SS :: Special Interest Discussion and Action Groups

Special Interest Discussion and Action Groups

U of T Family Care Groups | OISE Groups | University of Toronto Toastmasters

U of T Family Care Office Ongoing Groups and Events

Do you feel like you are the only student on campus who has children and/or family responsibilities? Have questions on how to balance your family and study life? Wish you could connect with other students who share your concerns? Pre-register online for the following groups at www.familycare.utoronto.ca. If you want to know more about our workshops, family events, news, etc, sign up for our listserv - email us a request at family.care@utoronto.ca.

♦ Lunchtime Series for Student With Family Responsibilities

Dates, times, and location to be announced shortly.

This lunchtime series consists of brief interactive sessions customized for students with family responsibilities. Students will have an opportunity to learn, share, and find support by exchanging ideas and stories in a supportive and inclusive environment. Lunch provided.

♦ Brown Bag Lunch Series for Dads

Dates and location to be announced shortly

Time: 12 to 1:30 pm

Nobody gives you training to be a father and kids certainly don't come with a user's guide or an owner's manual. Meet other fathers at U of T to discuss parenting issues, find support, share experiences and ideas.

♦ Pregnant & New Moms Group

Dates: Wednesdays, September 28, October 12 & 26, November 9 & 23

Time: 3:30 to 5:00 pm

Location: Centre for International Experience, 33 St. George St.

A bi-weekly drop-in for U of T pregnant and postnatal women to gain insight into various aspects of pregnancy including nutrition, emotional and physical changes, labour and delivery, and post-partum issues such as feeding your baby and taking care of yourself, find support and access resources. Meet guest speakers, exchange ideas and experiences with other women regarding various aspects of pregnancy and life with baby.

U of T pregnant & postnatal students, staff, faculty, and post-doctoral fellows are welcome; at our discretion, pregnant & postnatal partners will be allowed. Online pre-registration desirable but drop-ins are welcome too.

Fall Program Facilitator: Jody McDonald, Senior Lecturer, Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing

♦ Saturday Drop-in for Student Families

Dates: Last Saturday of the month: September 24, October 29, November 26, December 17; January 28, February 25, March 31 and April 28

Time: 10 to 1 pm

Location: U of T Family Resource Centre, 7 Glen Morris St .

An opportunity for U of T student parents and their significant others to connect and network in a relaxed setting, while their children (up to 5 years of age) interact and play in the same room.

Registration not required.

♦ Peer Support - Student parents helping student parents

The Family Care Office coordinates a peer support program for student parents who have just started at the University of Toronto (or have just had their first baby since being at the university), so that they can connect with another student parent who has been studying here for at least one year; please email us if interested.

OISE Groups

♦ Greening OISE
Welcome to OISE and please let us introduce ourselves. The Greening OISE Committee came into being through a grass-roots commitment among faculty, staff and students towards building a green community. Since that time, the Committee has been meeting on a monthly basis and is working on sustainability, reducing waste and energy, and promoting positive environmental change, both physically and through education.
During Orientation and continuing throughout the year, we will be offering OISE stainless steel water bottles and mugs for sale. Please help to reduce waste and support the OISE Greening Committee with future events and initiatives. OISE has established a Sustainability Advisory Committee. Student nominations will be held in September. Please watch for the announcement. The Greening OISE Committee will work with the new SAC to promote future events and initiatives as well as with the reduction of waste.

To register for workshops, please visit MYSS http://www.studentservices.oise.utoronto.ca/workshops.aspx

Greening OISE Film Screening – Water on the Table – Free Join us for the official launch to our Greening OISE year. Come to our screening of the powerful film ‘Water on the Table’ produced by Liz Marshall. Join Liz for a Q & A afterwards. Come get a head start on activism at OISE. Register online at OISE site (http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/studentservices/) Contact Jane for more information; jane.forbes@utoronto.ca . Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011. (5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.) Main Floor Library 252 Bloor Street W.

♦ IETCs (Internationally Educated Teacher Candidates) Discussion Group
This group is designed for those who have attended school, lived or worked outside of Canada for an extended period of time, and who may be experiencing linguistic and cultural challenges in the teacher education program at OISE. The group is to build a support network among IETCs through sharing resources and strategies on issues including: cultural conventions in Ontario classrooms, linguistic and cultural resources for New Canadian and/or non-native English-speaking teachers, strategies for succeeding in the pre-service program, job search, etc.. The group will meet once a month for about an hour. We will e-mail you to let you know about our first meeting.

♦ Addressing the Questions and Concerns of LGBTI2SQ Teacher Candidates

Are you an OISE Teacher Candidate?

Do you identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trangendered, intersexed, 2-spirited, queer or questioning?

Beginning in October 2011, there will be a series of meetings to address many of the questions and concerns that LGBTI2SQ teacher candidates may have. These meetings are meant to provide a positive and affirming space to discuss issues that are pertinent to LGBTI2SQ educators.

Should I come out?
How do I come out?
Should my students know?
How will my principal react?
What will the community say?
How do I navigate various school systems as a queer person?
What do I do if I experience harassment?

Although there are no clear-cut answers to these questions, we can learn a lot from the experiences and perspectives of other educators like you.

When: October 20th, 2011
Where:Room 5-250
Time: 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

♦ Issues Facing Racial Minority Teachers
This study group welcomes students interested in exploring the challenges, issues facing minority teachers in our schools. The group will be examining the roles that these teachers play in relation to other members of school community, that is, other visible minority students or teachers, students and teachers from other cultures, and school administration. Come and share with us your experiences as students. The group hopes to come up with strategies for communication/working across cultures. The next sessions will take place from 4-6 on:

♦ The Future Teachers Initiative
We are pleased to introduce the Future Teachers Initiative. The Future Teachers initiative is an outreach program at OISE that encourages high school students, particularly from underrepresented groups to become teachers. The aim of the Future Teachers Initiative is to:

Promote equity in the teaching profession;

Encourage underrepresented youth to consider teaching as a career;

Create awareness of community and societal needs; and

Provide opportunities for teacher candidates to grow and develop as professionals and role models.

Teacher candidates will be invited at a later date to participate in the Future Teachers' Initiative as part of their internship requirement at OISE.