On February 24, Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) students from the Non-Profit, Education and Childcare programs at Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School and St. Basil-The-Great College School took part in their Sector-Partnered Experience at Toronto Metropolitan University with Popy Dimoulas-Graham from Charity Republic.
Charity Republic is a Canadian-based social enterprise established in 2010 that seeks to promote positive social change through volunteerism and community engagement. Charity Republic has developed three distinct software platforms as a solution for volunteer management for non-profits. Their software is currently in use by over 35 school districts and universities, helping students and staff track and manage: hours, community service learning, volunteer activities, co-operative education, practicums, internships, and SHSM requirements.
Our day started at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Student Learning Centre, where our guides, Hiya Joshi and Krisztina Incze, led us on a campus tour highlighting many TMU spaces of interest. Samantha David, Manager of Tours and Events in the Office of the Registrar, led our students through an overview of TMU’s academic programs, student life, and the admission process. We then attended a presentation by Salman Rana, Assistant Professor in the School of Creative Industries and the School of Professional Music, with a discussion on copyright, law and culture, and socio-legal theory. Students also got to hear directly from Kaitlyn Pontanilla (TCDSB-Mary Ward Alum), Academic Coordinator at TMU, and Hirra Farooqi.
We then met with members from TMU’s Social Venture Zone, visited iBZ where we learned about the work of Fibra’s founder Parnian Majd, B.Eng, M.Eng, and the co-founders of Project CAHTA, Fahmida Parvage and Jazmyne Mohamed. Students then worked in groups to develop and present their solutions to the challenge questions from Fahmida and Jazmyne.
Our heartfelt thanks go to Popy Dimoulas-Graham for organizing an informative and thought-provoking Sector-Partnered Experience for our students! We look forward to our future work with Charity Republic and TMU.
