Kids & Families
The Kids and Families Team aligns with the mission of SURJ Toronto, but focuses on organizing and mobilizing families, parents, caregivers, youth, and others who are invested in children- and family-centred organizing and community building. This guides our education efforts, our actions and campaigns, and our partnerships and collaborations. We engage in various kinds of work, such as:
Building and sharing skills and resources around talking about race and racism with our children
Nurturing spaces and opportunities for creative/meaningful participation for kids in SURJ Toronto events and broader organizing
Engaging in and supporting advocacy in the spaces and places where we are and may have sway (to challenge white complicity, for instance, when racism manifests in our school systems, daycares, etc.)
Providing child care and other supports to Black, Indigenous, and racialized parent organizers
Supporting family-focused initiatives led by Black, Indigenous, and racialized people through targeted resource redistribution, collaboration, and showing up when/how our participation is called upon
Family Separation in Canada: A Resource and a Call to Action
Many structures, policies and practices of the Canadian state have long driven multiple forms of family separation, particularly for Indigenous, Black, migrant, and racialized families. Take action and call for justice for ALL families.
Grassy Narrows Zine
This zine was created by youth in attendance at an event in support of Grassy Narrows. At the event, they learned about the ongoing mercury poisoning, government failures to provide proper cleaning, treatment or compensation, and the impact of this on the community there.
Kids for Defunding the Police
SURJ Toronto held a facilitated arts workshop for kids and youth where we asked them to imagine a world without police. We were blown away by the brilliant work they came up with. Check out the zine.
School-Based Fundraising
School-based fundraising is a social justice issue. Read our step-by-step guide to taking action against structural inequity in the public school system.
Tip Sheet Archive
Easy ways to support the organizing work of Black, Indigenous, and racialized people, and help make your schools and communities more open and inclusive spaces for all kids and families. Although these are an archive of tip sheets created in the late 2010s, many of the actions are still relevant today.