Building communities of allies where everyone counts, and everyone belongs!

Building communities of allies where everyone counts, and everyone belongs!

community community buildersbuilders community community buildersbuilders youth youth leadershipleadership

youth youth leadershipleadershipwww.cbyouthleadership.orgwww.cbyouthleadership.org

Making friends at the Toronto Ally Leadership Day

community community buildersbuilderscommunity community buildersbuildersyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadership

Whatwe do:

We empower young people, teachers and parents to be leaders in building safe and

inclusive school communities.

We empower young people, teachers and parents to be leaders in building safe and

inclusive school communities.

Community Builders is a not-for-profit organization with charitable status,

established in 1994.



Our messages:Our messages:Be an ally!Be an ally!

Caring is cool!Caring is cool!

Everyone counts, everyone belongs!

Everyone counts, everyone belongs!

Our programs:

FOUR-YEAR YOUTH LEADERSHIP INSTITUTES

Students begin the program in Grades 4 or 5, and complete it in Grades 7 or 8.

Teams of students from neighbouring schools come together to learn about oppression issues and practice advanced skills for

being ALLIES and mediators. Back at school they lead workshops with their peers, and initiate projects to make their schools safer,

more inclusive and more caring.


Our programs:

HALF AND FULL DAY WORKSHOPS

For students Grades 1 through high school, parents, teachers and teachers-in-training.

Community Builders provides interactive Leadership Workshops for young people and adults on some of the core concepts

taught in the Institute program. Topics include: Taking pride in our diverse backgrounds; understanding racism, classism,

young peoples’ oppression, sexism, and boy’s oppression; and learning how to be a supportive listener and ALLY.


Our Curriculum:Our Approach:

What makes usunique:


Our commitment to multi-year leadership development.

Our commitment to multi-year leadership development.Our focus on youth initiative.Our focus on youth initiative.

Our whole community approach.Our whole community approach.

Our anti-oppression curriculum.

Our anti-oppression curriculum.

Our emphasis on building practical skills.

Our emphasis on building practical skills.

Our use of the arts.Our use of the arts.

Ourapproach:


We are committed to multi-year leadership

development.

We take students through four years of Youth

Leadership Institutes so that they have the support to make

sustainable change.

We are committed to multi-year leadership

development.

We take students through four years of Youth

Leadership Institutes so that they have the support to make

sustainable change.Picture: Students in Espanola lead an Ally

Workshop for students at their school.

Ourapproach:


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are needed to see this picture.


are needed to see this picture. We encourage youth initiative.

Our “Train the Trainer” approach prepares students to lead workshops

and develop projects they

want to do with their peers.

We encourage youth initiative.

Our “Train the Trainer” approach prepares students to lead workshops

and develop projects they

want to do with their peers.

Picture: Grades 7 and 8 students from Oakdale Park Middle School in Toronto present their “Kick the Cliques” initiative to

students and teachers from other schools.

Ourapproach:


We employ a whole community approach.

Parents, teachers, and teacher

candidates are trained alongside the

students in our programs.

We employ a whole community approach.

Parents, teachers, and teacher

candidates are trained alongside the

students in our programs.

Picture: A teacher and student from Toronto present ideas from their discussion group.

Below: Students at A.B. Ellis School in Espanola lead a discussion during a workshop with their peers.

Above: Students are encouraged to practice their presentation

skills at a Leadership Institute in Toronto.

Ourcurriculum:


We employ an anti-oppression curriculum.

Young people learn how oppression like racism and sexism

hurt people, and how being an ally to others can build an inclusive

school.

We employ an anti-oppression curriculum.

Young people learn how oppression like racism and sexism

hurt people, and how being an ally to others can build an inclusive

school.





Picture: A Community Builders trainer in action.

Ourcurriculum:


We support youth in building practical

skills.

Students learn “how to stop the meanness without being mean back” through active

listening and mediation.

We support youth in building practical

skills.

Students learn “how to stop the meanness without being mean back” through active

listening and mediation.

Picture: A student holds up his Community Builders workbook full of presentation scripts, songs, and steps on how to be an ally through

mediation and listening.





Ourcurriculum:


We use the arts!

Concepts and skills are taught and learned through engaging drama, music and art.

We use the arts!

Concepts and skills are taught and learned through engaging drama, music and art.

Picture: Students in Espanola perform a traditional feather dance.

Why our work is needed:

Bullying, sexual harassment and racial discrimination are major public health problems in Canada’s elementary, middle and high schools.

At least one or two children in every classroom experiences ongoing targeting from other children, leaving them feeling alone, depressed and often angry.

- Canadian Public Health Association

It’s hard to learn when you think no one likes you,

or that you must constantly fight to prove yourself.


Where wework:

ESPANOLA REGIONEspanola, Little Current, Massey, Sagamok, Aundeck Omni Kaning,

Sheguindah and M’Chigeeng First Nations

SUDBURY REGIONSudbury, Copper Cliff, Hamner and Whitefish

TORONTO REGION Jane/Finch neighbourhood

GRAND RIVER REGION Brantford, Caledonia, York and Six Nations

Community Builders is currently working in four regions in Ontario:


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Some highlights:OUR WORK WITH

FIRST NATIONS COMMUNITIES

First Nations trainers are an integral part of our leadership teams.

We bring together students from First Nations, public and

Catholic schools. Understanding and combating racism against First Nations people is a key feature of our

programs. Picture: Six Nations student leaders prepare to deliver an Ally

Assembly


“Residential schools have left people dependent. These students who are being trained as leaders take more initiative, they greet you more openly and their self-esteem is building. The other students see that and there's

more permission to do it themselves.”

Pauline Toulouse, Principal, Biidaaban School (Sagamok Reserve)

Some highlights:OUR WORK IN THE

JANE/FINCH NEIGHBOURHOOD OF TORONTO

Our student leaders in the neighbourhood are committed to

violence prevention. Grade 7 students have designed their

own projects to address issues they see as important - cliques

and gangs, “snitching” and “Black on Black crime”.

Picture: Students deliver “Speakouts” at a Closing Celebration


“Community Builders can

make the neighbourhood a great place. If we keep it

up, it can help.”

Grade 5 students, Shoreham PS, Jane Finch,

Toronto

Some highlights:TEACHER TRAININGS

Teachers are essential to creating inclusive

classroom environments.

Community Builders delivers in-service

trainings for classroom teachers, and workshops for

teacher candidates at Schools of Education.

Picture: Our diverse team of student leaders, lead parents, and training associates at a workshop for teacher candidates at

Laurentian University’s School of Education


Every year, Community Builders students and trainers deliver workshops at the University of

Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education “Safe Schools” and “Teacher Activism”

conferences.

Our impact:

94% of over 400 students, teachers, parents and administrators surveyed at all

sites are sure that the Community Builders program is helping their schools become safer

and more caring places.Data taken from year-end surveys.


95% of students surveyed have stepped in to help others as a result of being trained as a Community Builders Leader.

95% of students surveyed have stepped in to help others as a result of being trained as a Community Builders Leader.


Lead Teachers and Lead Parents

report that their Community Builders training is making

them better teachers and

parents.

Lead Teachers and Lead Parents

report that their Community Builders training is making

them better teachers and

parents.


What people aresaying about CB:

“I think CB is a group of young people trying to make a difference in their community. A good difference, a kind of difference that is

changing how people think about problems, and helping people think

about more than just themselves.” Grade 7 student, Joseph Brant School, Brantford


“When I did a workshop, a girl came up to me and

asked me how to solve a fight. She brought me to where the people were

fighting, and she watched me as I helped solve it, and now she is helping

solve fights because she

saw me do it.” Grade 8 student, Fairview School,

Brantford


“The Community Builders approach goes beyond what

other programs teach. Students find out that people

act out of their pain. The program empowers them with

this knowledge - more than any other program.”

Juliet Morales, Vice-Principal, Yorkwoods School, Torontocommunity community

buildersbuilderscommunity community buildersbuildersyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadership

Become a“Friend of

Be part of an organization that makes a difference for children, parents and teachers - an organization that empowers people of all ages to be caring leaders and

allies.

Here’s how you can get involved: Help build a base of support in the wider community.

Get the word out about this important work.

Volunteer in Community Builders’ activities.

Make a donation to Community Builders to ensure that the training of young leaders continues.

Community Builders”


Contact us!E-mail:

[email protected]

Phone: (416) 766-5946

Address: 310 Beresford Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M6S 3B3

For more information about our programs, and/or to donate

securely and easily online, please visit:

www.cbyouthleadership.org


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Building communities of allies where everyone counts, and everyone belongs!