Summer in Downsview Park

It’s that time of year again. The sun is beaming, the birds are chirping, and the children are out of school.

If you’re looking for something to do this summer, Downsview Park is offering a number of programs to get you outside, meet members of the community, and explore Canada’s first urban national park.

And this year, there is a lot to do. Downsview Park is offering free educational programs for all ages that focus on urban sustainability — how people today can live in a way to ensure the wellbeing of our city and its people, for generations to come.

For example, Nature Connection is a family-friendly program that will get you outside exploring and learning about our local natural environment. If you’re looking for something to do with your toddler, try out the hands-on outdoor activities with the Jr. Forest Explorers program. And if you’re looking for something a little more relaxing, consider joining a guided stroll through the Walk in the Park program. Or, if you love food (and really, who doesn’t?) forage for food in park’s orchard or grow and harvest your own food in the park’s educational garden through the Food in the Park program.

These programs are an important part of our community. They help us learn new things, stay active, and foster deeper connections with one another and our natural environment. We should appreciate the hard work and effort that goes into organizing them. Downsview Park is staffed by a small group of individuals and with limited resources – but every year they find creative ways to engage our community. And the programs are largely facilitated by a group of volunteers who dedicate their time to make our community a more liveable and enjoyable place to be.

This summer lets show our support and our appreciation for the hardworking and dedicated group of staff members and volunteers who help bring our community together to experience the magic of Downsview Park.

If you want to learn more about the programs offered at Downsview Park check out their website: www.downsviewpark.ca and if you’re interested in volunteering in the park this summer, reach out to Allison Best at abest@clc.ca.

See you in the park!

Hoop 2 Hope

In a political climate where scarcity is often assumed, and in a community that is often unfairly characterized by needs and problems, the real assets of a community can often get overlooked.One of those incredible community assets in the Jane Finch area is the work of Benjamin Osei and the Hoop 2 Hope boys’ basketball program.Hoop 2 Hope has two divisions; one for high school boys and the other for elementary and middle school students. The high school boys gather on Fridays from 6pm to 10pm at Westview Secondary School south gym, and the younger group meets Saturdays 6pm to 9pm at Oakdale Community Centre. These programs run from September through June.There is plenty of basketball at each meeting, but the program’s goal is to walk with boys in their journey to becoming men. To do that, the program includes the services of many volunteers. These volunteers are older men who are further on in the journey of life and have a wealth of experience and knowledge. The idea is for men to walk with boys through the most formative years of their lives.The boys who participate come to play ball, and they get to do a lot of that, but the leaders also take time to help them develop some skills that will help them navigate their everyday world. The leaders talk with boys about developing their character in real life situations. Boys are finding different ways to respond to difficult circumstances. They learn how wisdom, perseverance, self control, compassion, gentleness and other values can make them better persons and how that will make the world a better place.  All of this basketball and conversation culminates in an annual rite of passage celebration. The boys’ chronological development is acknowledged and celebrated at ages 13 and 18. Instead of stumbling or falling into manhood, the boys and the community around them stop, recognize, and celebrate their movement from a boy to a man.Hoop 2 Hope knows that it is just one piece of each boy’s life. The program actively seeks to partner with families, schools and community centres. So beyond the doors of the gym, leaders like Benjamin are at work with young men as they make their way from boys to men.Benjamin and Hoop 2 Hope are one of this community’s finest assets. They are an asset that is producing real capital, the next generation of community and world leaders.

Downsview teachers investing in the future of students

A few years ago at graduation season, William Wallace and his colleagues found themselves watching a familiar, yet despairing, scenario unfold. In his 15 years as an English teacher at Downsview Secondary School, Mr. Wallace watched students who were extremely capable, make the decision to forego pursuing a post-secondary education  because they simply could not afford to attend. This is despite having overcome significant challenges and still excelling academically. “Growing up is hard. Throw in a bunch of factors: socioeconomic status, mental health, unstable housing, racial injustice... Stress and pressure on young people in those situations are far greater,” Mr. Wallace explained. As students try to navigate post-secondary careers, those issues compound and they end up missing out on key university experiences such as getting time with professors outside of class to better understand course material or having to skip tutorials because they have to work up to 40 hours a week.Mr. Wallace walked away from that scene asking himself, “Are we going to talk about the issues, or are we going to do something about it?”While being a teacher commands a lot of time and focus, Mr. Wallace, along with faculty members at Downsview S.S. began to fundraise for what became the One City Scholarship Fund almost 4 years ago. They began by asking teachers to ask ten friends to donate fifty dollars and have slowly raised up to $500.00 in single donations; teachers have come together over the years, organizing socials and game nights to raise money. He has also found a community partner in the Esther Myers Yoga Studio in the Bloor Street West community and they have donated proceeds from book sales to the One City Fund.After three years of fundraising, they were able to award four $2,500 scholarship last year to students who were eager to begin their post-secondary careers. The scholarship is disbursed over two years, $1,500 the first year and $1,000 is released in the second year. Mr. Wallace himself graduated from university in 1984, during a time where he was able to earn his tuition in a summer. “The idea that I have any idea what students need is ridiculous,” Mr. Wallace said as he cited this privilege. He has convened a scholarship committee comprised of teachers and past students who have attended post-secondary education to help pick candidates and provide mentorship to scholarship applicants.Mr. Wallace believes that the cultivated model of care existing in high school needs to extend beyond that space and the fund is also designed to help bridge the gap. The scholarship is “aimed at students who will benefit from money and mentorship.” Recipients will grow to become mentors to other post-secondary students. Mr. Wallace contends, “Current insight is brought from recent graduates and those going through university is invaluable.” Candidates need to be academically successful, demonstrate financial need and a capacity to excel. Mr. Wallace describes the past and future recipients of the One City Fund as, “Someone who understands where they are from, where they are going and where they want to be.” Applications for the scholarship opens on February 19, 2019 and welcomes students who are graduating from high school and entering their first year of post-secondary. Visit the OneCityFund.com to learn more about how to apply or donate. The Fund is trusteed by the Toronto Foundation and is distributed by the Toronto District School Board’s Toronto Foundation for Student Success.

One way tickets to Mars

Matt Damon is so cool that he makes a movie entertaining, even when most of it is about getting stuck alone on a planet for a year. The number one activity for a good twenty minutes of the movie was planting potatoes with human feces (he was running out of food and he needed fertilizer), but you were still glued to your seat, fascinated about what came next. If you have yet to watch The Martian, do so. There is enough Matt Damon and enough science in this fiction to make it worthwhile, but it is also a movie that will seem dated in 10 years.That is because by 2016 there will already be astronauts chosen for the first trip to Mars. By 2023 we could have a base in Mars. By 2027 we could have people there (potato farming could really happen in Mars by then!). If you would like to apply click here. Just be aware that they can fly you there, but you are not coming back. The technology to bring people back isn’t here yet. Unlike the movie, you would be signing up for a one-way trip.When the not-for-profit leading the project, Mars One, made their first announcement two years ago, 10,000 people emailed asking to apply. Seems farfetched, but in reality this would be the greatest adventure humankind has ever undertaken. Even if it meant never seeing your family or maybe anybody else—ever again. If you are that first lucky human to step on Mars, your name will be etched in stone for all of history.To put it in perspective, Cristopher Columbus travelled 5,000 km to cross the Atlantic. The first Apollo mission travelled 384,000 km to go to the moon. The distance to Mars is 54 600 000 km. Going to Mars is a big deal.Nobody will remember Matt Damon in 50 years, but everyone will know the name of the first person to set foot on Mars. Apply while you still can!Graphic for article: Courtesy of Nasa.govLink to graphic: https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/iotd.html?id=367277This article was originally published on www.discoverdownsview.ca