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February 15, 2006

Presenting: The Scadding Court Community Centre Uses International Travel and Cross-Cultural Learning To Help At-Risk Youth

Sometimes you come across individuals or organizations who quietly do phenomenal work in the community right here under our noses, without any big fanfare.

Through my work with G.A.P Adventures, the feature sponsor of our First Travel Story Contest, I became aware of a community organization called the Scadding Court Community Centre (SCCC) which is located in a multi-ethnic low income neighbourhood in Toronto that experiences a variety of social problems.

This past Christmas, G.A.P sponsored a Christmas celebration that provided 200 local children with a delicious home-cooked Christmas meal and presents, a perfect example of a wonderful collaboration between a private-sector business and a non-profit community group for the benefit of the local residents.

SCCC has come up with a number of highly innovative initiatives that benefit young people in its neighbourhood who might otherwise have had a bleak outlook on the future. These programs provide at-risk teenagers with international learning opportunities that literally change their lives. The teenagers get involved in charity projects abroad, for example, in India where they help children living with disabilities as well as children of sex trade workers.

SCCC sends young people to places like Mongolia, India and China where they undergo intense cross-cultural learning and personal growth experiences. And Scadding Court Community Centre also does wonderful work right here in Toronto to help the community and create more cross-cultural understanding.

Through its own fundraising initiatives, Scadding Court Community Centre even provides significant scholarships and bursaries to local disadvantaged youth and gives "at-risk" youth a great start to a better future.


Lion Dance in front of Toronto City Hall

Kevin Lee, Executive Director of the Centre, is here to talk about the important work that his organization does:

1. Please tell us a bit about your community centre. Where is it located, when was it founded and what type of programs does it offer?

Scadding Court Community Centre was incorporated on March 21st, 1975 and is a multi-facetted organization serving a high-density neighbourhood in downtown west Toronto. Programs are targeted to under-serviced, culturally diverse groups such as low-income families, at-risk children and youth, newcomers, people living with disabilities, seniors and the un/underemployed.

Scadding Court’s mandate is:
"To support and foster the well being of individuals, families, and community groups by providing and encouraging both local and international opportunities for recreation, education, athletics, community participation and social interaction".

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Toronto youth & the Dalai Lama

Between 500 and 600 people visit the Centre each day to participate in programs and services, or just to socialize. Scadding Court has always been at the forefront of community development in Toronto. Over the past two decades, SCCC has provided a range of activities, programs and services to meet the diverse needs of the local community. We specialize in Recreation, Children and Youth Services and Urban Development. Some of the programs we offer include:

• Settlement Services for Newcomers to Canada: Immigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program (ISAP), free tax clinics, information and referral, ESL classes, informal counselling and educational workshops
• Childcare: Emergency and Occasional Childcare Program, Indoor Park
• School Readiness workshops for newcomer children and their families
• After School Program: computers, drama, arts, environmental fun club, sports, swimming
• Drama Interact Program: for young people living with disabilities
• Swim and Social: for people living with mental and physical disabilities
• Anti-racism community building initiatives: including anti-racism through theatre, workshops and 2 $4000 scholarships.
• Community Attendance Program: for students struggling in the regular school system
• Recreation and Fitness: activities include swimming, hockey, basketball, soccer, badminton, skating, tai-chi, volleyball and weight-lifting
• Preserving Our Health Community Garden and Urban Agriculture Project: for people with low-incomes
• Scadding Court Cross-Cultural Health Services Clinic: on-site primary care clinic staffed by two Mandarin-speaking physicians, Cervical Cancer Prevention Project, eye-screening clinics for seniors

All of SCCC’s programs and services benefit from partnerships with neighbouring schools, community organizations and institutions equally committed to improving the health and well being of the community.


Dundas Day: a local community celebrates

2. Please tell us about the community you serve.

The immediate community is made up of an extremely culturally diverse, low-income and high-risk population. Up to 15 different cultural groups are represented in the community. In terms of income-level, however, there is less variation: the residents of this community are low-income. What community residents share is facing multiple barriers to accessing services and opportunities within and outside their immediate community.

Population groups that stand out in our community:
• low-income families (with a high proportion of single parent/caregiver families)
• children
• youth
• seniors
• newcomers to Canada, many of whom speak limited or no English

Almost 2000 residents live in 410 units of housing (townhouses and apartment buildings) bordered by Dundas Street to the north, Queen Street to the south, Spadina Ave. to the east and Augusta Avenue to the west.


Toronto youth experience India

The demographic picture of Alexandra Park has changed considerably over the years. According to a recent Metro Toronto Housing Authority Report (previously MTHA, now Toronto Housing Corporation), there are 332 families with children who make up 81% of households. 84% are single parent, usually female-led, families. 73% of the population is made up of visible minorities. Out of this group, 24% are Chinese, 17% are South-East Asian, 16% are Black, 6% are South Asian and 5% are Hispanic. 19.4% of the Alexandra Park population is youth aged between 13 and 20, making up a total of 391 youth community members. Isolated minorities that are not visible in the community (in terms of participation in programs and accessing services) comprise of the largest minority groups: the Chinese and Vietnamese communities.

3. You also work with local entrepreneurs on special events. You recently held a special Christmas dinner jointly with G.A.P Adventures. How did that come about?

Almost all of SCCC programs operate in partnership with local businesses, foundations, community groups and involved individuals. SCCC has partnered with Tim Horton’s and McDonald’s to support events and activities for children. In November 2005 Bruce Poon Tip of G.A.P Adventures approached SCCC about the possibility of partnering with SCCC provide a Christmas event for children in our neighbourhood.


The G..A.P-sponsored Christmas party

4. Please tell us about the all the work that went into organizing this party.

Scadding Court staff and volunteers worked with G.A.P Adventures staff to set-up the tables and chairs and do last minute food preparations for the event. 20 turkeys were cooked by G.A.P Adventures staff the night before and brought to the centre first thing in the morning. Staff and volunteers set up and ran various stations for children's activities through the party. Extra food was donated to our local food bank.

5. Please tell us more about the party itself, the food and the celebrations. How many people participated?

There were about 200 children here for the event that day. The party also featured an appearance by Santa to pass out gifts provided by the CHUM CITY Christmas Wish Foundation and G.A.P Adventures. The event was well- received by the local community and local press and City-TV were on hand to capture the event.


A very G.A.P Christmas at the SCCC.....

6. Please tell us more about your special projects. What are the Hate Crime Project, the "Investing in our Diversity Scholarships" and what is the Gone Fishing project?

Hate Crime Project
The Hate Crime Project is a train-the-trainer project for youth from marginalized communities in Toronto. The goal is to empower participants by providing opportunities for hands-on learning and community facilitation experience. The project involves 10 youth from communities across Toronto, who are participating in the training and will eventually create and lead workshops in the community on hate & hate crime.

Investing in our Diversity Scholarships
The Investing in our Diversity Scholarships are a series of scholarships presented by Scadding Court Community Centre (SCCC) and our partners to graduating students; in 2005 alone we provided $20,000 in scholarships and $8,000 in bursaries to young people, since 2003 the program has provide $60,000 to young people for their education.

In 2006 Scadding Court Community Centre and its community partners will provide eight $4000 scholarship awards graduating secondary students who live in the SCCC catchment area, TCH residences in Regent Park, Pelham Park and the Lawrence Heights community that are involved with diversity and anti-racism projects in the community. By focusing on young people doing anti-racism work in their schools and community, SCCC is acknowledging the commitment of a new generation of leaders.

The Gone Fishin’ Project
The annual Gone Fishin’ Project transforms the Scadding Court Community Centre indoor pool into a week-long trout fishing pond. To many urban citizen’s fishing is seen as a rural activity that only those who live in the countryside can engage in. The Gone Fishin’ Project provides area school children and children living with physical disabilities and special needs, low-income residents and the general public with the opportunity to experience the excitement of catching fresh rainbow or albino trout right in their own backyard. As well, through this project we hope to continue to encourage low-income residents to think about including more fresh fish into their diets.


Gone fishin'....

8. Please tell us about your special events including the Toronto Chinatown Festival, the Dundas Community Festival, the Black History Month Celebrations and the Lunar New Year Celebrations.

Toronto Chinatown Festival
The Toronto Chinatown Festival is presented as a multicultural event open to members of the general public. While the primary audience are residents of the immediate community who are of South East Asian heritage, and features traditional Chinese opera, Vietnamese pop music, jazz, children’s activities & martial arts demonstrations. The festival also features a marketplace for food and craft vendors

Lunar New Year Celebration
Every year, SCCC celebrates Lunar New Year with a local celebration. Activities this annual event include Lunar New Year exhibits, presentations, artwork, music, activities for children, “Red Pocket” distribution and cross-cultural education activities. It is important for the centre to promote awareness around the wealth of diversity within the South-East Asian community and celebrate these occasions with our local community.

Black History Month
SCCC uses Black History Month as a time to explore and educate our community and our community on history of Africans worldwide. Film screenings, lectures, concerts, school programs and displays are just some of the things we do to celebrate the rich history of African history.

Dundas Community Festival
The Dundas Community Festival (previously known as the Dundas Day Festival) grew out of a community revitalization effort to improve and beautify Dundas street and the surrounding community to make it an attractive neighbourhood for community members. Local groups, business communities and the arts sector came together to generate ideas on revitalizing the area, and the Festival became one key initiative that everyone participated in, from planning and organizing to actually running it on the day of the event.


Toronto youth playing basketball in China

9. Your community centre also offers international programs. What do they involve and what is their objective? Who came up with the idea and how are these programs funded?

Scadding Court strongly believes that some of the most important learning takes place not in the classroom, but in the experiences and activities of “living life”. SCCC also believes that one of the greatest life experiences is international travel. By immersing oneself in the language, culture and heritage of others, even for the briefest time-period is an exercise in cross-cultural awareness that broadens one’s outlook and perspective on life. Since 2001 SCCC has been acting on this belief by taking young at-risk youth an international trip as part of the SCCC International Program.

All programs are funded through SCCC’s fundraising initiatives directed towards the various projects.

We are proud of the partnerships that we have developed to support our international work and invite anyone and everyone who is in travel and tourism to consider the benefits of providing “at risk” youth the opportunity to travel to other parts of the world to engage in a meaningful life experience. My door is always open to engage people on this or any other SCCC program.


Toronto youth ride with Mongolian nomads

10. Please tell us more about your international project(s) in Mongolia.

In 2001 Scadding Court led a 14-person youth ambassador delegation to China and Mongolia. The group consisted of 8 area youth and 4 adult chaperones. In the capital of Mongolia (Ulaanbaatar) the group engaged in a variety of activities and experiences with their local counterparts to promote international solidarity and goodwill among young people. The youth also had the chance to spent time living with Mongolian nomads in remote areas in the countryside. They also played organized basketball games with local Mongolian youth. This gave them a chance to interact, communicate and engage with each other in unique and novel ways.

11. Please tell us more about your international project(s) in China.

In the late summer of 2002 Scadding Court Community Centre took a basketball team to China to participate in the First Great Cities of the World Friendship Invitational. Scadding Court Community Centre, China International Sports Bureau, and the Democratic Youth Association of Mongolia were the organizing agencies for this event.

The delegation team from Toronto was made up of 14 people (11 youth and 3 chaperones). The Canadian youth were between the ages of 16-18 years old and in high school. The participants coordinated and ran basketball clinics and workshops form their Chinese and Mongolian counterparts. The Mongolian youth players picked up basketball at a high level and their understanding of the game of basketball was surprisingly in keeping with the style of North America.

All 11 youth, were from a different ethnicity, representing the diverse cultural make-up of our community and the city. Ethnicities represented in the group included Somalian, Chinese, Grenadian, Yugoslavian, Polish, Guyanese, Brazilian, Afro-Canadian, etc. For most of these youth it was their first opportunity to travel outside of Ontario.


International learning experiences in China

12. Please tell us more about your international project(s) in India.

In August of 2003, Scadding Court Community Centre’s International Youth Program took local, at-risk, young Toronto youth overseas to India where they performed a benefit concert for street children in New Delhi. In addition to the concert the youth were also the subject of a documentary film “Chords, Chaos and Karma” which chronicled their experience.

The success of this project led SCCC to develop a partnership with the Society for Remedial Education, Assessment, Counselling, for the Handicapped (REACH). REACH is a NGO based in West Bengal that provides education to children living with disabilities. REACH and Scadding Court were partners in a unique project to establish and support a school in a village in the state of Tripura in Northern India, and to develop recreational programming to complement the education children receive through formal schooling.

The success of all these projects has encouraged SCCC to continue this type of work, therefore we are entering into a partnership with Kolkata based NGO Durbar Mahila Sammanaya Committee (the Committee for Coordination of Indomitable Women). DMSC has a membership of about 65,000 sex workers and their children and is active in working toward a secure social existence and a better life for sex workers and their families.


Toronto youth give a concert in India

Continuing our work to support education initiative international SCCC is committing to support the expansion of DMSC residential school program. Rahul Vidyaniketan (Rahul School) is a residential home for children of sex-trade workers located in Bauripur, in the southern outskirts of Kolkata, West Bengal. Located on several acres of land, the complex currently houses 49 students aged 4 to 14 years old and supports several income generating agricultural enterprises including rice and wheat farming, the cultivations of okra and prawn. The children that live there attend the local government run school, but live at the DMSC residential complex. These children are born and raised in the brothel environment, generally do not attend school, are socially stigmatized and are at great risk of being drawn into prostitution at an early age, particularly girls. Our project will support the educational opportunities to these children to help break the generational cycle of prostitution and social exclusion into which they were born.

SCCC in partnership with Toronto Community Housing is also developing one-year intensive intervention project for diverse “at-risk” Canadian youth from Toronto Community Housing communities. Through an international work exchange in West Bengal India, participants will be presented with a life-changing experience. The four month oversees internship will provide a real opportunity to “at-risk” youth to experience the world and make life-changing decisions. This experience will not only allow for the development of a wide range of skills, but will transfer these youth from their current negative environments and routines to an entirely new setting. Through this they will have the chance to develop a new perspective on their lives, their values and their futures. In a post-internship placement the participants would be mentored through a customized program to obtain employment, return to school, enter a trade or pursuer other productive enterprise.


Toronto youth work with Indian youth

13. What impact do these projects have on young people?

Cross-cultural learning and exposure to different ways of life enhance the ability of young people to better understand and appreciate the diversity and strengths that Canada, as a country, is able to offer its citizens. And to develop a sense of global connectivity to other young people overseas. Youth expressed that exposure of this kind has challenged their perceptions of the world and the value systems they are familiar with, bringing about a new awareness of systems, cultures, peoples, traditions, and ways of life.-all positive youth development.

As noted the 2003 trip had a documentary produced about the trip and the experiences of the youth participants. In the film one youth after traveling through the slums of Delhi remarks “I thought I lived in the ghetto, but this is the real ghetto” it is this kind of understanding that we are trying to encourage in all the young people in all our program

Kevin, thank you so much for taking the time to tell us about your organization's initiatives. Cross-cultural learning experiences like these are truly life-changing and they can do so much to create a better future for marginalized youth right here in Toronto. I wish you all the best for your endeavours and please keep us up-to-date on your initiatives.


G.A.P Adventures is Canada's largest adventure travel company and a leader in socially and environmentally sensitive travel. G.A.P is also the sponsor of the grand prize for our first story contest: an exciting adventure cruise on the Amazon on the historic and unique Explorer expedition cruise ship. Visit our contest page to find out more about our first travel story contest.

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