Community Knowledge Centre - Toronto Community Foundation

About this organization

Mission

Scadding Court’s mandate is: To support and foster the well-being of individuals, families, and community groups by providing and encouraging both local and international opportunities for recreation, education, athletics, community participation and inclusive social interaction.

Our work is focused on making this community a better place to be and on collaborating with and supporting others who want to do the same. Most issues that people, groups or communities face are multi-layered and have individual, community-wide as well as societal / systemic dimensions. For this reason Scadding Court is committed to being active on different levels.

In addition to providing services and programs, we therefore strive to build community capacity and support people interested in working toward local and “big picture” social change. Much of that work is happening around the issues of diversity, discrimination, racism and social exclusion.

History of Organization

Scadding Court Community Centre (SCCC) was built in 1978 as one story, 55,000 square foot facility. Its founding vision was that of a community-controlled centre with a social/recreational focus and mandate which allowed people in the neighbourhood to plan and develop their own services and activities. Our programs have always responded to community needs. SCCC has, over time, built a reputation for innovation, working with youth and being at the forefront of community development that relates to issues of equity and diversity.

In March 1976, the Scadding Court Advisory Board was struck to oversee the project’s completion and to obtain operating funds. The development of Scadding Court was carried forward by the residents of our area, which expressed their strong support by signing petitions, attending public meetings and working patiently and persistently on long series of committee and planning sessions. In June of 1979, Scadding opened its doors to the public with a celebration involving many of the community members. Since that time, Scadding Court has evolved to become an organization known for high quality social and recreational programming, particularly for children, youth and people living with disabilities as well as for progressive community and social development projects and activities that extend across the City.

Accolades and Accomplishments

Known for “thinking outside of the box”, Scadding Court’s accomplishments include:

• Establishing the City’s only Emergency & Occasional Childcare Program
• Being Toronto’s first community centre with a community garden
• The unique, annual Gone Fishin’ event, which transforms our swimming pool into an indoor urban fish pond filled with rainbow trout
• Outer Limits - international youth programs that provide life-changing experiences and build local and global community connections
• Coordination of the Community Education & Access to Police Complaints (CEAPC) partnership, which plays an active role in the ongoing reform of Ontario’s police complaints system
• The Investing in our Diversity Scholarship Program, which (with partner Toronto Community Housing) has awarded over $300,000 in post-secondary scholarships to marginalized young people in recognition of their community action on diversity issues and fighting racism
• The Catalyst youth program, through which local, marginalized youth are being actively integrated into our staffing model in a meaningful way

 In 2009, Scadding Court received the William P. Hubbard award for race relations. This award was given on behalf of the city of Toronto due to the numerous advancements made in the community in relation to access to equity and the advancements of human rights. 

Programs

>Centre of Excellence for People Living with Disabilities
>The Catalyst Program

Scadding Court is a multi-service centre and offers a very wide range of programs. Our programming streams include child and youth programs, support for children and families, immigrant services, programming for people living with disabilities and seniors, recreational programs, food security and urban agriculture and community development. Contributing to both individual and community health is implicit in the work that we do. Since Scadding Court opened its doors, inclusivity and accessibility has been a focus and we strive to make our programs accessible to people from all walks of life as well as to people with differing abilities.

Many programs are supported and enhanced by partnerships. Our diverse partners include local community agencies, food banks, shelters, schools, community groups, local businesses and institutions like hospitals, the Toronto District School Board, the Toronto Police Service, Toronto Community Housing and the City’s Department of Parks, Forestry & Recreation.

On any given day, hundreds of individuals visit Scadding Court to participate in community swims, after-school programs, senior social programs, athletic programs. Others come to experience social inclusion, receive child care, get assistance to help them integrate into and find a place in Canadian society, bake delicious food in the community kitchen, or simply relax and communicate with each other. Open computers draw people into the centre, students attend the Alexandra Park Neighbouhood Learning Centre literacy programs onsite and the TDSB operates an alternative school program out of the centre.

Each of these initiatives is geared at community integration and cohesion, disassembling ideologies of race, class and difference, and promoting a healthy, safe and sustainable relationship with the world around us.

Centre of Excellence for People Living with Disabilities

The Centre of Excellence program promotes a supportive, healthy environment for people living with or without disabilities. Through dynamic programs such as Swim and Social, weekly Drama Interact and the Drama Interact summer camp, an inclusive environment develops to build interpersonal skills and community cohesion.

Participants are encouraged to engage in activities which strengthen their physical and developmental capacities and provide much-needed social interaction in an environment free of discrimination. Friendships are forged and relationships blossom as individuals participate in programs that strive to integrate all persons more cohesively into our society.

Drama Interact participants expand their sphere of comfort through skits and developing dramatic and field trips encourage community exploration and integration. This program works closely with our YES WE CAN! theatre company, which develops positive messages through drama and performs to audiences at live shows.

Integration of people living with disabilities into overall programming streams is done through staff and volunteer supports, applying an accessibility ‘lens’ to facility changes, events, equipment purchases and program planning, and engaging individuals and disability groups in community and social development initiatives.

Funding and Program Partners

The City Of Toronto: Community Services Partnership program generously provides funding that supports the Centre of Excellence program for People Living with Disabilities.

Program Impact

Centre of Excellence initiatives are a cornerstone of Scadding Court’s mandate to supply accessible and inclusive programming to all community members. These programs are very popular and have amazing longevity (25 years for Swim & Social). For some participants, they represent one of their few sources of social interaction and a few have been coming since the programs were founded!

Our safe, non-institutional venue lets individuals commune, socialize, exercise and discuss local events while being provided with tools to enact social change and develop programs to benefit them and their peers. This process also raises awareness among the broader community that people with different abilities are an important and valuable part of that community.

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

“Torontonians report good mental health and satisfaction with life, but a significant number experience high levels of stress. The 2008 health profile of Toronto residents (12 years old and over) reveals that: One quarter (25.5%) are sometimes or often limited from participation in activities by disability or illness.” (Toronto’s Vital Signs®, 2009)

People living with disabilities have extremely limited access to recreational facilities and programs. This presents a significant barrier to their health and wellness. Our programs provide the physical activity, social connections, and access to information that support healthy lifestyles.

Participant Vignette

“The Drama Interact program and Swim and Social program, have given me the opportunity to develop closer relationships and make new friends. These programs have given me a reason to leave my home and to socialize in an environment that is wholesome and productive and that allows me to grow inside. The program coordinators are vibrant and exciting people who make me feel at home and try very hard to develop itineraries that never let me or anyone else feel left out.

Throughout the years that I have been attending Scadding Court, I am grateful for the regularity of the programs and their consistency. It is nice to have regular events to attend for they give my week structure and discipline; and I find myself looking forward to in the days to come. The programs are convenient in that I can participate when it is convenient for me and not that I must fit into a narrow programs schedule. The programs fill my Saturday mornings with laughter and my weekday nights with conversations and games.“ - Dave S., Drama Interact participant

The Catalyst Program

Catalyst is community development “from the inside out”. It uses gainful employment to work intensively with youth who are out of school, out of work and living in marginalized situations. It provides paid employment, training, the possibility of advancement within the centre, mentorship by experienced staff, individual counselling and support and many opportunities for personal and professional development. 

Catalyst objectives are to: 

• Identify where a young person is at in their life
• Assist them in setting and achieving personal goals
• Support their professional and personal development
• Provide specific and transferable employment skills and experience
• Connect interested youth with further educational and/or training options   

Participants work in Scadding Court’s Greenhouse Café, urban agriculture, children’s programs, community development activities and support agency outreach and community consultation. For example, youth in the Café receive Foodhandler Training and certification and gain experience in ordering supplies, financial transactions, customer service, food preparation, marketing and menu development. Those working in children’s programs are trained in First Aid, child development and program planning and evaluation. All participants also gain transferable skills that can be retained through a lifetime of employment.

Funding and Program Partners

Currently Scadding Court Community Centre independently supports and provides all resources related to the development and implementation the Catalyst program.

Program Impact

Catalyst works intensively with 10 – 15 youth. It integrates them into the community through paid employment, building their networks, making them role models and providing a meaningful community role. Young people also get connected to available opportunities, are encouraged to participate socially and politically in local initiatives and have work that is socially beneficial and career advancing.

Catalyst changes lives. It lets participants chart their own path and pursue it in a way that works for them. It builds confidence, support systems, skills and provides hope. Integrating these young people into our staff team (vs. treating them as ‘clients’) also makes Scadding Court’s work more relevant and grounded in the community.

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

“Youth unemployment in the Toronto Region surpassed 20% in June 2009: Youth in the Toronto Region have been particularly affected by the contraction in the economy. The unemployment rate in June 2009 for 15-24 year-olds rose to 20.1% from 15.3% in June 2008. (Toronto’s Vital Signs®, 2009)

At the Catalyst Program, youth work in a supportive community setting that capitalizes on their strengths, addresses their challenges and supports personal development. A sense of belonging emerges as they make friends and colleagues, interact with the community and become role models to children. Catalyst youth are paid in accordance with community sector standards so that they can support themselves. 

Participant Vignette

“My name is Ali Jimaleh and I have been working at Scadding Court for two years. Scadding Court has become like another family for me. Working there every day keeps me occupied, out of trouble and gives me the space to figure out what I want to do with my life. What I want to do in life has always been the hardest thing for me and I still don’t really know but I have been able to identify my priorities and to focus on them, like my family. The assistance I have gotten with my schooling, job skills and getting to know other people who work in this field has really helped to build my resume. I have gotten a lot of training, some of it in areas I did not even know I needed training in! Working here has exposed me to so many different things and given me so much experience that whatever field I choose to go into, there will be something from Scadding that will help me.

I learn a lot from the staff, enjoy being here and feel like I am really part of the team. I enjoy the different areas I work in, from the kitchen to newcomer services, to Summer Camp and to the Outer Limits International program. At this point I feel like I can pass on some of what I have learned to newer participants, one of which is my own cousin. I feel at home when I am here – a home away from home.”