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.
community community buildersbuilderscommunity community buildersbuildersyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadership
community community buildersbuilderscommunity community buildersbuildersyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadership
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.
community community buildersbuilderscommunity community buildersbuildersyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadership
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.
community community buildersbuilderscommunity community buildersbuildersyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadership
Our Curriculum:Our Approach:
What makes usunique:
community community buildersbuilderscommunity community buildersbuildersyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadership
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:
community community buildersbuilderscommunity community buildersbuildersyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadership
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:
community community buildersbuilderscommunity community buildersbuildersyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadership
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
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:
community community buildersbuilderscommunity community buildersbuildersyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadership
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:
community community buildersbuilderscommunity community buildersbuildersyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadership
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.
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Picture: A Community Builders trainer in action.
Ourcurriculum:
community community buildersbuilderscommunity community buildersbuildersyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadership
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.
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Ourcurriculum:
community community buildersbuilderscommunity community buildersbuildersyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadership
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.
community community buildersbuilderscommunity community buildersbuildersyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadership
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:
community community buildersbuilderscommunity community buildersbuildersyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadership
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
community community buildersbuilderscommunity community buildersbuildersyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadership
“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 community buildersbuilderscommunity community buildersbuildersyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadership
“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
community community buildersbuilderscommunity community buildersbuildersyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadership
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.
community community buildersbuilderscommunity community buildersbuildersyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadership
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.
community community buildersbuilderscommunity community buildersbuildersyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadership
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.
community community buildersbuilderscommunity community buildersbuildersyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadership
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
community community buildersbuilderscommunity community buildersbuildersyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadership
“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
community community buildersbuilderscommunity community buildersbuildersyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadership
“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”
community community buildersbuilderscommunity community buildersbuildersyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadership
Contact us!E-mail:
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
community community buildersbuilderscommunity community buildersbuildersyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadershipyouth leadership