Community Knowledge Centre - Toronto Community Foundation

About this organization

Mission

Toronto City Mission exists to meet the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of families by having workers that live among the families of our city’s poor communities and partner with others to achieve positive change.

History of Organization

The Toronto City Mission was established on November 14, 1879 to reach people in neglected and needy parts of the city. Every Christmas since the 1890’s, the Toronto City Mission has provided assistance to poor families. In 1891, the Mission also established an Outing Fund to give shut-ins and children a day in the country. These initiatives signaled a shift in emphasis from assisting the poor in institutions to working with inner-city families. Toronto City Mission was incorporated on December 3, 1910. In 1930 a property located at 608 Spadina was purchased to house the TCM offices and provide a home for the TCM superintendent. For some years, the TCM operated a food bank at these premises.

Beginning in 1999, the Toronto City Mission sharpened its focus and changed is strategy to concentrate on children and families in needy communities in Toronto. Part of the strategic change was the decision to work in a number of specific communities and to go to the families rather than asking the families to come to the Mission. We currently run programs in Jane-Finch, Willowtree, St. James Town, Malvern and Bridletowne. In 2010 Toronto City Mission sold it’s 608 Spadina Property and re-located to 2610 Birchmount Road in Toronto.

Programs

>Role Model Moms
>Teens Leading Communities (TLC)

St. James Town (Toronto, at Wellesley and Sherbourne Streets):  

• After school tutoring and mentoring for children
• TLC (Teens Leading Communities) program for young teens
• Senior High youth programs
• March Break and “Sonshine” Summer Day Camps
• Family Camp
• Conversational English and mentoring for employment

Willowtree (North York, near Willowdale and Finch Avenue): 

• After school tutoring and mentoring for children
• Evening sports, dance & cooking for children & young teens
• Evening BLING (Bring Love in Girls) for 9 to 13 year old girls
• Pre-school babysitting for women seeking employment
• Single mother life skills sessions
• March Break and “Sonshine” Summer Day Camps

Malvern (Scarborough, near Neilson Road and Sheppard Ave.):  

• The celebrated Toronto City Mission Children’s Choir
• Women’s support groups for recent immigrants
• Pre-School/Moms’ Groups
• After school tutoring and mentoring for children
• Lunch discussion group for children and youth
• March Break and “Sonshine” Summer Day Camps

Bridletowne (Scarborough, near Warden and Finch Avenues):  

• ESL training for recent immigrants
• Employment mentoring for those seeking work
• After school tutoring and mentoring for children
• March Break and “Sonshine” Summer Day Camps

Jane–Finch

• Role Model Moms (G.E.D. program for single mothers)
• 7 weeks of summer day camp

In addition, all our sites offer our Adopt-A-Family Program to participants in need of Christmas Assistance. Each family member receives gifts valued at $70.00 consisting of a $30.00 gift certificate to the store of choice, a $25.00 food voucher and $15.00 which is applied to the Christmas dinner in the area the family lives. For example, a family of 1 adult and 3 children would receive $220 in direct benefits and $60.00 in indirect benefits.

Role Model Moms

The main goal of Role Model Moms is to equip women with the academic knowledge, confidence, and life skills necessary to successfully pass the high school equivalency exam regulated by the government of Ontario. It is our hope that by attaining a high school equivalency diploma, moms would have improved opportunities of employment that would better meet their family’s needs. This program provides the babysitting services which allow mom’s to attend class without having to worry about the expenses of childcare.

Funding and Program Partners

World Vision has been the sole sponsor of Role Model Moms and they have generously agreed to fund the program until September 2011.

Program Impact

Role Model Moms is designed to develop the academic skills and knowledge of each participant to a level commensurate with high school completion. The skills and knowledge gained through the program would transfer to the daily tasks and responsibilities of participants, equipping them in the decisions of daily life. The program is also designed to develop the confidence of each participant as well as the life skills of time management, daily disciplines, and communication through coaching and support. Increased capacity in these areas would translate into increased capabilities to negotiate the demands of raising a family.

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

“High school completion key to success:  

• 18.6 percent of those in the region 15 years old and over, had not completed secondary education in 2008 (a drop from 32.3 per cent in 1990).” 

“Education and prosperity are closely linked and successful cities rely on continuous learning.  An educated population contributes to the city’s wealth, but income disparities leave some far behind.” (Toronto’s Vital Signs®, 2009)

Participant Vignette

Gladys is a 45 year old single mom raising five children. Her oldest child is 18 and the youngest is 18 months. Gladys immigrated from Peru and does not speak English as her first language. She described trying to champion education as a value for her children; however, she felt hypocritical doing this as she herself had not completed high school. She also felt very embarrassed when unable to assist her 12 year old with what she described as “simple” math homework.

Gladys faithfully attended class. She thrived within the program and excelled specifically in math. Gladys began to enjoy the math classes and described to the instructor how her confidence in math grew with each passing day. Halfway through the cycle Gladys came to class early to tell the instructor how she had helped her daughter with homework the previous night. She was so thrilled that what we had been working on in class the day before was the very same material (although more advanced) as what her 12 year old was now learning for the first time. This became a regular occurrence for Gladys. She would help her daughter with math homework almost daily. Gladys graduated from the program in May and four of her five children attended the ceremony (her oldest son was absent as he had to work that evening). They were extremely proud of their mother, and Gladys was even more proud to have them all witness this milestone in her life. She described how she truly felt like a “Role Model Mom”. After completing the program.

Teens Leading Communities (TLC)

Teens Leading Communities is a successful program that gives underprivileged youth the opportunity to believe that they can become leaders in their communities. Teens develop strong leadership skills and learn to give back to their communities. The teens are given guidance throughout the year and then assume leadership roles in our Summer Day Camp program. For this, they receive a small honourarium and for most of the kids involved in the program this is their first introduction to the workplace. The TLC program focuses on improving the ability and talents of young people for their future in education or employment.

The program is offered to students who live in the neighbourhoods we currently serve and have participated in one or more of Toronto City Mission programs. These individuals display initiative and leadership capabilities. There is not discrimination with regards to race, religion or gender. Our aim is to simply encourage those with leadership potential to hone their skills and reinvest their talents back into their communities. Those interested in participated in our TLC program are required to submit an application and be interviewed by Toronto City Mission staff.

Funding and Program Partners

The Charis Foundation and CIBC have both generously provided funding to offer the TLC Program in the St. James Town and Willowtree Communities of Toronto.

Program Impact

• enables each participating teen to build their confidence and become leaders in their communities
• make wise decisions
• be positive role models 
• pursue post secondary education
• recognize, understand, and value themselves, particularly in relation to others

TLC participants will give back to their communities and help break the cycle of poverty. 

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

“Most Torontonians feel they belong to their local community, but discrimination erodes a sense of identification with Canada:

• 65.6% of Torontonians feel a strong or somewhat strong sense of belonging to their local community, an increase of 7.4 percentage points between 2005 and 2008” 

“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)

Teens Leading Communities gives underprivileged youth the opportunity to believe that they can become leaders in their communities, thereby increasing their sense of belonging.

Participant Vignette

Neil started attending TCM programs at the age of 5, and is now 16 years old. Neil is a Senior TLC participant, sort of a “mini intern” with TCM. He also teaches Sunday School at his church and works hard to bring positive change to the people in his community. Neil shard with a Toronto City Mission worker that: “Life as a child before TCM was a pretty boring experience. All I did was go to school, get picked up by my babysitter, go home after and go to sleep. Not so much fun from a child’s perspective! I am also told that I was a bit of a bully. One day my Mom saw a group of kids playing outside a church in St. James Town. She found out that the kids were part of a program with TCM called “Kids Club” and signed me up for it. That one decision changed my whole life and helped make me into the person I am today. The influence of this program helped me to maintain my grades at school and solve personal issues that arose from bad influences. My greatest gratitude goes to two very special people in my life, TCM staff Elita and Elliott. They invested many hours in me and helped me change my life, they are my role models. "