Humber College
EN-10: Community Partnerships

The Homework Club is offered at Humber College to students from North Albion Collegiate and West Humber secondary school every Wednesday evening from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Students have access to volunteer tutors (10 Humber College students) for English, math and science homework each week. Each alternating week, students have an opportunity to engage in an activity for 30-45 minutes in one of the following categories: Active, Experience Humber, Learning skills or Social interactive. Microskills is responsible for the recruitment and registration of all students, as well as needed report tracking. Involves 70 at-risk youth, aged 13-17. http://www.humber.ca/today/news/humber-rexdale-microskills-and-tdsb-partner-offer-homework-club-high-schoolers

Located in the Humber Arboretum, the Gardens for Nature Project will demonstrate how residents and community groups can successfully plan, create, and maintain gardens that support thriving populations of birds, butterflies and other wildlife species. Illustrating that urban habitat creation efforts at any scale can provide meaningful benefits to birds, biodiversity and the environment. Gardens for Nature will engage diverse communities and train volunteer habitat stewards with the support of the Weston Family Parks Challenge. https://westonfamilyparkschallenge.parkpeople.ca/

Humber College has been working in partnership with Uniterra on their Leave for Change program for 9 years. This program offers employees the opportunity to participate in a rewarding professional and person international experience.

UNITERRA: 2015-2020 OBJECTIVES
Uniterra contributes to improving the socio-economic conditions of poor and marginalized communities in 14 countries and with over 200 partners in Africa, Asia and the Americas. Uniterra believes that economic growth, when inclusive, is the most powerful driver of poverty reduction. By joining us in this effort, Humber is contributing to improving the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable populations. In turn, Humber also benefits from staff gaining enhanced skills in leadership, cross-cultural communications, wider global perspectives and problem-solving skills.

Example of recent projects in Vietnam: Between 2015 and 2020, Uniterra’s work in Vietnam focuses on skills training for economic growth. The program utilizes an inclusive market systems approach to improve the economic and social well-being of Vietnamese youth and women by facilitating opportunities to access better jobs and income-generating opportunities in the Tourism and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sectors.

More information can be found here: http://www.humber.ca/staff/announcement/leave-change-volunteer-opportunities
and here: http://uniterra.ca/en/partnership/leave-for-change

At the end of 2016, Humber will have supported 51 employees (faculty, admin and support staff) to participate in projects and communities across the globe. Specifically in 2015/16, Humber sponsored six employees who volunteered in Malawi and Vietnam.

To encourage learning of sustainability from a young age, Humber partners with Rexdale Community Health Centre with the support of Power Off and Bright Ideas to provide grants to fully fund trips to the Humber Arboretum including busing for 376 local students.