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Youth and Philanthropy Initiative
Youth and Philanthropy Initiative
Student in Grade 10 (English) Civics participate in the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative. YPI is an inclusive, multi-award-winning approach to grant-making that grows compassionate communities by connecting high school students to social issues, local charities, and philanthropy at a pivotal stage in their adolescence. This program aligns with our department goals to create more engaged, compassionate and connected communities where we live, and a more philanthropic future for all.
Please note, the YPI program is currently on hold as the national organization secures new funding and partners.
Grade 10 History students have many experiential learning opportunities such as this Art Peace project with ALPHA Education (Association for Learning and Preserving the History of Asia) and The WongAvery Asia Pacific Peace Museum. This project's aim is to engage students with historical knowledge and critical thinking about the scourges of war, and their connections to oppression at three intersecting levels within society: cultural, structural and personal. Students produced visual art products to address and prevent hate-motivated decisions and actions during WWII and beyond and celebrate the human spirit of resilience, hope and humanitarianism. Students received a guided tour of the Asia Pacific Peace Museum to interact with historical artifacts, testimonies of survivors and participate in round table discussions of the past, present and the future we want to create. A spring exhibit of student work will take place in 2026.
IMG_8055.MOVOn Thursday March 5, students and staff from Loretto Abbey attended the launch of the “Threads of Memory and Art: Spark, Imagine, Peace” exhibit at the Toronto Botanical Gardens. The event highlighted the partnership between Alpha Education and the Asia-Pacific Peace Museum and the TCDSB that included in-school workshops, visits to the museum, and culminated in a showcase of student-created art. The students' artwork was on display in an impressive exhibit of over 400 student artworks from 19 schools across 3 school boards. In attendance were many esteemed guests including TCDSB Director of Education Dr. Brendan Browne and TDSB Director of Education Stacey Zucker, superintendents, and MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam. Two grade 11 Loretto Abbey students, who participated in the project, were invited to speak as part of the student panel. Daniela Navarette and Saomai Nguyen stood out as highlights in the opening discussion with thoughtful responses to the moderator's questions. The event was a powerful display of student learning, highlighting the significance of both history and art education, as well as student voice. It also was an inspiring display of the hope that young people have for a peaceful future.
This is an example of work completed by our social scientists at Loretto Abbey. In the Grade 11 Intro to Sociology, Anthropology and Psychology course, students explore human behaviour. They investigate how our thoughts, experiences, relationships, cultural beliefs, and social environments influence who we are and how we behave. For their culminating inquiry, Why Are People So Mean?, students select a real-world incident involving violence, discrimination, prejudice, or other harmful behaviour and investigate the factors that may help explain why it occurred or why certain individuals or groups experience victimization. The goal is not simply to describe what happened, but to investigate why it happened. This sample concept map shows how students develop research, critical thinking, and analytical skills while discovering how the social sciences can help us better understand complex human behaviour and contemporary social issues.
In Grade 11, students can take Raising Healthy Children, a practical course that provides real life experiences in caring for and working with children. Students participate in a guest speaker series, featuring many career pathways such as pediatric nursing, genetic counselling, social work, child psychology, education and midwifery. The course culminates in students teaching a kindergarten class keeping in mind emotional, physical and cognitive development.
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