Good works carry on
Seniors’ companionship, helping the homeless, tutoring, and fundraising events have long been part of the co-curricular roster for senior students. However, over the past 18 months, many of these activities have been put on hold due to safety concerns. That has not stopped students in their support of the surrounding community, however.
“With COVID protocols, items couldn’t be brought into the school, we were unable to host our annual bake sale, and trips to the Daily Bread Food Bank and local soup kitchens were halted so we had to get creative,” says Jon Bitidis, acting head of admissions at University of Toronto Schools (UTS) for grade 7 to 12 co-ed students.
At UTS, students initiate and run outreach and fundraising initiatives. The program is managed by senior students as Student Outreach Coordinators (SOCS).
A significant ongoing initiative at UTS is a partnership with the Afghan Women’s Organization (AWO), a settlement group in Toronto for new refugees. “Typically, about 20 UTS students meet weekly, face-to face, to help tutor new children to Canada in numeracy and literacy. Naturally this has not been possible. Instead, during our first week back, students put together a toy and book drive for recently arriving children from Afghanistan. Students and AWO staff organized 200 bags of books and toys for different primary age groups. The bags were delivered to newcomers to Canada in quarantine at Toronto hotels,” explains Bitidis.
October brings the school’s month-long used technology drive. Equipment is brought to the school, disinfected, wiped of data, and donated to students in need across the Greater Toronto Area. Then there is UTS Charity Week where SOCS lead the student body in a week of events and fundraisers for a local Toronto charity. Last year over $5,000 was raised for Eva’s Initiative.
“We have a diverse body of students that are go getters – we couldn’t hold the students back even if we wanted to,” Bitidis says.
Similar pandemic and outreach challenges at Holy Name of Mary College School (HNMCS) in Mississauga led to the development of a new strategic plan, says Kathryn Anderson, the school’s director of student life. HNMCS is a school for girls in grades 5 to 12.
The school has aligned a specific charity to each of the four ‘houses’ within the school. Those charities are St. Felix Centre; Covenant House; Canadian Food for Children; and the Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto. “Students, under the leadership of a Social Justice Prefect, are in direct contact with these charities to determine how specific needs can be addressed, despite the inability to meet faceto-face,” says Anderson.
Beatrice Carcao, senior student and social justice prefect at HNMCS, says, “Community is without a doubt the most important piece of the work I do. We implement the core values of justice, transformation, respect for human dignity, compassion, and solidarity of the poor. Our outreach team works tirelessly to create opportunities for students to express these values to the wider community through fundraisers and drives, or within our own community with studentled presentations on issues we are passionate about.”
Work in the community has taken on an even greater meaning today. “Social justice is an important part of school life as it allows us to gain compassion for fellow students and the community. After being ‘bubbled away’ from the world and each other for 18 months, it is important to recognize that others live differently and those differences should be supported and celebrated,” says Carcao.
Sophie Gorgiev leads the Crafting for a Cure program at HMCS. Crafting for a Cure is a non-profit organization that packages and donates craft kits to children in hospitals around the world. Gorgiev has volunteered for Crafting for a Cure for almost two years and worked to bring it into the school as a co-curricular activity.
“The teachers at Holy Name of Mary College School have greatly supported me through the process in making this a cocurricular. The response from the students at HNMCS has also been positive,” says Gorgiev. The club currently has 12 members who package kits that will be donated at the end of November. “My goal for the program is to package as many as possible so more children can benefit.”
Adds Anderson: “Compassion is instilled in our students from grade 5. It provides a connection that is purposeful and a great deal of value to both giver and receiver.”