A project of Earthroots, Greenpeace Canada, OPIRG Toronto, OPIRG York, OPSEU,the Centre for Women and Trans People at York, and the George Brown Student Association, Tools for Change helps you develop skills to campaign for social, environmental, and economic change.
We host over 20 workshops a year. Workshop costs range from $20 to $50. Scholarships available.
Interested in Tools for Change delivering a speaking engagement, capacity building program, or workshop tailored to your organization’s needs? Contact us at tools.change@gmail.com.
Register for our Certificate in Social Change program.
Join our email list to receive workshop announcements and more.
Become a Tools for Change community partner and have your members attend workshops for free or purchase tickets in bulk (and at a discounted rate) for your members!
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS:
Sunday October 4, 2015 from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM (EST)
This training will cover the principles of workshop design and delivery including how to create a comfortable learning environment, manage workshop logistics, and choose content and tools that caters to different learning styles and levels of participation. This workshop will specifically focus on methods and tools for active participation in trainings. The workshop will explore strategies to deal with common challenges workshop leaders face. Participants will have the opportunity to create a simple workshop design, practice delivering tools and get feedback.
Trainers: Sharmeen Khan has 15 years experience facilitating workshops on a variety of topics such as anti-oppression, media skills and grassroots financial management. She currently works for CUPE 3903 and the Media Action Research Group and edits Upping the Anti: A Journal of Theory and Action. She is also a 2015 fellow with the Training for Change Judith C. Jones Fellowship.
Please contact: Demetria Jackson at tools.change@gmail.com, for more information about the workshop.
HOW TO FACILITATE GREAT MEETINGS
Wednesday October 7, 2015 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM (EST)
Attending, facilitating and participating in meetings are a major part of movement building. They can be inspiring, hellish, or somewhere in between. The quality of a meeting depends a lot on good facilitation. Facilitators aren’t supposed to run the show, and they do more than keep track of who wants to speak. Come learn and share strategies for fostering good communication, equity, active listening and effective decision making for meetings of all shapes and sizes.
Trainers: Leah Henderson is a city staff person for City Councillor Shelley Carroll, and a long time community organizer.
Please contact: Demetria Jackson at tools.change@gmail.com, for more information about this workshop.
Thursday October 22, 2015 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (EST)
If you are reading this, there is a good chance that you’ve suffered from burnout at some point in your life. Perhaps you have also witnessed friends, colleagues or even whole organizations in various levels of exhaustion. Drawing from the collective wisdom of all participants, we will examine what burnout looks like, how it can be prevented, and ways it can be addressed. On the flip side, you will be invited to examine what resiliency looks like for you. Together we will explore various tips and tools to ensure that when things get tough, we can all bounce back a little faster.
Trainers: nisha ahuja shares Attmic Energy Medicine, Reiki & Yogic Medicine, is studying to be an Ayurvedic Practitioner and Therapist (Centre for Ayurveda and Indian Systems of Healing) and is also an actor, physical theatre creator, writer, singer/songwriter, and arts educator having performed and created classical, contemporary, and original work in Canada, the Netherlands, and India. She shares the Self-Healing Through Yoga Series several times a year, co-manifested the Ayu-Yog Meditation Retreat For Women and Trans Indigenous Peoples and Peoples of Colour (with Sairupa Krishnamurti) and is one of the facilitator/members of Brown Girls Yoga Collective. She is also known for her summer series of Yoga in Dufferin Grove Park. nisha’s workshops on justice and addressing cultural appropriation within North America’s growing yoga “culture”/ industry and dharma spaces, brings her to collaborate with TREE (a branch of Third Root Community Health Centre, NYC) as a facilitator with Yoga Teacher Trainings programs across North America. She dedicated to dissolving the boundaries between art, traditional/ancient medicines, spirituality, and politics, and believes healing practices are revolutionary and fundamental to our collective liberation. www.nishaahuja.com , https://yogaappropriation.wordpress.com
Please contact: Demetria Jackson at tools.change@gmail.com, for more information about the workshop.
NAVIGATING CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Saturday October 24, 2015 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM (EST)
The purpose of this workshop is to develop skills to resolve conflict within our groups, deepen our understanding of conflict dynamics, and explore long-term strategies to build a climate of equity, constructive communication and internal cooperation. This workshop will provide participants with space to discuss and practice de-escalation and conflict resolution methods.
Trainer: Brook Thorndycraft has taught Interpersonal Communication and Restorative Justice at George Brown College, and has been involved in resolving conflicts in a number of community, personal and work settings. She sees conflict as an important part of communication, and enjoys figuring out how to make it constructive, rather than destructive.
Accessibility: All workshops are held in wheelchair accessible spaces. There are single stall, gender neutral washrooms available on some floors of the building. More information on accessibility will be provided once the room is confirmed.
Please contact: Contact Lindsay at opirg.toronto@gmail.com for more information about the workshop.
ART FOR ACTION: STENCILS AND SCREEN PRINTING
Sunday October 25, 2015 from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM (EST)
Art is an integral tool in advocating for environmental, economic and social justice. Visual images help us communicate complex ideas, reach new and different audiences, reinforce our key messages and inspire people to join social change movements.
This workshop will give you hands-on experience designing and cutting stencils and using screens suitable for printing posters, placards, t-shirts and more. Bring your creative ideas to practice with, and be inspired by examples of what has worked well. Space will be limited to 30 participants, so register soon to avoid disappointment.
Trainers:
Ryan Hayes is a Toronto-based artist and activist who works with grassroots social movements to advance social justice campaigns with art. Ryan is a member of the Radical Design School, a collective which organizes events and workshops that bring art and politics together.
Sheila Hewlett is an artist and maker of things that lives in Toronto. She uses found materials, fibre (thats paper too!) glass and stencils in her own work and has made many many posters and protest materials for various social justice groups over the years. She is convinced that the path to a better tomorrow is through enabling thoughtful cultural production. This conviction has led her to organize events with No One Is Illegal, Radical Design School and in various educational institutions.
More info: please contact laura.severinac@greenpeace.org
Sunday November 1, 2015 from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM (EST)
Whether organizing a brainstorming session, community building, or involved in a demo, blockade or rally, food not only sustains, but also brings people together. Yet feeding groups of 20 to 100 can seem daunting. This workshop will provide the tricks of the trade to simplify the process.
We’ll look at the logistics involved in feeding crowds, matching meals to events, creating field kitchens, sourcing affordable and local food, and building cooking crews. This will be an interactive workshop with some hands-on food prep, recipes, and event planning scenarios. Come with an appetite!
Trainer: Christine Renaud is an activist organizer, vegan caterer, public library communications and outreach manager, and a founding member of Food Not Bombs in Prince Edward County.
More info: Please contact Laura.severinac@greenpeace.org
Saturday November 14, 2015 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM (EST)
How does City Hall work? Can I actually create and win a campaign at the municipal level? What are all these committees, and deputations? Come to find answers to these questions and many more, and learn tips and secrets to running community based campaigns to win change at City Hall.
Trainers: Syed Hussan is a community organizer who worked on the successful declaration of Toronto as a Sanctuary City. Leah Henderson is a city staff person for City Councillor Shelley Carroll, and a long time community organizer. Claudia Calabria is a city staff person for City Councillor Shelley Carroll.
Please contact: Jessica Bell at jessicambell@gmail.com for more information about the workshop.
Saturday November 28, 2015 from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Creating compelling graphic materials is essential for the success of an organization’s communications strategy. This workshop will empower attendees with fundamental design skills, including creating effective layouts, choosing and using fonts appropriately, and crafting materials adequately for print and web formats. This workshop will include a lecture with basic design theory and lots of real-world examples, as well as hands-on exercises and group discussions that will help solidify design concepts.
Trainer: Tina Matei is a multidisciplinary designer and educator. She has worked on several campaigns for Greenpeace Canada, and is currently teaching Graphic Design at McMaster University. She holds an undergraduate degree from the York-Sheridan Design Program and has completed a Masters in Urban Design from University College London. Tina enjoys empowering others through creative learning experiences.
Accessibility: All workshops are held in wheelchair accessible rooms. The building includes single stall, gender neutral washrooms on some floors. More accessibility information will be made available once the room is confirmed.
Please contact: Lindsay at opirg.toronto@gmail.com with any questions.