Community Knowledge Centre - Toronto Community Foundation

About this organization

Mission

Harmony Movement was founded with a mandate to promote harmony and equity in Canada. Our mission is to advocate equity, diversity and inclusion by educating and empowering youth to become leaders for social change. We recognize the importance of diversity education for students, educators, community organizations, and individuals. Our interactive and innovative programs confront prejudice and teach the value of embracing and respecting differences.

In 2009-2010, Harmony Movement facilitated over a hundred diversity and equity programs in school boards, community organizations and service providers throughout GTA and southern Ontario. We worked with Toronto youth, especially in priority neighbourhoods, to spread the message of diversity and inclusion. Our federally-funded Project Peace: Inspiring Diversity Arts and Equity Initiatives engages youth in three Toronto priority neighbourhoods in issues of equity, diversity, citizenship and inclusion through arts and culture.

Harmony Movement works extensively with such Toronto-based community organizations and social services agencies as YMCA, Boys and Girls Club and Community Microskills Development Centre, as well as with City of Toronto Parks and Recreation, to deliver and facilitate community workshop targeted at community youth.

History of Organization

Harmony Movement was founded in 1994 to combat prejudices and discrimination and to confront the "us vs. them" attitude that was prevalent in Canada at that time. Our Harmony Award is presented annually to individuals and organizations who made significant contributions in the promotion of harmony and equity. We award ten June Callwood Harmony Scholarships each year to university-bound students who are active and exemplary in combating discrimination and fighting for social justice in our society.

In 1997, Harmony Movement mounted the Them = Us: Photographic Journeys Across Our Cultural Boundaries exhibition and partnered with over eighty local and regional organizations on a national tour that reached over 75 communities in all ten provinces. Toronto venues included the Galleria at BCE Place and the ROM, among others. The exhibit continues to travel, most recently with the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

In 2000, Harmony Movement pioneered the use of multimedia resources to supplement curriculum materials to assist educators in promoting diversity and dealing with cross-cultural issues in their classrooms. Developed with the University of Toronto, our Exploring Harmony educational resource kit has been adopted by schools and universities across Canada, including the Toronto District School Board.

Accolades and Accomplishments

Harmony Movement is the recipient of 1998 Award of Distinction from Canadian Race Relations Foundation. However, our greatest accomplishment is the feedback we receive from our students, parents and educators who have been involved in our programs, as well as word-of-mouth reputation generated among the school boards and various communities. Harmony Movement is also the subject of numerous newspaper articles and radio interviews. A sample of the feedback we received:

Chris D’Souza, Faculty of Education, York University: “The practical manner in which students learn about cultural proficiency, respect and empowerment is truly innovative and I know of no other program in the province that is doing this kind of social justice work.”

Parent, Toronto Heschel School: “I think it was just an incredible program, so many different presentations, so much depth, and so much creativity- a wonderful way to educate people.”

Grade 7 Student, Highland JHS, Toronto District School Board: “At the beginning of the Harmony program I was kind of shy and didn’t really know why I was there. But I quickly found out that there was so much to learn about diversity, and about the meaning of true leadership. I think that the Harmony Movement made me a better person.”

Programs

>Diversity Leadership Certificate Program (DLCP)
>Project PEACE
>LINKS Student Retreat

Diversity Leadership Certificate Program (DLCP) is an eight-week extra-curricular leadership training program that challenges youth to recognize and strengthen their leadership skills, while positively affecting social and attitudinal change in their school and community. 

Harmony Generation Girl is designed to provide a group of young women with a ‘safe space’ to discuss issues that are relevant to their daily lives and focuses on advocacy and helping young women to create positive change in their communities. 

Harmony Workshops are highly interactive and energetic workshops that lead participants to understand how their own identity affects their attitudes and behaviours towards specific groups. 

Harmony IDEAS: (Integrated Diversity and Equity Action Strategies) is an anti-oppression and anti-discriminatory professional development workshop that introduces an integrated approach to promoting safe learning and working environments. 

Harmony Assembly addresses all aspects of diversity including race, religion, age, ability, region, sexual orientation, class and gender.  A typical assembly brings together 300-500 students and takes them through the themes related to building respect for diversity.

Harmony True-U works to abolish the mentality of hetero-sexism and homophobia within youth culture, and promotes an environment of encouragement and support. 

Harmony LINKS (Leadership, Initiatives, Networking, Knowledge, Sustainability) is a youth leadership weekend onsite retreat focusing on diversity, equity, personal growth and youth empowerment.

Harmony ImpACT: Theatre 4 Change empowers youth through the use of dramatic arts.  Regional and global topics are infused in the education and training to create a forum where students can explore issues of diversity and equity. 

Harmony Summer Series provides training sessions and workshops for camp counsellors, youth campers, volunteers and community organizations.

Diversity Leadership Certificate Program (DLCP)

The Diversity Leadership Certificate Program (DLCP) is an eight-week extra-curricular leadership course that challenges youth to recognize and strengthen their leadership skills while developing a healthy and positive social and attitudinal change in their schools and communities. Youth are made aware of the impact of prejudice and discrimination in their lives and are encouraged to develop personal strategies to address these issues.

This program, offered at both the elementary and secondary school levels, is an opportunity for both teachers and students to gain respect for others from diverse backgrounds, understand the complexities surrounding issues of inclusive schooling, and critically analyze the stereotypical aspects of youth culture as presented in the media. Developing a strong sense of identity and understanding of self re also core elements of the program.

Each Diversity Leadership Certificate Program (DLCP) consists of eight one-hour sessions plus a final project of presenting diversity workshops to classes or school assemblies at the same school or at feeder schools. Each of the approximately 30 students selected for the program are given assignments that encourage them to creatively address all aspects of diversity including race, culture, religion, ability, class, and region.

Funding and Program Partners

Government Funding: Ontario Trillium Foundation, Citizenship and Immigration Canada.  Corporate sponsors: Partners in Harmony (RBC, CIBC, TD Bank, BMO, Scotiabank, OPSEU, CAW-Canada); Manulife Financial.

Program Impact

Each of the approximately 30 students selected for the program are given a formal, eight-week training with a final project. After the formal training, the students, in groups of 2 or 3, in turn present their final project-workshop to a class of 30 students or a school assembly of about 400-500 students. The multiplier effect is in the order of 20 per student. Last year the DLCP programs provided direct training to 450 students in 18 Toronto schools, with a secondary impact of approximately 9,000 students.

Toronto's Vital Signs® indicator(s) addressed by Program

 "Only 5% of children in city's neighbourhoods with the highest numbers of 6-12 year olds have after school programs." (Toronto's Vital Signs®, 2009)

The Diversity Leadership Certificate Program was designed to help counter this existing reality.

Participant Vignette

"Thank you for everything during the Harmony program. The students really enjoyed it and learned a lot. The student led workshops left an impression on the larger student body and I’m sure we’ll have more Harmony member next year."

Mark Burstein, Guidance/ACL Student Life, Victoria Park CI (Toronto District School Board)

"I am so happy that our students had the opportunity to learn about stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination. Programs like Harmony never existed when I was in school and I’m so glad that we were able to teach the future generation about diversity. You’ve made a difference here at Lord Roberts and I look forward to seeing and working with you again next school year."

Ali Jahangir, Principal, Lord Roberts Junior Public School (Toronto District School Board)

"I enjoyed the program just as much as the kids did! You taught ALL of us a lot. You truly made a difference in all the kid’s lives."

Breanne Hayes, Lord Roberts Junior Public School (Toronto District School Board)

"The program is amazing. After eight weeks, not only did I see an improvement in attitude and a sense of purpose in each of my students, but, collectively, the whole school benefit from the exercise. There’s a renewed learning spirit that is spread like virus from the program to the rest of the school."

Lorraine Csenge, Resource Teacher, Bishop Allen Academy (Toronto Catholic District School Board)

Project PEACE

Project PEACE is a three-year initiative that engages marginalized youth through leadership skills-building, peer-role modeling, community engagement. The project is an opportunity for youth to be exposed to diverse arts, to explore ideas about Canadian identity, and to increase their leadership and mentorship skills.  

Project PEACE unites youth from diverse backgrounds and neighbourhoods in Toronto and empowers them to be leaders of diversity and peace through self-exploration:

• Change Through Equity draws participants from the Jane/Finch, Jamestown and Malvern communities to engage in discussion of violence, learn conflict resolutions skills, and use media literacy as tools for change to create short video documentaries on social issues.
• Peace Tree Spirit inspired by the award-winning children's film The Peace Tree, elementary and middle school-aged students are exposed to diverse arts, traditions, and cultures, in order to gain leadership skills to spread the message of peace in their schools and communities. 
• Arts.For.Equity allows young people to explore ideas about Canadian identity, stereotypes and the effects of the media in a summer workshop series.  The youth expressed themselves and showcase their communities through the visual and performance arts in creative and transformative ways.

Funding and Program Partners

Partially funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, through their Multiculturalism program. Corporate sponsors: Partners in Harmony (RBC, CIBC, TD Bank, BMO, Scotiabank, OPSEU, CAW-Canada) and Manulife Financial.  Program partners included Toronto District School Board’s Office of Student and Community Equity, and Safe and Caring Schools and Alternate Programs, Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, Gallery 44, and Art Gallery of Ontario.

Program Impact

Change Through Equity had over 100 student participants from three priority neighbourhoods in Toronto mentored by professional filmmakers to create innovative videos on social and environmental issues.  Their works were showcased on June 25, 2010 at Toronto District School Board’s head office.

Peace Tree Spirit had over 100 elementary school students participating in workshops weekly from April to June and over 500 youth participating in a one-day Peace Tree Day Toronto event at Mel Lastman Square on June 1, 2010.

Arts.For.Equity attracted 50 talented young people from across Toronto to participate at a workshop at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Their work was showcased in September 2009 at a community event held at the AGO.

Toronto's Vital Signs® indicator(s) addressed by Program

“Overall, the sense of belonging is growing in Toronto and strengthening our community, but the Region’s diversity is still not reflected in its leadership.” (Toronto’s Vital Signs®, 2009)

"A recent study points to much lower levels of feelings of belonging among Canadian-born minorities...The greater the discrimination faced, the more someone was likely not to identify themselves as Canadian." (Toronto’s Vital Signs®, 2009)

Project PEACE is a successful venue that has enabled communities to come together and celebrate their respective cultures and traditions in order to make an inclusive environment.

Participant Vignette

"I think it’s just wonderful what Harmony Movement is doing with our students.  Like magic, we see our students going into a Harmony program and coming out again all transformed, becoming  better students, and more importantly, better citizens."

Glenford Duffus, Superintendent, Toronto District School Board

"Wow, this is truly amazing.  The weather is beautiful here at Mel Lastman Square and it’s nice to see all the kids coming into one place to interact with everyone from everywhere.  And I can’t believe the food we have."

Grade 5 student from Rose Avenue PS, Toronto District School Board, participating in Peace Tree Day Toronto 2010

"I really learned a lot making our video.  We thought we have a very good video, but you should see all the others.    They are simply amazing.  I feel more strongly than ever that I can go out and change the world with my video camera."

Grade 12 student from Emery Collegiate Institute, Toronto District School Board, participating in Change Through Equity Film Showcase

LINKS Student Retreat

LINKS (Leadership Initiatives, Networking, Knowledge, and Sustainability) is a student leadership retreat focusing on diversity, equity, personal growth and youth empowerment. The weekend retreat fosters an understanding of diversity and equity issues within society, and empowers youth to take an active stance against discrimination.

Student participants in this retreat live in camp quarters during the weekend. As part of their activities, they participated in facilitated workshops as well as guided role-playing exercises and games, and produce their own entertainment and performance shows. This proactive engagements deepens the networking and friendships of retreat participants and challenges them to recognize and strengthen their leadership skills while developing a healthy and positive social and attitudinal change in their schools and communities.

Funding and Program Partners

Corporate sponsors: Partners in Harmony (RBC, CIBC, TD Bank, BMO, Scotiabank, OPSEU, CAW-Canada).  Educational partner: Toronto District School Board.

Program Impact

About 50 student participants spend the weekend in an offsite retreat. By developing a network of youth leaders, students develop tools to bring back to their schools and build partnerships with other youth in order to make sustainable changes.

Toronto's Vital Signs® indicator(s) addressed by Program

"Most Torontonians feel they belong to their local community, but discrimination erodes a sense of being Canadian"

Toronto Vital Signs®, 2009

Participant Vignette

"The Harmony LINKS retreat is exactly the sort of experience that every student should have, for it truly is the experience of a lifetime.  Looking back at this experience, it was not only the large-scale activities and workshops that were crucial for our learning; but we learned through a workshop on communication that there is a major difference between hearing someone and actually listening to them." 

Jenny Chu, Grade 12 student and Kashini Yoganathan, Grade 11 student, Agincourt Collegiate Institute and are members of their school’s equity group called Equi-Knocks.

"The impact of the program was in the real experiences, planned activities and personal depths that I obtained over three days at LINKS that surpassed my expectations.  As for practical impact that we could use in our schools, on the last day of the retreat we prepared action plans for our schools.  We each revealed issues within our schools that need to be addressed.  The aim of our action plans is to create a better school environment, where everyone is accepted.   Everyone at LINKS was open minded, and showed my love and respect because we all recognized ourselves as strong and courageous individuals with a divine strength." 

Christopher Fernandas, Grade 11 student at Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School, Dufferin-Peel Catholic School Board.