own voice and their own story. Sessions include spoken word performance and an introduction to poetry slams, with a passion for encouraging Black Student Achievement. Serving: Grades 4 - 12 |
| Oshoiseh Indigenous African Educational and Cultural Consulting Services | An African Indigenous Education on Pre-Colonial Africa | Through the lens of African Indigenous ways of learning, this program equips students with the knowledge and skills to understand the origins and reasons of anti-Black racism and racism as documented by African Indigenous Peoples over 2000 years ago. It will inform learners of the perspectives of their African Indigenous Ancestors about their Black racial identity and history outside what is found in Western academia. Using an inquiry-based approach, students will engage with material based on their topic of interest regarding precolonial Africa and its implications for the global world and our lives today. Program entails 9 sessions and may be customized according to school need. Suitable: secondary students enrolled in IDC4U Deconstructing Anti-Black Racism; staff. |
| Tadiem Inc. | An Introduction to Advertising, Design and PR | This presentation for secondary students, delivered by industry professionals, looks at the roles within advertising, public relations and design, and the work that goes into developing a public campaign. Facilitators bring case studies to show students the degree to which advertising and PR campaigns can affect trends and public discourse while highlighting the jobs that make it all happen. Content also includes why these careers are worth pursuing, an overview of various roles and how best to get started. This presentation complements the Marketing courses of the Business Studies curriculum and provides students an opportunity to learn and explore this industry.
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| Magic Live Inc. | Anti-Bullying Magic Show | This one-hour professional magic show is an assembly for elementary students which embeds an anti-bullying message and shares ways students can help each other. The presentation is designed to enhance student engagement and positive school climate. Professional magician/illusionist Coby also talks about his personal story of being bullied as a child and how magic helped him overcome bullying. Students will be engaged in discussion and presentation on identifying bullying, verbal, physical, social, and cyber bullying, while providing clear and practical anti-bullying strategies. Serving: Kindergarten, Grades 1-8 |
| Foresight Partners Inc. | Anti-Vaping Presentation | This interactive presentation educates students about the harmful risks and consequences with vaping that is optimistic, informative and provocative. Session challenges students to make better choices and to steer in a positive direction for their future selves to see. Presentation covers risks, facts, prevention, dealing with peer pressure and stressors that lead one to vaping. Professional Support Staff are informed and can support with customization of the presentation. Suitable: Grades 6-12
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| Fusion Artz Café | Art Clay Ceramic Metamorphosis | Project-based learning approach using art, clay or ceramics to enhance science, social studies and language subjects for students in Grades 1 - 8. Themes include Animal Life Cycles, Solar System, Habitats & Communities, Body Systems. Whilst working on their art project, students are encouraged to think critically and develop their art-making skills. In these in-person or virtual sessions, students learn different art processes of using clay including clay techniques, painting and glazing. Students sketch, form and mould their project and facilitators take the projects to be fired and returned the following week for students to paint and finish. Through this creative process, students learn to interpret, organize, and apply newly learned information in a creative and engaging way.
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| Toronto Art Therapy Institute | Art Therapist Practicum Field Placements | This program provides field placement opportunities for graduate students in Art Therapy. Field placement students collaborate with TDSB staff to enhance their understanding of curriculum; to plan and implement activities for students; and to foster positive relationships with students, staff and parents. Art Therapist Practicum graduate students may support referred TDSB students in any of the following activities: enhance communication and self-expression, self-discovery, and problem solving; encourage development of healthy coping strategies in working through specific issues, such as depression & anxiety, addictions, grief/loss, or trauma; help children relieve stress, increase emotional literacy and awareness of self, and develop healthy and effective coping skills. Using imagery, colour and shapes; thoughts and feelings can be expressed that may be otherwise difficult for children to articulate. |
| Liwi68 Inc. | Art with Mark Stoddart: Visual Communication | Workshops use the creative process to explore the multiplicities and complexities of student identities, experiences and cultures. As a Black visual communicator, graphic designer and painter, Mark is committed to educating, empowering and uniting through art. Students enhance their understanding of the deconstruction of symbols within media arts and developing advanced skills in storytelling. Students create their own artwork while thinking about themselves and their intersectional identities. Culminating projects may be murals, apparel, graphic design and/or products. Suitable: Grades 1-12; staff; parents/caregivers
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| Full Circle - Art Therapy Centre | Artful Wellbeing | Sessions are designed to support the mental health well-being of students, staff, and parents/caregivers, through expressive arts and mindfulness. Delivered by professional art therapists who are also registered psychotherapists, workshops help participants externalize and organize their thoughts and feelings through art; thoughts and feeling that may otherwise be difficult to articulate. Sessions address common psychosocial struggles through creative ways. They address mental health topics such as self-care practice, stress relief, relationships & boundaries, and managing expectations. These workshops enhance communication and self-expression, self-discovery and problem-solving. They encourage the development of healthy coping strategies in working through life’s difficulties and strengthening inner resiliency. Serving: referred students, Kindergarten - Grade 12 |
| Francine Peltier | Arts & Culture Based Murals for Indigenous Students | Francine Peltier, an Ojibwe artist from Wikwemikong Unceded Territory, provides Indigenous students with half-day cultural based arts programming that enables students to build meaningful relationships with their peers, their culture, and within themselves by participating to learn the creation of new skills. Students can engage in various art activities including designing and creating murals based on the 7 Grandfather teachings. Mentorship and portfolio development are also available along with professional development related to visual arts. Suitable: Grades 6-12. |
| The Arts Access Fund | Arts Access In The Schools | These free arts-focused workshops are facilitated by professional artists in a variety of disciplines in select schools. Students participate in various activities that include mixed media, photography, sculpture, architecture, performing arts and creative movement. Workshops integrate cross-curricular subjects such as media literacy, language, social studies, science and math; and creativity and self-expression through creative expression. Students develop a greater understanding of the world around them through their own creativity. Consultation with teachers prior to sessions occur to ensure enhancement to the curriculum. Suitable: Kindergarten; Grades 1-8 |
| Arts Express | Arts Express | Arts Express offers arts programming for kindergarten - grade 8 students in a variety of ways: drama and dance workshops, the T.A.S.A.M. "Tackling Anxiety and Stress through Arts and Mindfulness” program which focuses on the arts and mental health and wellness; and The Literacy Storytelling series. Drama and dance curriculum based workshops include the following topics Shakespeare, poetry, character creation, improv, tableau, creative movement, hip hop and jazz. The T.A.S.A.M. program, uses our effective Creative Arts education approach, in conjunction with an expert in child development, to introduce strategies and tools that can alleviate everyday anxieties. The Literacy Storytelling series promotes literacy skills while helping to start the conversation about socially complex topics including bullying, inclusion, mindfulness, fair play, and racism. A program guide outlining the full array of offerings is available at www.ArtsExpress.ca.
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| Naomi Chorney | Art-To-Go | Art-To-Go features fun and dynamic, curriculum-based workshops in Visual Arts, Ceramics and Dance in English or French by a bilingual, multi-disciplinary artist and community arts facilitator. Visual arts workshops feature printmaking, relief printmaking, relief painting and paper making. Students are guided and coached through a design project, technique and process to create an individual art piece. Ceramic workshops feature air-dry clay projects from decorative animals, character faces and gargoyles to mask-making and birchbark canoes. Air-dry clay projects include slab, coil and pinchpot-making techniques as well as a brief history of clay use. Dance workshops include Hip Hop, Dance Fusion and Creative Movement and Storytelling. Students engage with choreography and principles of dance while learning a routine for a group performance. Serving: Kindergarten - Grade 8
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| Ballet Jorgen Canada | Ballet 101 | This free and interactive ballet workshop introduces students to the performing arts and history of classical dance. Students witness high-quality professional dance while also learning the history of ballet, and how dance is used as a storytelling medium. Excerpts from ballets performed by professional dancers, inspire, enrich, and connect with students as they learn basic ballet positions, and explore and discover their own unique ways of creatively conveying their emotions through movement and choreography. Serving: Grades 1 - 8 |
| Quantum Sports And Learning Association | Ballmatics | This unique physical education and mathematics programming mixes sports and math skills. Each session provides warm-up, math lesson/drill, basketball skill development and math activity to reinforce the math lesson. Singular sessions or series, provide an academic enrichment program that develops students’ self-efficacy and self-confidence in math through basketball. Program was developed and is facilitated by certified instructors and athletic specialists. When scheduled as a series of sessions, the programming provides progressive development of students' proficiency in math exercises and physical development. Suitable: Grades 4-12 |
| Black Aviation Professionals Network | BAPN Inspire Higher | In collaboration with the Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement, this program creates experiential learning opportunities for Black students to learn about the aviation and aerospace industry and its range of careers and to imagine a future for themselves without limits. In these in-person or virtual sessions, students make connections within the aviation industry, expand their professional network and receive mentorship from Black industry professionals. The program has three parts: BAPN Career Presentations, BAPN Altitude - mentorship program for select Black students, and A Day in Aviation - experiential learning & SPE & SHSM opportunities. |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto | BBBST Mentoring Programs | Children and youth living in challenging circumstances face multiple barriers and may experience distress, depression, or not achieving their full potential for student success. These long-standing individual and/or group Mentoring Programs allow referred children and youth, to benefit from the power of mentoring while remaining in the safe and familiar environment of their own school. BBBST mentors provide weekly sessions that improve students’ connection to their school community, improved academic performance, improved attendance and higher educational attainment. BBBST Program Coordinator monitors each individualized match as well as group programming led by mentors. Serving: All Grades, students referred by TDSB PSS staff and/or students already on BBBST roster. |
| Wali Shah | Be True to Your Voice | Muslim South Asian poet, Wali Shah, shows students how powerful the art of spoken word can be and how it can be a tool for self-expression and well-being. He uses his personal narrative to speak on diversity, racism and barriers and how through spoken word poetry he’s found ways to cope. Motivational assembly/performance engages students through different musical and poetic messages interspersed with storytelling. Workshops for Grades 6-12 students provides writing and orality as mediums of self-expression and allows students to experiment with art form to express their ideas and feelings to create a polished creative writing piece. Serving: Kindergarten, Grades 1-12
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| Audrey Gabay | Bee Connectionzzz | Play-based workshop using storytelling, drama exercises, games, bee equipment, videos and visual aids to convey information about bees in our ecosystem. The aim is to create a fun experience so students develop a curiosity and fascination for all things bees and pollinators. The workshop explores the bee life cycle, social structures and diversity of bees (social honeybee, solitary bees, natives bees), habitat destruction and regeneration. In addition, the facilitator will talk about bees as a keystone species, review their importance in our ecosystem, and the interdependence among bees, plants pollination and animals, the reasons for their decline and how we can help. Suitable: Grades 1-4 |
| Roland Bibeau | Beebo Music: French Music Concerts | The interactive French and bilingual language music concerts give students the motivation and confidence to sing along to French-language songs. Students learn traditional and contemporary French songs and they lyrics are projected onto a wall or screen to help students sing along. Performances focus on music as a learning tool, and demonstrate how music can be used in teaching students a second language. Serving: Kindergarten - Grade 8; French Immersion and FSL classes |
| S-Quire Media Group | Behind the Lens | This interactive digital media workshop series instructs African/Caribbean/Black (ACB) students from grades 7-12 the fundamentals of photography and videography to create a reflective social media campaign that speaks their truth. Students engage in dialogue to encourage critical thinking around messaging in traditional and new media that shape the way ACB communities are depicted, and identify strategies that can be utilized to incorporate more positive representational images on popular social media platforms. Delivered by a Black media professional, this culturally responsive media program aims to provide a safe space for students to share their authentic experiences and highlight how vital collective school and community support is to their aspirational growth. The 6 part workshop series finishes with students sharing their own edited student creations. |
| Believe Initiative Inc. | Believe Initiative Inc. | This program engages and inspires students to adopt a mindset of resiliency, self belief and learning through challenges in order to be successful through presentations. Believe initiative founder Sarah Wells, an Olympic hurdler, is no stranger to overcoming obstacles as she shares stories of her success in her sport in the Olympic Games and how she dealt with heartbreaking defeat and unforeseen challenges. This equipped Sarah with the knowledge and tools on how to build and foster resilience. Schools may choose from just a keynote or the full program which includes keynote and follow-up workshops on various leadership traits culminating in an interdisciplinary project where students apply their learning to develop and implement their own belief passion project. Suitable: Grades 4-12 |
| Biodun Sam Ashaolu | Beyond The Court | Sam Ashaolu shares, in these 1-hour presentations, his remarkable story of overcoming adversity to remind students to push through adversity, build strong character, and believe in themselves. Sam describes challenge after challenge including experiencing poverty, gun violence, and losing scholarships as well as his many successes along the way including full scholarships, professional sport, earning degrees, and the belief in himself that helped him overcome the odds. Suitable: Grades 6-12.
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| CultureLink Settlement and Community Services | Bike to School | The program offers educational activities and resources that enable the entire school community to discover the personal, social and ecological benefits of cycling for transportation. Activities include assemblies, classroom workshops, seminars, and on-bike training in the schoolyard. Topics include helmet fit, safety checks on bicycles, the Highway Traffic Act, awareness of other road users, the City of Toronto Cycling Map, and the basic physical skills of bicycling. Many activities align with Bike to School Week, beginning the last Monday of May annually. Sessions for elementary audiences: Ready to Ride: Fun and Safe Cycling; “ABC” Bike Safety Check; Bike Rodeo; Walk and Roll Rodeo. Sessions for secondary school audiences: Ready to Ride: Fun and Safe Cycling; “ABC” Bike Safety Check; Riding Skills I & II. Serving: Kindergarten - Grade 12 |
| Real Talk Learning Experiences | Black History - A Canadian Perspective | Sessions delivered in person or through video-conferencing focus on the experiences of African people in Canada to share the rarely discussed history of the African diaspora in Canada. Presentations, altered by grade level, covers a number of interesting topics, including the success of African interpreters working with early Europeans, interactions of Black Canadians in community building, the escape of African people from the southern United States and their experiences in Canada. Serving: Kindergarten, Grades 1-12 |
| Blank Canvases | Blank Canvases | The program offers students specialized visual arts workshops on the history of local Toronto artists alongside Artist Educators. The program uses the inspiration of local Toronto artists to engage students. Art workshop offerings include painting portraits, painting landscapes, collage, sculpture, environment focused projects, up-cycling projects, urban graffiti art, arctic animals and multicultural mixed media projects. Afterwards, students are led through an art workshop inspired by the technique of the artist culminating in students creating their own unique art pieces. In addition, Artist Educators are available to plan and design a mural project to showcase the artwork of the students. Serving: Kindergarten - Grade 12 |
| Lucy Rupert | Blue Ceiling Dance: The Imaginative Body | Uncovering the connection between imagination and movement through improvisation and creative process rooted in contemporary dance. Facilitator leads students through exercises and tasks to expand the imagination and enhance students’ creativity and physicality. Contemporary dance is offered not as a style of dance but as an inclusive and expansive approach to movement. Students learn to communicate through their unique movement possibilities, working individually and in small groups to construct short dances which are shared and discussed through a positive critical response method. Creative problem solving, transferrable skills and body confidence are emphasized. Serving: Grades 9-12, Staff |
| The Health Institute Inc. | Blueprint Training 101 | Through education, mentorship and physical activity, this program explores core movement principles to enhance student’s understanding of physical movement and health. Black health professional, Joel Kerr, explains biomechanics, applies human kinesiology and its relationship to movement and how to build and progress with each of the six principle movements (push, pull, hold, run, jump, throw), and its importance in regards to strength and overall health. In addition, Joel shares his career journey in the area of sports medicine, kinesiology and human kinetics. Suitable: Grades 9-12 |
| Women's Brain Health Initiative | Brainable | Presentation demonstrates the types of lifestyle choices which enable life-long healthy brain activity for students in Grades 5-8. Information promotes healthy lifestyle factors that contribute to strong brain health such as physical exercise, food, mental activity, managing stress, social interactions and ongoing learning. Presentation also touches on substance abuse, brain injuries and brain-aging diseases and its affect on the brain. Presentation is offered in English and French. |
| OneChild Network & Support Inc. | Break the Chains | Presentations introduce the complexities of the sexual exploitation of children (SEC). They enhance understanding of strategies to prevent sex trafficking and to increase early intervention supports. Sessions introduce the topics of human, sex, and child trafficking; and, the root causes of sexual exploitation of children such as gender inequity. They outline the signs of child sex trafficking, how to ask for help, how to identify children who need help, how to access community resources. The focus of these presentations is to give tangible ways so every one (students, staff, parents/caregivers) can take action in their schools and communities. (TDSB Professional Support Services’ staff must be in attendance for these presentations that are available for middle and secondary school communities.) |
| Accelerate Auto Canada | Breaking Down Barriers in Careers in Automotive Industry | Hear from Black industry professionals who provide interactive presentations on the exciting career opportunities in the automotive industry while breaking down perceptions and stereotypes associated in the industry for Grades 6-12 students. In these in-person or virtual presentations, students learn different pathways available in the industry, various jobs and career opportunities and how to access employment and co-op placements. Students will also hear from industry professionals who share their own journey and path to success. SPE and SHSM certifications are available. |
| Diversified Youth Initiative | Bring The Beat Back | This entrepreneurial program focuses on the Art of Creating Music by teaching the fundamentals of production, song writing/arrangement, sampling and instrument layering to re-engage and re-energize students from equity-deserving communities in LC1. Using our grassroots holistic approach, our Black mentors will engage, develop and support students in-person or virtually by enhancing their creativity, innovation and ingenuity. Students will benefit through a series of educational sessions to increase their business, branding, marketing, money management and performance capabilities. Sessions culminate with a project completed by students and presented to school community. Community engagement initiatives may occur for the entire school community (i.e. parents/caregivers). Suitable: Grades 9-12
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| Chess Institute of Canada | Bringing Chess to Life | Workshops introduce the game of chess - and a variety of chess-related activities and challenges - to the whole class. Students demonstrate remarkably high levels of engagement and focus, communication of complex logic, and performance of sophisticated calculations in the chess context. Curriculum-specific math skills are enhanced through these joyful experiences with logic and design, which provide a basis for later confidence in pursuing STEM careers. Chess workshops also include discussion of the inner game, opening opportunities for self-reflection and providing tools and perspectives to help students become more successful at taking on challenges, dealing with setbacks and losses, solving problems, and building healthy relationships. |
| Scarborough Rotary Passport Club | Brush-a-mania | This interactive in-person or virtual presentation is delivered to elementary students to promote good oral health every April which is proclaimed Oral Health Month. Dentist and Rotarians visit schools to provide information on proper brushing and flossing techniques, good oral hygiene practice, and healthy eating. Students each receive a toothbrush to practise brushing their teeth, answer questions about brushing and have the opportunity to ask questions to the dentist. Students, teachers and parents are also invited to track students daily brushing habits in-class, and at home via an online 'brushtracker'. Serving: Kindergarten, Grades 1-8 |
| Centennial College | BST, DSW, SSW Field Placements | This program provides field placement opportunities for post-secondary students in the Behavioural Sciences and Social Services Worker programs, with TDSB Special Education staff and educator teams. Field placements within TDSB sites provide post-secondary students who are considering a career with youth, including youth with special needs, an opportunity to gain direct experience in understanding the learning strategies employed in classrooms. Field placement students collaborate with the TDSB staff to facilitate TDSB students' developmental skills for everyday life; support the promotion and maintenance of health and well-being in classrooms; and, provide resources to assist TDSB students to successfully transition after high school. |
| David Lowe | Bucket Drumming | This interactive hands-on workshop delivered by Black professional drummer, David Lowe enhances listening and teamwork skills. Participants learn basic drumming skills, including grip and proper striking technique, rhythm reading, composition, rhythmic dictation and effective practice techniques. Progressive skills are built upon through fun rhythm challenges, as groups and individually. Sessions are also effective for those with varying degrees of disabilities or special needs. Suitable: Kindergarten, Grades 1-8 |
| Get REAL Movement Inc. | Building Bridges through Inclusion, Acceptance, and Diversity | Get REAL is a Canadian non-profit focused on combating 2SLGBTQ+ discrimination and bullying in schools. Presenters from Get REAL facilitate interactive workshops with students that build on the power of personal stories. Participants hear from relatable 2SLGBTQ+ speakers who have grown from their diverse life experiences and journeys to find confidence in their identities. Participants then have an opportunity to share reflections through a guided, anonymous exercise. Presentations highlight human connections and shared emotions, 2SLGBTQ+ discrimination, unlearning harmful language, and focus on the impact students have on one another through small acts of kindness. Serving: Grades 5 - 12 |
| Scarborough Women's Centre | Building Strong Futures | Interactive workshops engage students identifying as female in Grades 7-12, in Scarborough schools. A support network is built, through discussion, life skills development, and information that enhances their confidence to make positive life choices, plan for their futures, become independent, and navigate the challenges that arise in the lives of young women on their pathways to adulthood. Topics include, but are not limited to: Building Self-Esteem and Confidence, Body Image, Healthy Relationships, Conflict Resolution, Future Planning, Self-Care Practices, and Personal, Educational and Career Goal Setting. Workshops for all-gender audiences are also available. Women's and Gender Issues are raised and analysed from an intersectional perspective. Grades 7-12.
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| Curtis Carmichael | Butterflies in the Trenches | Keynotes and motivational assemblies encourage students to find their passion and purpose. This program is also known as Shuriii and Source Code. Sessions provide practical strategies for students to feel prepared and motivated to succeed in school, life, and prepare for the future. Curtis shares his personal story of a young Black man who breaks the cycle of poverty and how he refused to give up because of the deep love for his community. The focus of his strategies are grounded in community service, leadership, entrepreneurship, STEM education, financial literacy, equity, anti-racism, and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy. Suitable: Grades 4-12; staff |
| Gallery 44 | CameraReach Residencies | CameraReach is a 5-day arts residency program delivered by professional photographers working with middle school classes. Over the course of 5 half-day sessions per class, students learn a variety of skills including technical functions of a camera, elements of photography, narrative building through image-making and how to download and edit photographs to create a finalized art piece. These workshops are incorporated into the school curriculum and aim to engage students in the world of digital photography, providing them with valuable technical and conceptual skills. The program is organized sequentially, to build cumulative skills and develop visual literacy through hands-on learning, dialogue and production. Artist instructors work with students to explore an annual theme which results in an exhibition of the students' artwork at a professional gallery. |
| The Starfish Environmental Society | Can You Hear The Eco?: Environmental Solutions Workshops | The workshop uses a guided inquiry-based learning approach to help students develop new solutions to age-appropriate real-world environmental challenges. Students will be presented with a challenge faced by our local community, distill their ideas, and prioritize their solutions. They will work together in small groups to create and refine a presentation to the larger class. Facilitators will help students explore the different threads within the interconnected tapestry of our social, economic, and political worlds. The workshop can be adapted to all levels, K-12 and may be offered in French. |
| Canadian Tamil Youth Development Centre | CanTYD Programs for Tamil Youth | Programming and services for Tamil Canadian secondary students fosters student leadership and student engagement opportunities, as well as providing connections for students and their families to culturally specific Tamil resources in the community. Weekly programming of presentations and workshops use the arts, group discussion, and recreation activities to engage students in topics and issues of their choosing. CANTYD staff are also available during instructional time, as requested by TDSB staff and students to provide particular equity supports.
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| Youth Culture Inc. | Career Development Essentials | Program provides opportunity for secondary students to learn about various industries and career paths and the skills necessary to further their careers and goals. Students gain exposure to new career opportunities, industry networking sessions, and skills development in these in-person or virtual sessions. Workshops include: Ace the Interview; Resume Writing; Adapting to Working Remotely; LInkedIn Strategies for Youth; Talking to Industry. As well, students have an opportunity to meet with professionals in the following industries: Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics, STEM Careers, Business and Finance and Future Technology. Program suitable for marginalized and underserved students. |
| George Brown College | Career Development Practitioner Field Placements | This program provides field placement opportunities for students in the Career Development Practitioner Program at George Brown College. Field placements within TDSB sites provide post-secondary students who are considering a career in their specialized area, an opportunity to gain direct experience in the provision of community employment services. Field placement students collaborate with TDSB staff to enhance their understanding of the various processes and skills utilized in the provision of employment services to the community. These placements satisfy post-secondary course requirements for field placement experience. |
| Toronto Community Benefits Network | Career Pathways Into Construction | Presentation encourages, supports and mentors students in under-represented populations to learn how to progress along the apprenticeship pathway and ultimately gain employment in the construction/trades. Secondary students receive labour market information, gain tools and supports to navigate and complete an apprenticeship program, learn about construction projects and employment opportunities and connect with a broader network of trades professionals and mentors. Students also learn about specialized pre-apprenticeship and mentorship programs for women in trades, Black and racialized youth, newcomers and Indigenous people. Suitable: Grades 9-12 |
| Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging Foundation | Careers in Long-Term Care | In-person or virtual presentations by professional staff in the long-term care sector provide information on long-term care and the variety of careers available in the sector to secondary students. Presentation addresses and tackles real day challenges to the industry. Staff from long-term care homes may be available alongside partner staff to provide first-hand information about their roles and experiences. Presentation provides career profiles, person-centred vocabulary, videos, resources followed by a question and answer period. The partner is affiliated with the Ontario Centres for Learning, Research and Innovation (OCLRI).
SPE (Sector Partner Experience) may be available. |
| Festival Management Committee | Carnival Arts and Literature | These workshops celebrate Caribbean culture and diversity by shining a light on Carnival history and Carnival arts to all students. Through hands-on sessions, students learn about the history, artistry and craftsmanship of costume-making and Mas costumes. Various professional artists share their expertise and their role in Carnival Arts from conception to implementation (including music making, costume design, construction, band leading). The program also highlights the contributions of individuals from the Caribbean community. Suitable: Kindergarten, Grades 1-12
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| Carrying Holocaust Testimony from Generation to Generation | Carrying Holocaust Testimony Presentation | Centring first-hand personal testimonies of Holocaust Survivors to students through the voices of their descendants, video footage of the survivor sharing important elements of their history, and photographs, these presentations provide opportunities for students to engage deeply with the history, learn the lessons of the Holocaust and the personal messages of Holocaust survivors. The presentations are typically 45 minutes followed by a 15-minute question and answer period. The program aligns well history, social studies, language arts and equity education. Suitable: Grades 6-12. |
| Dori Ekstein | Carrying on the Legacy: Sharing My Parent's Testimonies | As a descendant of Holocaust survivors, Dori Ekstein shares her father's and mother's oral testimonies and teaches students about the lessons of the Holocaust and the dangers of hate. Students can connect to the past, reflect on the present to help them build a better future. This presentation covers a variety of themes and important elements of the Holocaust while helping students understand the consequences of hatred, racism, prejudice, antisemitism, genocide and stereotyping in any society. This interactive session includes powerpoint presentation, maps, documents, photos, video clips and oral testimony. Professional Support Staff may be present for this workshop. Planning occurs prior to delivery to ensure conditions are set for student well-being. Suitable: Grades 6-12 |
| Rodrigo Chavez | CASSAVA Latin Rhythms | Interactive percussion workshops focused on Latin American rhythms and songs. Students form a circle and play different instruments provided for the session by the partner. Through these sessions, students learn about the history and geography of these fun rhythms as well as the cultures from Cuba, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Trinidad and Brazil. This is a “hands-on experience” that covers rhythms such as Salsa, Cha-Cha, Calypso, Cumbia, Conga, Merengue and Samba. In playing this type of music students acquire a more profound understanding of the music while developing their own capacity. This workshop will have students moving and having an energetic experience which will inspire them to think of music in a different way! Programming is offered in French or English. Serving: Grades 4 - 12.
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| Taylor Sutherland | Chekhov Theatre | Anton Chekhov's writing revolutionized the world of theatre. He wrote stories that championed the everyday man living a common life, characters who suffer defeats both great and small, at once comic and tragic. This workshop teaches acting techniques rooted in the work of Stanislavsky and Mikhail Chekhov. Students explore one of Chekhov's plays and build scene work using character analysis, improvisation, etudes, ensemble development and choral chant culminating in a presentation at the end of the workshop series. Serving: Grades 9-12 |
| Association Echec et Mathematiques | Chess 'n Math Association Schools Program | Learning to play chess in French or English, helps students develop mathematical, logistical and analytical skills. It improves their concentration and memory. It bolsters their self-esteem and their ability to collaborate and interact with others. Programming is offered as singular, introductory sessions; or as a series of sessions for students who then take part in the culminating event of a chess tournament. Using games, exercises and worksheets students learn the rules of the game, how to solve problems, work in teams, and use critical thinking skills including decision-making and judgement. Students learn to think ahead and anticipate the moves of their opponents by developing their logic and reasoning skills. Serving: Grades 1 - 8 |
| Centennial College | Child and Youth Care (CYC) Field Placements | This program provides field placement opportunities for students in Child and Youth Care post-secondary programs. Field placements within TDSB sites provide post-secondary students who are considering a career in their specialized area, an opportunity to gain direct experience in understanding the learning strategies employed in classrooms. Field placement students collaborate with TDSB staff to enhance their understanding of curriculum; to plan and implement activities for students; and to foster positive relationships with students, staff and parents. These placements satisfy post-secondary course requirements for field placement experience.
Child and Youth Care field placement students may support TDSB students at any of the following activities: workshops; presentations; life skills development projects, campaigns and/or resources development.
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| George Brown College | Child and Youth Care (CYC) Field Placements | This program provides field placement opportunities for students in Child and Youth Care post-secondary programs. Field placements within TDSB sites provide post-secondary students who are considering a career in their specialized area, an opportunity to gain direct experience in understanding the learning strategies employed in classrooms. Field placement students collaborate with TDSB staff to enhance their understanding of curriculum; to plan and implement activities for students; and to foster positive relationships with students, staff and parents. These placements satisfy post-secondary course requirements for field placement experience.
Child and Youth Care field placement students may support TDSB students at any of the following activities: workshops; presentations; life skills development projects, campaigns and/or resources development.
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| Seneca College | Child and Youth Care (CYC) Field Placements | This program provides field placement opportunities for students in Child and Youth Care post-secondary programs. Field placements within TDSB sites provide post-secondary students who are considering a career in their specialized area, an opportunity to gain direct experience in understanding the learning strategies employed in classrooms. Field placement students collaborate with TDSB staff to enhance their understanding of curriculum; to plan and implement activities for students; and to foster positive relationships with students, staff and parents. These placements satisfy post-secondary course requirements for field placement experience.
Child and Youth Care field placement students may support TDSB students at any of the following activities: workshops; presentations; life skills development projects, campaigns and/or resources development.
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| Sheridan College | Child and Youth Care (CYC) Field Placements | This program provides field placement opportunities for students in Child and Youth Care post-secondary programs. Field placements within TDSB sites provide post-secondary students who are considering a career in their specialized area, an opportunity to gain direct experience in understanding the learning strategies employed in classrooms. Field placement students collaborate with TDSB staff to enhance their understanding of curriculum; to plan and implement activities for students; and to foster positive relationships with students, staff and parents. These placements satisfy post-secondary course requirements for field placement experience.
Child and Youth Care field placement students may support TDSB students at any of the following activities: workshops; presentations; life skills development projects, campaigns and/or resources development.
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| Toronto Metropolitan University | Child and Youth Care (CYC) Field Placements | This program provides field placement opportunities for students in Child and Youth Care post-secondary programs. Field placements within TDSB sites provide post-secondary students who are considering a career in their specialized area, an opportunity to gain direct experience in understanding the learning strategies employed in classrooms. Field placement students collaborate with TDSB staff to enhance their understanding of curriculum; to plan and implement activities for students; and to foster positive relationships with students, staff and parents. These placements satisfy post-secondary course requirements for field placement experience.
Child and Youth Care field placement students may support TDSB students at any of the following activities: workshops; presentations; life skills development projects, campaigns and/or resources development.
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| Boost Child & Youth Advocacy Centre | Child Victim Witness Support Program | The Child Victim Witness Support program helps prepare children and youth to testify in criminal court. BOOST CYAC staff meets with students at their school in order to explain what they can expect during the court proceedings and helps students understand more fully the criminal justice system. Serving: all students through referral |
| Wushu Project Inc. | Chinese Dragon and Lion Dance | These traditional and culturally rich dances are often performed during special Asian celebrations such as the Lunar New Year, to bring good luck and fortune. As a Lion Dance performance in school communities, or as a Dragon Dance workshop series for students, this high energy and dynamic partnership program combines the art of gymnastic and synchronized movement along with martial arts agility. It sparks students' curiosity and interest to learn more about the Asian culture. Both the performance by professional artists, and the workshop series in which students bring the dragon costume to life, include an educational presentation about the lion and dragon dances’ cultural heritage. Suitable: All students; school communities |
| Clearview School of Arts and Culture Inc | Clearview Chinese Arts | Performances and workshops delivered in-person or through video-conferencing increase students' understanding of Chinese art, dance, culture and heritage include Lion Dance and other traditional Chinese dancing; as well as calligraphy. They are wonderful special events suitable for schools' celebrating Asian Heritage month, or the Chinese New Year. Chinese culture sessions offer an overview of history, tradition and features of Chinese festivals, such as Chinese New Year, Dragon-boat Festival, Moon Festival, Lantern Festival etc. We can also customize for schools if they are interested in an ancient Chinese historical figure or a certain period of Chinese history. Chinese dance sessions highlight traditional Chinese dance and how it is related with the character building of a student in the process of learning it. Participants will also get a chance to experience and practice the postures of traditional Chinese dance. In the Lion Dance presentation, performers present a lion dance with their outfits and instruments to give the audience a thrilling experience of tasting a lion dance and the percussion accompanying it. Chinese calligraphy sessions involve participants in the practice of writing with brush and ink to enhance the ability to focus and being calm and patient while understanding the lifestyle of ancient Chinese scholars. Serving: Kindergarten - Grade 12
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| Toronto Wildlife Centre | Co-existing with Wildlife | Through discussions and activities designed to encourage critical thinking and broaden student learning, our grade-based programs explore a variety of curriculum connections. Facilitators discuss myths and truths surrounding urban wildlife, raise awareness of the urban ecosystem and promote understanding and compassion towards wildlife. The one-hour long program examines environmental issues that affect wildlife and provides action-based solutions to empower students to take action to help. Students learn about sick, injured and orphaned wild patients at our centre, and will have the opportunity to meet a wild ambassador – options include a species-at-risk snapping turtle, groundhog, pigeon, or garter snake. Suitable: Kindergarten, Grades 1-8 |
| Corp of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall | Collaborations | Collaborations pairs mainstage artists with your classroom to help students compose an original song. Artists like Royal Wood, The Good Lovelies, and Elise LeGrow visit your classroom with a teaching artist to teach your students more about songwriting, taking the students through their process to create an original composition together.
This experience is tailored and varies by grade level.
K-3 – Learn about the basics of rhythm and melody while making a song. We’ll use body percussion or items in your room to create the rhythm, and write a chorus plus one to two verses collaboratively.
Gr. 4-8 – Explore elements such as pitch, dynamics, and harmony through the songwriting process with your visiting artists.
Gr. 9-12 – Collaborations in Secondary Schools will not only teach students about the artist’s individual process, but allow space for a masterclass element where students may demonstrate their own personal songwriting and receive feedback from the artist.
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| Common Compass Pro-Social Programs | Common Compass | Workshops and training promote belonging, inclusion, social-emotional well-being and positive mental health. They empower students to show empathy as they interact with their peers in their school and beyond. They seek to enhance students’ self identity and self esteem; strengthen connectedness and positive school climate; and, support assertive communication. It promotes social inclusion, and positive decision-making. Students learn strategies to manage their mental health and well-being, social emotional learning; understanding their emotions, developing coping skills, improving emotional expression and communication skills; and, developing leadership skills. Iidentity-affirming practices are utilized to support student needs. Professional Learning and Parent sessions available to provide further supports to the entire school community. Suitable: Kindergarten; Grades 1- 12; Professional Learning for staff; Parents/Caregivers
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| The Concerned Kids Charity of Toronto | Communicating Through Puppetry to Create Safe School Communities | The Concerned Kids educates children about important social issues like bullying, mental health, celebrating differences, self-esteem, cyber safety, cyberbullying, respect, and inclusion through the uniquely engaging art of puppetry. Our cast of diverse puppets educates students in Kindergarten-Grade 5 about making kinder choices using our TCK ‘heart’ values of humility, empathy, allyship, respect, and trust to create safer school communities for all. Each presentation is followed by a question and answer session to allow students to ask questions about the issues raised, and solidify the learning objectives of the performance. Suitable: Kindergarten Grades 6 |
| Holland Bloorview Hospital | Communication and Writing Aids Service | The Communication and Writing Aids Service (CWAS) program includes an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) service and a Writing Aids (WA) service. AAC provides consultative support to children in the classroom and at home when their speech does not meet their face-to-face communication needs. WA provides technological support (laptop and specialized software) to children who use natural speech as their primary means of communication, but are unable, due to a physical disability, to write with pen and paper functionally. Students who use AAC may also need a WA. Holland Bloorview CWA staff collaborate with the TDSB School Support Team (SST), including the Speech Language Pathologist, Occupational and/or Physical Therapist, Principal, and teacher to determine an appropriate AAC and/or WA system and to facilitate the mutually agreed upon system into the classroom. |
| George Brown College | Community Worker Field Placements | This program provides field placement opportunities for students in the second year of the Community Worker program. Field placements within TDSB sites provide post-secondary students who are considering a career in their specialized area, an opportunity to gain direct experience in understanding the learning strategies employed in the Board, schools, and classrooms. Field placement students collaborate with TDSB staff to enhance their understanding of curriculum; plan and implement activities and foster positive relationships with parents/caregivers, students, and staff These placements satisfy post-secondary course requirements for field placement experience. |
| Lumenus Community Services | Community-based Treatment and Support Services | Services offer a continuum of support to select students, their families and care providers. Supports include accessible services that can take place in the home, school, or community and for students whose school or home placement is at risk of breakdown due to mental health and other issues. Lumenus staff work one-one-one with referred students and/or with key adults in the students' lives, to support their optimal functioning based on goals from the students' treatment plans. Lumenus staff connect students and key adults to needed community resources. In particular, the program provides strategies to address difficulties in social, emotional, behavioural, communication, cognitive, learning and/or developmental domains of functioning. Services can include observation and assessment in the home; support and training for parents, teachers and other school staff as needed; and individual student program planning for the classroom and at home, service coordination, and transition support from treatment into classroom setting. Lumenus staff work in collaboration with TDSB Professional Support Services staff in order to facilitate a coordinated service for referred students (any grade).
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| Talli Osborne | Confidence is Beautiful | Born without arms and missing bones in her legs, Talli Osborne imparts important lessons to students on how to persevere despite physical disabilities and differences in this motivational assembly. She shares stories of achieving success in the face of bullying and life's many adversities. She encourages us to be more empathetic and compassionate, rallying acceptance towards ourselves to consider the fortunes we do have, rather than the ones that we do not. Through her unique perspective, Talli Osborne gives reasons for students to accept who they are and share that same acceptance towards others. This presentation is followed by a Q & A. Serving: Kindergarten, Grades 1-12, Staff, Parents/Caregivers |
| Joseph "Joze" Piranian | Confronting Adversity, One Word at a Time | As a lifelong stutterer, Joze shares his story of transformation in this inspirational keynote as a way for students to learn how to face their fears and embrace what makes them unique. Students learn resilience, courage, persistence, and coping skills and enhance their capacities for empathy, inclusion, self-expression, and self-acceptance. In sharing his story, Joze provides the tools to overcome life's obstacles alongside the wisdom that allows us to see them as opportunities for personal betterment; that our fears and insecurities cease to control us when we choose to act in spite of them. Keynote can be presented in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic. Serving: all grades, staff and parents |
| X Movement Inc. | Connected Movement | Connected Movement provides full-day workshops and events that integrate physical, emotional and social literacy to the school community. These include: Australian cultural and sports explores cricket, aussie football and netball; ‘X-ME Experience’ incorporates fitness alongside breathing exercises; ‘X-Other’ forges friendships and healthy relationships; ‘X-World’ utilizes play to work collectively together; ‘Extravaganza’ utilizes creative moment, mindful movement and expressive movement to allow students to celebrate themselves. Suitable: all grades; staff; parents/caregivers
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| Taking IT Global Youth Association | Connected North | Educators, staff and students at the TDSB Urban Indigenous Education Centre are supported in the use of collaborative technology and virtual visits from Connected North lead staff, Waukomaun Pawis, or designate. Through collaborative project based learning, unique content and connections are developed for schools in the north and in the south to access cultural exchange opportunities and curriculum enhancement. Urban Indigenous students and staff connect through visiting partners and online video-conferencing with Indigenous school communities in remote locations, providing them access to expertise that might otherwise have been very difficult to acquire. Serving: Grades 1-12, Staff |
| SAVIS of Halton | Consent, Bodily Integrity and Health Relationships | Presentations address consent in romantic, social, and sexual contexts for secondary students. Topics include how to navigate social relationships - what is consent, how to ask for consent, how to say no and how to accept hearing no; what makes a healthy relationship, what to look for in relationships and how to navigate different relationships as young people. Consent in relation to sexual violence is also outlined to address the unfortunate prevalence of sexual violence in our communities. Presentations are delivered with time for discussion and reflection by students throughout the session. Grades 9-12 |
| Toronto Biennial of Art | Contemporary Indigenous Arts Programming | Available during the Biennial season, Sept 21 - Dec 01, 2024, these half-day sessions focus on amplifying Indigenous Allyship and Artists of Colour. The Toronto Biennial of Art (TBA) connects learners with locally and internationally-based artists' projects and provides an opportunity to learn through decolonizing practices that showcase multiple histories and the many forms of 'knowing.' These learning opportunities for students from pre-Kindergarten to grade 12 will deepen their social, geopolitical and peacemaking understandings in the contexts of the city of Tkaronto/Toronto and surrounding areas. TBA's Mobile Arts Curriculum learning tools, developed by Biennial artists and available for free year-round, centre decolonization through the arts and the multiple voices of Indigenous and counter-archival histories. Students will engage in practices, techniques and approaches in art-making. Staff professional development is also available.
Suitable for: K-12. |
| Real Talk Learning Experiences | Content is King | Having a sound understanding of how social media works, both on the front-end and the back-end, allows young people and parents/guardians to employ best practices and make good decisions about utilizing the medium. The Digital Age has affected the way many industries do business. The marketing industry has changed from outbound methods that cast a broad net to an undefined target audience, to inbound tactics to attract a desired customer to products and services. Content marketing by way of videos, written content and podcasts, in conjunction with social media marketing and search engine marketing has become a standard in contemporary marketing. Topics in these student and parent workshops include - Content is King, Media Literacy & Technology, Let's Take a Selfie: Social Media and You. Serving: Grades 7-12, Parents/Caregivers |
| Behaviour Matters Inc. | Cool Tools for Mental Health | Sessions help students develop social skills alongside other aspects of social-emotional development, such as emotional regulation, healthy self-esteem, leadership, confidence, positive body language, active listening, cooperation, problem-solving, positive coping/self-talk, assertive communication, and developing a growth mindset in an interactive and fun manner. Workshops include Connections (Social Skills & Relationships); Control (Emotional Awareness & Regulation); Cheerfulness (Self-Esteem & Perspectives); Stress and Moods (Mental Health); and, a Growth Mindset (Self-Confidence & Regulation). Workshops for parents and educators focus on Positive Parenting; Behaviour Management; Social-Emotional Development; and, Anxiety Management.
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| Kids Help Phone/Jeunesse J'Ecoute | Counsellor in the Classroom/Intervenant·e dans la classe | Presentation that helps to break down any preconceptions and stigma around Kids Help Phone while promoting discussion of mental health and well-being in students. The counsellor provides an overview of Kids Help Phone, services offered, discuss why it is hard to reach out for help, and provide some common questions and concerns that young people have when seeking help. The class has an opportunity to engage with the counsellor by asking any questions they discussed in the preparation activity. Teachers receive a resource package to support the learning as well as optional extension activities to expand their learning. Sessions may be offered in French. Suitable: Grades 4-12
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| Naseeha Youth Helpline | Countering Anti-Muslim Racism | Workshops counter anti-Muslim racism and Islamophobia to promote students' sense of well-being. Through activities, workshops and question & answer sessions, students build confidence and joy with their identities and culture. Three workshops are available: Did You Know? talks about the achievements of Muslims around the world; More Than Just Shawarma discusses identity in a safe and engaging space and Not Even Water? breaks down stereotypes, myths and bias while exploring identity and understanding. Planning with teachers to ensure workshops meet curriculum needs of staff and classrooms. Professional learning and parent/caregiver sessions also available. Suitable: Grades 6-12; staff; parents/caregivers |
| James Mandarino | Courage to Dream | Jay Mandarino shares his life story of overcoming obstacles, achieving success, and giving back to the community in this free inspirational assembly. Students hear a positive message to not let any obstacles stop them from achieving their dreams. Jay Mandarino talks about business and entrepreneurship, confidence and self-esteem and how to live with a learning disability such as dyslexia and ADHD and the life challenges these diagnoses often present. His message empowers students to strive for success in the face of adversity, through the real life examples of lived experience. Presentation is followed by a question and answer period. Serving: Grades 5 - 12 |
