Community Building and Partnerships
Muskoka Students Write Letters to Mental Health Community Partners
As part of an activity that shed light on mental health awareness, learners in Grade 5 to 7 at three elementary schools from Trillium Lakelands District School Board wrote letters to community partners asking questions about their interest in or involvement with mental health supports. Learners asked questions such as what inspired them to be a therapist, how they deal with anxiety and depression, and how they support kids experiencing anxiety. Learners then received letters back answering their questions, deepening their understanding of mental health knowledge and supports in their own communities. Check out the article Muskoka Students Write Letters to Mental Health Community Partners to learn more.
Growing North
Enactus Canada is Canada’s largest experiential learning platform connecting post-secondary learners with service learning opportunities for meaningful social change, while also gaining real-world experience through entrepreneurial action. Stephany Nieto and Benjamin Canning met through their mutual involvement with Enactus at Toronto Metropolitan University and collaborated to tackle the food crisis in Northern Canada. Their project called Growing North utilized hydroponic growing technology to address issues of food security and bring locally grown produce to remote communities. The duo has since graduated and their project has transformed into a non-profit organization now known as Green Iglu. Since 2015, the team has built three geodesic greenhouse domes and established an educational outreach program that trains local community members to work in the greenhouses. They also partner with local high schools to talk about horticulture and nutrition. Check out the article From Growing North to Green Iglu to learn more.
Georgian College Establishes iCo-op and eCo-op
Georgian College is changing the nature of co-op by offering two unique experiences for learners: Innovation Co-op (iCo-op), through which learners work within an interdisciplinary team and alongside community partners to tackle complex social issues facing their communities such as affordable housing and food insecurity; and Entrepreneurship Co-op (eCo-op), where learners can work with mentors and industry experts on their startup ideas. For example, Emilie Ah-Fock partnered with HeyLocal, an online marketplace that allows local businesses to connect with customers in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, to provide technology and onboarding support as part of Georgian’s iCo-op. Check out the article iCo-op Surpasses Expectations to learn more.
Activity 1: Test Your Knowledge
Now that you’re familiar with the 17 UN SDGs, let’s test your knowledge! Connect the changemaking practice to the correct checkpoint(s) in the following 3 question quiz. To complete the quiz, choose the correct response(s), click the “check” button to check your answer, then use the blue arrow to advance to the next question. Repeat until all 3 questions are complete.
This activity is untimed, you may have as many attempts as you would like and your scores and/or attempts are not tracked.
