Scene from the park with children and families standing around a bouncy castle at Regent Park

Community Programs and Events in 2017-2018

We’ve been busy over the past two years while working on everything from design refinement to sustainability plans. With help from friends like Neighbourhood Information Post, Charlie’s Freewheels, Inner City Family Health Team, and the amazing staff at John Innes CRC, we’ve also been having fun and building relationships with Moss Park residents. Take a look at just some of the events and programs run and supported by the More Moss Park team:

Hair Me Now

Hair Me Now provides opportunities for participants to develop basic barbering skills including how to cut, shave, style, and manage their own hair. Through partnerships with local barbershops and community groups, participants are introduced to a new profession while learning new skills. Interested in future Hair Me Now classes? Contact Shava at SMclean@The519.org

Sew What

A group of participants around a table sewing with their hands.

Now entering its eighth cycle of programming, Sew What has taught basic and advanced sewing techniques to over two hundred community members. In addition to learning new skills and saving money through mending clothing, participants learn the skills they need to modify clothing to fit their body type and style, an essential tool for many in our community.

Sew What is taught by two expert garment workers and mentors with deep ties to Toronto’s downtown east. More recently, previous graduates of advanced Sew What classes have been teaching the beginner sessions. Interested in future Sew What Classes? Contact Shava at SMclean@The519.org

Street Eats

Photo of a person chopping vegetables in a community kitchen.

A partnership with Inner City Family Health Team, Street Eats is a peer-led group for current and former residents of Seaton House shelter. Participants take a leadership role in teaching each other how to cook inexpensive and healthy meals, while building friendships and tackling food insecurity.

Check out The Toronto Star’s coverage of the Street Eats Program.

Back to School Bash

Scene from the park with children and families standing around a bouncy castle at Regent Park

Our third annual Back to School Bash was jammed packed with fun community building events. 300+ children and their families participated in games, music, food, dancing, activities and a bouncy castle. Each child left with a backpack filled with back to school supplies. Quickly becoming a neighbourhood tradition, we’re looking forward to our fourth event in 2019!

Girls’ Soccer Day

Three children in sports wear on an indoor gym field.

Recently, over 40 young folks from Moss Park and Regent Park came out to our (first!) Girls’ Soccer Exhibition game. With help from players at Jarvis Collegiate and the Ryerson Rams women’s soccer team, the participants came together, played hard, and enjoyed activities like henna, hair braiding, and more.

Charlie’s Freewheels Build-a-bike program

We were thrilled to continue working with Charlie’s by bringing Spark, a trans youth sports program at The 519, to participate in their build-a-bike program. Participants were taught how to build their own bike and the basics of bike mechanics, and provided everything they need to ride safe and maintain the bike. Charlie’s is on a mission to inspire a spirit of exploration youth, using bicycles to mobilize, empower and engage young people. For the participants of Spark it was definitely mission accomplished!

Math Mates

After listening to concerns of local parents that were voiced during the initial consultation, The 519 developed Math Mates, a free accessible math tutoring program accessible to Moss Park children and youth. We recruited from university students in math and engineering to provide tutoring and mentorship about STEM careers.

Basketball Tournament

We worked with John Innes staff to put on a basketball tournament for four local teams. Just like the one we held during the initial consultation, it was definitely a slam dunk!

Neighbourhood Information Post Seasonal Festivals

Nothing marks a season better than music, food, face painting, and community coming together. We’ve been lucky to work closely with the great team at Neighbourhood Information Post on our initial consultation, and are thrilled to continue to support their seasonal festivals.

Newcomer Sports Day

A group of cheerleaders on the field practising their routine.

In partnership with The 519’s newcomer and refugee programs, we enjoyed a sun-soaked day of relays, soccer, dancing, and delicious food. Competition between the four teams and 100+ participants was fierce, but the opportunity to share a day across many diverse cultures was what really won the day. Stay tuned for 2019’s Newcomer Sports day!