1000 Schools Challenge

Does your school or youth group wants to run an action campaign to raise awareness or shift policy to make refugees’ transition better?

• Is there a refugee issue that your student group thinks people should know more about, for example travel funding for all refugees coming to Canada?
• Are there programs or policies you think should be in place, for example the HOST program to match refugees with community support?
• Are there some myths that you want to see busted?
• Do you want to draw attention to a group of refugees or displaced people whose needs aren’t on the public radar?

The Canadian Council on Refugees has one well-informed list of current refugee issues.

Schools have a key role to play in helping educate today’s children in global citizenship. There are rich learning opportunities related to refugee issues.

Could your school find a week where every student did some learning about refugee issues at the same time? Can you find a way to share what your students have learned?

Teaching Resources

Share with us how your school created a safe and welcoming space for newcomer students. From great English language support and academic catch-up or timely referrals, to making sure students have friends to eat lunch with … how did your school build a community of welcome?

Join us

There are strong local community organizations to help newcomers settle in Canada. Partner with one of them. 

Your school could establish a group to provide hands-on settlement support to a family of Government Assisted Refugees – from finding housing to negotiating schools and health care. 

For example, students at London, Ontario’s First Avenue Public School created a micro-business selling jewellery they made – with all profits going to support local refugee settlement. Fifth Street Public School in Toronto’s inner city held a clothing drive.