Your donations help keep us going!
Our Sponsor:
thinkx intellectual capital
FWB is not affiliated with Doctors Without Borders
Site design by:
Dossier Creative
Site by:
Franca Leeson
Leacock Foundation, Triangle of Hope
Toronto, Canada, November 2008
Challenge: to identify creative strategies to enhance their education programs
Location: Toronto, Canada
Date: November 2008
Client Contact: Melanie Lovering, Executive Director, Leacock Foundation
FWB team: Tim Hurson, Kristen Peterson, Alison Cohen
“Thank you so much for the excellent facilitation program. It was a great start to an important process. I am so inspired by the work that was done during the session and feel like we've really turned a corner with the program, now that we've taken a serious stab at exploring and understanding our Toronto based programs and their needs. It was clear that we have much to learn from one another and everyone is willing and eager to take the program to the next level.”
— Melanie Lovering, Leacock Executive Director
In November 2008, a group of 24 educators met in Toronto to identify creative strategies to enhance their education programs. The educators are part of the Leacock "Triangle of Hope" program, which is dedicated to helping disadvantaged youth. The group consisted of teachers, principals, community coordinators and Leacock education committee members to determine the strategy for programs up to 2014.
The Foundation's signature program, the Triangle of Hope, links students from an inner city school in Toronto, with students from a local independent school plus a school in rural South Africa. Each Triangle conducts programs involving their students as part of the Leacock Foundation mission, “to help young people believe in their future, and make a positive contribution to our world.”
During the session the educators determined many possible programs to help students and emerged with three key themes to explore further:
- Best Bang for the Buck — How to involve more students, parents, and the members of the community in year-round programs, for maximum benefit to a broad base of people.
- Capacity Building and Sustainability — How to create programs which build capacity within the partnerships and ensure programming can be sustained through transitions, by sharing information, documenting processes and establishing measures.
- Communication — How to effectively share experiences and successes within the Triangles; and how to create excitement for an increased number of stakeholders to participate in programs.
Based on the many ideas generated at the session, the educators will be meeting again in early 2009 to determine the specific projects to be developed, enhanced and implemented over the next five year period.
The session was well received and many participants were energized and excited about the future direction.
The session was equally exciting and stimulating for the FWB facilitators, Tim Hurson, Kristen Peterson and Alison Cohen who will continue working with the Leacock Foundation — and perhaps offer some facilitation courses to students in future.