It’s shaping up to be an active and dynamic season at ICL. We launched our flagship People, Power, Change course in collaboration with the Cooksville and South Markham neighbourhoods and with the support of United Way Greater Toronto. We’re delivering sessions to both communities online and empowering their drive for change. Alongside People, Power, Change, our team has delivered a weekend-long training session with the National Association of Friendship Centres to cap off a hopeful September for changemakers.
As we continue our fall of change, you too can join us for the journey, bringing along those in your life who are passionate about transforming their community in big and small ways, here and now.
On the social front, we were delighted to host our first official Network Night - a chance for folks to share their stories and learn how ICL can help them take their next steps on their journey of change. We're looking forward to sharing our next major event - the largest one of the year! Scroll down to read on.
Network Night
ICL is home to a living, breathing and growing community of unique and inspiring organizers, and we were delighted to get together in person with supporters, changemakers and fresh faces earlier in September. Our Network Night unfolded in the relaxing atmosphere of Imperial Pub at Yonge-Dundas, near ICL’s base at TMU. People came together to share their stories of change and connect with those leading the way in transforming their communities, making the event a resounding success! Thanks to all who came, mingled, and showed that we truly are stronger together in our passion for positive change.
Chatelaine features Olivia Chow and ICL!
In their latest issue, Chatelaine Magazine spotlights our Founder – Mayor of Toronto Olivia Chow, focusing on her pivotal role in teaching grassroots organizers while she built ICL with our team. For Olivia, ICL is at the heart of her extraordinary legacy and embodies her vision of positive, inclusive and transformative change across Canada – with over 10,000 change leaders trained since 2016 alone. We will be celebrating ICL and Olivia’s collaborative legacy at our Anniversary event this November, as we look back with pride and look forward to a future of hope and progress. We would love for you to join us. Stay tuned!
National Association of Friendship Centres
On September 23 and 24, we led an in-person training with the NAFC on TMU's campus. Indigenous instructor and organizer Dawn Maracle took participants through our flagship course, People, Power, Change, and Advocacy Training How to Lobby your Elected Representative, in preparation for the NAFC’s November 30th Day of Action, with harm reduction and combating gender-based violence in Indigenous communities grounding this training as key priorities for the NAFC and their members.
September 30th marks the 10th Annual Orange Shirt Day and the 3rd National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Phyllis (Jack) Webstad founded Orange Shirt Day, and the Orange Shirt Society was founded to spread awareness of residential schools' ongoing inter-generational impact and to reinforce the reality, as well as the idea, that "Every Child Matters." Friendship Centres across Canada are organizing significant events to honour the survivors and tragedy of those who never returned home. You can use NAFC's tool to discover your local Friendship Centre and find out more here.
Cooksville and South Markham
On September 27, we launched our flagship People, Power, Change course virtually for the Cooksville and South Markham areas, with the vital support of United Way Greater Toronto. If you live or work in either neighbourhood, you can still register here, as we're extending the deadline to this Sunday, October 1, to make the opportunity more accessible.
Having attended community tables to engage, learn and connect with residents in these areas, our team gives participants the fundamentals to make meaningful systemic change at the grassroots level. We're excited to continue guiding breakout sessions for the remainder of the seven sessions and to see the progress of their organizing goals in their communities. Participants will finish the course ready to tell their stories with a developed organizing statement and the tools to carry out their strategies and tactics. Our facilitators will provide ongoing support for their progress. If you have questions about future course opportunities, please contact JP at [email protected].
Aging Well Campaign
If you are a caregiver, close to someone who receives eldercare or want to see healthcare justice for the aging, we invite you to join our Aging Well Campaign.
This special ICL course aims to develop an advocacy-to-action campaign working with different communities and lobbying all levels of government to secure resources to improve our long-term care system in all spaces for aging.
An experienced organizer will facilitate your goals to improve eldercare. You will finish this eight-week session ready to tell your story with a developed organizing statement, the tools to plan your strategy with the group and the tactics to transform advocacy into action.
The course will run every Tuesday from 7:30-9:30 pm EST for eight weeks on Zoom starting on October 26. Please register here to receive the Zoom link. If you have any questions, contact JP at [email protected].
We should age in the communities we call home and receive the right care at the right time and in the right place. Together, let's win a new deal to age well in Canada!
