Celebrating Diversity Archives | Creating Together Parkdale

National Indigenous History Month: Honouring Our History

June 29, 2021 by Melanie

June is National Indigenous History Month, and the 21st was National Indigenous People’s Day. This year, we honour the 25^th anniversary of celebrating the heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.

This year however, we all grapple with a very serious and tragic side of our history, and the month is dedicated to the missing children, the families left behind and the survivors of residential schools – a system set up by the Canadian government and administered by churches that had the nominal objective of educating Indigenous children and indoctrinating them into Euro-Canadian and Christian ways of living. The system forcibly separated children from their families for extended periods of time and forbade them to acknowledge their Indigenous heritage and culture or to speak their own languages. Accounts of horrific abuse among survivors are being shared today, however many children (The Missing Children) didn’t return home, either because they ran away or because they died of abuse or disease.

As families inheriting this history, we have many opportunities to learn about indigenous history and culture – but speaking about this history can be very hard. Yet, it is such an important part of our history as a country, and the evidence of this harsh history are all around us. Take a look at this article by Parenting Today, for quotes about the experiences of survivors, to help your children understand what happened.

You can also honour indigenous history and culture through things like art, crafts, language, stories. Be sure to check out all of the National Indigenous Peoples Day virtual activities happening across the country through Celebrate Canada, and learn more about indigenous history by trying some of these great activities.

Also, we encourage you to watch this reading of “We are Water Protectors” with your children, written by Anishinabe/Métis author Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Tlingit and Haida artist, Michaela Goade and discuss with children the history and ongoing settler-colonialism in what is currently known as Canada.

Happy Pride Toronto!

June 19, 2021 by Melanie

June is Pride Month – a time where people from across the rainbow come together and celebrate the freedom to be ourselves.

Decades of struggle against prejudice and towards acceptance. Pride events around the world are held by folks within the LGBTQ community, along with allies, and give communities everywhere a perfect opportunity to show support, observe, listen, and celebrate. For more educational resources about Pride history in Canada, check this out: https://www.queerevents.ca/canada/pride/history.

Watch the City of Toronto’s Rainbow and Transgender flag raising ceremony: VIEW IT LIVE HERE

Creating Together Recommended Resources for Families

For families with young children, here are some songs, stories, and supportive programs to help you raise awareness and celebrate Pride this month (and every month):

Circle Time About Self-Love

View Circle Time that is all about self-love through self-expression, read “The hips on the drag queen for swish,swish,swish”: https://fb.watch/40IoY5RyJ5/

Books to Celebrate Queer Families and our “Perfect Design”

“I Promise” by Catherine Hernandez and Syrus Marcus Ware, that celebrates queer families: https://fb.watch/40IGJgP1en/”
“I am Perfectly Designed” by Queer author Karamo Brown: https://fb.watch/40RSCQOysH/

Glitterbug

Glitterbug “is a unique mobile program that works with EarlyON Centres across Toronto to promote inclusion and affirmation of gender and sexual diversity among children and families.” Glitterbug combines the understanding of LGBTQ2S inclusion with a play-based learning approach for children and families to develop a broader understanding of inclusion at EarlyON Centres across the city and in the early learning years sector. READ MORE and join them for Queer and Trans Circle Time Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Virtual Pride

Celebrate the strength and uniqueness of 2SLGBTQ+ families and children with a fun-packed hour of online entertainment curated by the Pride Committee, on June 20th, from 2:30-3:30pm. They have been bringing the community families together for 21 years!

Have a great Pride month!

Welcoming the Glitterbug Program

May 25, 2021 by Melanie

June is Pride Month! Join live circle time with the 519 Glitterbug on Wed. June 2nd at 10 am! And, at Creating Together we welcome Glitterbug to our circle EVERY first Wednesday of EVERY month – so we do hope you can make it to June and also to the upcoming circles!

Who / What is Glitterbug?

Glitterbug Programs and Services

LGBTQ2S-affirming Interactive workshops for parents, caregivers, and guardians.
LGBTQ2S-affirming drop-in programming to support queer, trans, and 2Spirit inclusion.
Designated program for LGBTQ2S families
Special events and pop-up visits
Resources

Current Glitterbug Programs for Queer and Trans Families and Gender-creative Children

Virtual Circle Time:
- Tuesday, 3:00 to 3:30pm
- Wednesday, 10:00 to 10:30am
- Thursday, 4:30 to 5:00pm
- Friday, 1:30 to 2:15pm
Interactive Parent/Caregiver Virtual LGBTQ2S Workshops:
- Last Tuesday of each month, starting July 27.
  Workshops are currently being held virtually. We will resume in-person workshops based on Toronto Public Health guidelines.

Have questions or need more information, get in touch with the Glitterbug Program at Glitterbug@The519.org.

For more information about their EarlyON programs and events, visit their EarlyON Program page.

Get your free tickets to their programs on our Eventbrite page.

National Asian Heritage Month

May 18, 2021 by Melanie

Asian Heritage Month is an opportunity for all Canadians to learn more about the many achievements and contributions of Canadians of Asian descent who, throughout our history, have done so much to make Canada the amazing country we share today.

The theme for Asian Heritage Month 2021, “Recognition, Resilience, and Resolve”, embodies the myriad of sentiments that peoples of Asian descent in Canada have experienced and honours their contributions and their diverse stories which are rooted in resilience and perseverance. It is also a call to action for all Canadians to come together to combat all forms of anti-Asian racism and discrimination (https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/asian-heritage-month.html).

Story Times Highlighting Asian Authors and Illustrators

Join Leah for some stories highlighting asian authors and illustrators! Click on the links below, or go right into our Facebook Page and enter the book title in the search bar:

“Like the moon loves the sky” by Hena Khan – The author explains how this book is inspired by the Quran and transcends all belief systems. https://fb.watch/5l5hHxya3j/

“Scribble” by Ruth Ohi: https://fb.watch/40IBWTBriT/

“I Promise” by Catherine Hernandez: https://fb.watch/40IGJgP1en/

Ontario Organizations Supporting Asian Communities

If you are seeking support or further information, Ontario has a number of organizations you can turn to:

Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto
The Centre is a non-profit, non-political organization with the objective to build a Chinese cultural centre for residents of the Greater Toronto Area. The Centre also acts as a bridge between communities of Chinese descent and other communities to promote cross-cultural understanding.
Ottawa Asian Heritage Month Society
The Society is a non-profit organization of volunteers that coordinates celebrations in the National Capital Region.
Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre– Toronto
The Centre fosters mutual understanding and facilitates the exchange of information about Japanese culture with the community at large through a wide range of programs. The Centre also works to build a spirit of co-operation and harmony among people of different cultures by coordinating community events and programs with other diverse organizations.
Canadian Multicultural Council – Asians in Ontario
The Council is an umbrella organization representing more than 20 Asian countries, ethnic regions, and cultures in Canada. It was established in 1998 to promote inter-cultural cooperation among its members and racial harmony through the understanding of cultures and heritage.
South Asian Canadian Histories Association
The South Asian Canadian Histories Association (SACHA) was established in 2016 to bring together art, history, and research. Their aim is to create, facilitate, support, and exhibit arts and research-driven initiatives rooted in South Asian Canadian history, culture, and identity.
Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA)
The Council is an umbrella organization of agencies, groups, and individuals that provide services to the South Asian Community. They envision and strive for a Canada free of all forms of discrimination in which all communities are free from marginalization and are fully empowered to participate in defining Canada’s political, economic, social, and cultural future.

Glitterbug for Circle Time

April 20, 2021 by Melanie

We are so excited that Glitterbug from the 519 will continue their program with us throughout the Spring and into Summer this year!

What is Glitterbug?

For those of you who don’t yet know about this offering, it is a circle time that celebrates diversity of sexual orientations, family configurations, and gender identities that exist among families, with special guests from the 519 EarlyON.

When and How do I Join?

Take a look at the poster below, and click into our zoom channel at 10am on each of the dates listed below!

https://www.the519.org/programs/early-on-child-and-family-centre

See you there!

Links to the 519 Early ON

If you’d like to keep in touch with this program and others offered by the 519 Early ON, take a look at their Website, Facebook Group, or YouTube Channel, and you won’t want to miss signing up to their Mailing List!