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".
|
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.
Related Articles:
Danielle Weiss works with communities
in Latin America
Danielle Weiss talks about sustainable
travel
Bruce Poon Tip: A global travel entrepreneur
with a conscience
Richard Belliveau climbs mountains
to raise money for street kids in Peru
|