Toronto District School Board
Skip to main content

Programs

The Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement offers a variety of programs, initiatives and engagement opportunities for students and families. Program offerings are designed to fulfill the mandates of the Centre and are in alignment with the TDSB’s Multi-Year Strategic Plan Towards Excellence in the Education of Black Students: Transforming Learning, Achievement and Well-being.

Programs, initiatives and opportunities are focused on honouring Black students’ experiences and strengths and ensuring their needs are met.

Our current program offerings are:


Black Student Summer Leadership Program

Led by our Graduation Coaches for Black Students, the Black Student Summer Leadership Program provides one-of-kind experiential learning opportunities to secondary students and introduces them to a variety of professional pathways. Students receive mentorship and training and are paired with a for-profit or not-for-profit organization that matches their area of passion. This program supports students in their development of social and professional networks, transferable skills and in the long-term aims to support the increase of the number of individuals identifying as Black in careers in which they may be underrepresented. Students enrolled in the Black Student Summer Leadership Program are paid for their contributions.

Advance Industry Music Discovery Program

Participating students are able to explore different career pathways in the music industry (e.g., content creator, data analyst, royalty administrator, marketing manager, etc.) and learn about opportunities not often explored in traditional education settings. Through this program, Black youth are connected with industry executives and professionals in the music business and receive mentorship and skill development opportunities.

Black Girls’ Book Club

The Black Girls’ Book Club is a space for Black girls to build community, explore new ideas, new stories and new ways of self-expression. The club is a forum to celebrate the voices and the stories of Black women writers.

Pathways to Public Relations

In collaboration with Humber College Faculty of Media and Creative Arts, and Code Black Communicator Network, this program explores pathways into the Public Relations and Communications industry. Students will be introduced to different areas of focus within public relations and communications such as media relations, social and digital media, public affairs, event management and content creation. Students will also learn about scholarship opportunities, career mapping and hear from industry professionals.

Pathways to Veterinary Medicine

In partnership with the Black Veterinary Association of Canada, this program supports TDSB Black students in Grades 7 to 12 who are interested in career opportunities as Veterinarians or Veterinary Medical Paraprofessionals (e.g., Veterinary Technologists, Animal Care Attendants, Animal Hospital Managers, etc.). This 6-week program explores the various aspects of veterinary medicine including what veterinarians do, career opportunities and requirements to apply to veterinary colleges. This program offers support and mentorship to Black students interested in pursuing a career in veterinary medicine.

Youth Participatory Action Research

Students develop their competencies as leaders in community-based research projects and become agents of social change. In this space students are honoured as they share their experiences navigating the school system and their community. In addition, students engage in reflection and conversations to develop their critical consciousness to recognize systemic barriers and forms of oppression.

Black Student Success and Excellence (BSSE) Initiative

This initiative engages educators and school leaders around issues of anti-Black racism in schools by creating opportunities through which educators and students build their critical consciousness in relation to race and learning in schools and classrooms.

Summer Learning Programs

Summer learning programs provide students and families with rich Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogical (CRRP) programming alongside strong literacy and numeracy practices. Many students enrolled in the Pre-Kindergarten “Inspire to Excel”, Model Schools Summer School and Continuing Education summer programs participate in virtual African Drumming, Storytelling, Spoken Word, Visual Arts and/or Reggaecise activities with community-based arts educators. Students are encouraged to engage in activities that reinforce positive racial identity, honour the lived experiences of learners and explore methods of creative expression.

Career workshops

Workshops are offered throughout the year which focus on a variety of career pathways.

To learn more about our programs, please visit the News section or contact cebsa@tdsb.on.ca

Connect with Us!

The Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement focuses on improving the academic outcomes and experiences of belonging for Black students. The Centre of Excellence strives to support meaningful engagement and advocacy of caregivers and communities, improve communication about Black student success and provide guidance with system navigation.

Location: 2239 Lawrence Ave E, Scarborough, ON, M1P 2P7

Office phone number: (416) 396-2351

Email: cebsa@tdsb.on.ca