The goal of the Modern-Day Griot project is to give Black UTSC students the skills and ability to showcase the strength and beauty of the Black community and give them the opportunity to heal and share, using the principles of Nguzo Saba (Imani (spiritual), Kuumba (creative), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Nia (purpose), Ujima (responsibility), Umoja (unity), and Ujamaa (cooperative).
Over the years, MDGP has provided a safe space for Black students to reflect on their identities and share their stories. MDGP participants also mentor Durham District School Board (DDSB) students, providing them with insights into post-secondary education and offering a counter-narrative to the exclusion they may feel in traditional academic spaces. The program integrates critical discussions on media, storytelling, and self-perception, encouraging students to ask, “Who am I?” using an Afrocentric lens.

Launched in 2022, March Break Health Professionals Career Week introduces high school students from underserved communities to holistic, community-rooted healthcare settings, and to provide opportunities to engage with diverse healthcare professionals in the City’s East end. Through case studies, students explore the roles and services within these pathways. Additionally, in collaboration with Scarborough Health Network and Michael Garron Hospital, the profram offers students the chance to observe hospital operations, interact with healthcare professionals, and tour various hospital departments. Following the exciting announcement of the Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health, this program was created to provide students in the Scarborough area with exposure to the future opportunities and advancements coming to their community.

SEE U of T Scarborough (SEE UTSC) is an access program and collaboration between the University of Toronto Scarborough (U of T Scarborough) and the Toronto District School Board (TDSB). SEE UTSC brings Black and Indigenous-identifying students from partnering Scarborough schools to UTSC, developing each – academically, personally, and professionally – through 10 months of programming to prepare for their post-secondary transition. Our vision is providing a pathway for participants to see post-secondary studies as an option, and to see the University of Toronto as a place where they belong and thrive. Throughout SEE UTSC, our primary goal is empowering students to develop self-efficacy. We provide opportunities and tools to each, enabling them to make informed decisions based on their academic and professional priorities.

Pursue STEM is a science and math enrichment program for high-achieving Black students in Grades 10, 11, 12, with various science activities and experiments lead by faculty and students at the University of Toronto. The program is delivered in partnership with the Leadership By Design (LBD) program of the Lifelong Leadership Institute. The LBD program provides innovative leadership development opportunities to promising Black youth in the Greater Toronto Area.
Students enter the program in Grade 10 and from February to June participate in hands-on Saturday workshops in astronomy, biology, chemistry, computer science, earth science, environmental science, physics, mathematics, and statistics. The goal of the activities is to excite students about science and math at a time when they are making crucial decisions that may open or close university STEM pathways.

The project seeks to develop intentional pathways to attract future Black educators and provide multi-faceted supports to assure their success in OISE’s Master of Teaching (MT) Program. Research and policy indicate that teachers’ identities fail to reflect student diversity in K-12 schools and contribute to inequitable outcomes as students miss the benefits of representative role models. This proposal purposefully centers the need for targeted attention to Black applicants, noting the shortcomings of generic EDI approaches to address the persistent gaps and barriers experienced in post-secondary and K-12 education.

The U of T Mississauga Bridging Pathway (UTMBP) offers mature students (at least 20 years of age) the opportunity to be admitted to University undergraduate studies when they do not meet traditional admission requirements and have been away from formal education for some time. Students who successfully complete the required credits in the UTMBP may proceed to part-time or full-time degree studies at UTM, depending on their average, with their credits counting towards an undergraduate degree in an Arts stream.

Reach Ahead to Kinesiology: Black Youth is a week long March Break program where students spend a week immersed at the University of Toronto and discover what it’s like to be a student at the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE).
Students will learn all about the exciting field of kinesiology through interactive workshops and activities while connecting with staff and faculty members in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education. Students will explore career paths and graduate level studies available with a bachelor of kinesiology degree. Overnight hotel accommodations and meals are included in the program.

Reach Ahead to Kinesiology: Indigenous Youth is a week long March Break program where students spend a week immersed at the University of Toronto and discover what it’s like to be a student at the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE).
Students will learn all about the exciting field of kinesiology through interactive workshops and activities while connecting with staff and faculty members in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education. Students will explore career paths and graduate level studies available with a bachelor of kinesiology degree. Overnight hotel accommodations and meals are included in the program.

The PRiME Outreach and Mentorship Program for Tomorrow (PROMPT) is developing a new tool for free and globally accessible science education for school age children. Using Roblox, an open software platform, the initiative has “gamified” the learning process to create a free, globally accessible game that promotes molecular biology literacy in children. The progression of the game is driven by the scientific breakthroughs, and the scientists behind them (e.g. Rosalind Franklin), that comprise the core concepts of the field. Concepts include a) DNA structure and base pairing, b) the lock and key concept of enzyme/substrate interactions, c) selective breeding, d) codons and translation e) chromosome karyotypes and f) microbial fermentation.

At Camp U of T Mississauga, children ages 9 – 16 have the opportunity develop knowledge and skills through participating in Academic or Leadership Summer camps through the Department of Recreation, Athletics and Wellness Centre (RAWC), in collaboration with academic partners on the U of T Mississauga campus including the Department of Forensics (Forensics Camp), Institute for Management & Innovation (Climate Camp), Department of Language Studies (French and Chinese Camps), and Leadership Camp (Career Centre).