Youth Leadership Programs

Moorelands offers youth leadership programs for youth aged 11 to 15 in the under-served communities of Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park. The programs are divided into two aged-based modules - three programs for youth 11 to 12 years of age and one for young people aged 13 to 15. Each program provides 14 spaces of quality programming each week during the school year.

These programs take place in:

• Flemingdon Park at Valley Park Middle School
  (11-12 Years of age)
• Flemingdon Park at Blessed John 23 Catholic School
  (11-12 Years of age)
• Thorncliffe Park at Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute
  (13-15 Years of age)

Experientially driven, the goal of the program is to help young people become leaders in their own lives. Participants develop skills in interpersonal relations, communication, decision-making, teamwork and conflict resolution, and apply them to a broad base of community activities.

Program participants take part in role-playing, workshops, discussions and a variety of other activities. Specific workshop topics include street-proofing, the mechanics of communication, power, pressure and influence, understanding others, and teamwork. Certificates in first aid/CPR and babysitting are available for those wishing to be certified. The design (and for the older program) implementation of, a project of benefit to the community is also part of the Moorelands Youth Leadership Program.

The culmination of the Leadership Program is a visit to Moorelands Camp, located on Kawagama Lake near Dorset, Ontario. At camp, participants are given the opportunity to practice the skills they learned in the program through activities like canoeing, kayaking and rock climbing. The competence they have gained helps them to work collaboratively, confidently lead activities, and demonstrate their ability to peacefully resolve conflicts. Each leadership program runs once a week, each working with 14 registered participants.

Moorelands Youth Leadership Programs stand out from other leadership activities because:

• They are one of the few skill-building, multi-activity programs serving the high-needs, under-resourced neighbourhoods we work in. Moorelands offers affordable, extra curricular options to families in need
• Our groups are small – 14 youth to 2 staff – allowing for one-on-one attention
• They focus on helping young people to become leaders in their own lives – to deconstruct media messaging, analyze the world around them, to communicate effectively, to examine their values and the values of those around them and to make thoughtful decisions
• Our program activities are vehicles that encourage and foster the Moorelands Model of Citizenship. Participants learn that they are part of a larger community, a community comprised of diverse cultures, ages, behaviours, personalities and needs. Our model teaches kids that every person matters and that all actions have consequences. We encourage participants to use the values and behaviours they have learned and practiced in their youth leadership program, outside the classroom to become strong and caring young people in their communities

These are registered programs with a program fee of $30 per year per participant ($15 collected in October, and $15 in January) with flexible instalment options available. Registration is required. Spaces are limited. Flexible instalment options are available. The programs taking place at Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute and Valley Park Middle School are open to students of these schools only. For more information, please call Katie Wright at 416-466-9987 Ext. 305.