When people belong, communities thrive. How are you connected to other people? We gathered Torontonians from different communities and walks of life to discover how we are each connected and what it means to belong.
Maybe it’s your mutual dislike of cilantro or your love of pets that connects you. Or maybe it’s something else. Have you’ve ever felt left out, anxious about money or needed forgiveness for a mistake? Have you ever felt stereotyped? There are a thousand ways, big and small, that we’re connected to each other. By exploring what we have in common, we can see how we’re connected and how we belong.
This year’s Toronto For All campaign was developed with the support of Canadian Race Relations Foundation and the Torontonians who came together through community consultations on belonging in our city.
New this year, the City of Toronto is supporting 12 community and resident-led groups with Toronto For All community grants. These grants provide residents in neighbourhoods across Toronto with opportunities to build belonging through community initiatives. Find out more about these grants below.
Toronto For All is a public education initiative to generate dialogue among Toronto residents. The campaign helps create a city that says “no” to all forms of discrimination, including systemic racism.
For communities experiencing hate, resources and support are available.
We feel a sense of belonging when we are connected to community, when we are heard, understood and valued. Belonging protects against isolation and alienation, helps build empathy, resilience and safer, stronger communities.
In Toronto and across the world, we build belonging in many ways. Be it volunteering in our local communities, through our mosques, churches and synagogues, by way of relationships with our neighbours, friends, families and communities, through sports and the arts, by advocacy and activism and more.
Browse resources on fostering belonging and combatting hate below.
The Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) is a federal Crown corporation mandated to raise public awareness of the causes and manifestations of racism in Canada. Their vision is a Canada free of systemic racism and hate. They work to strengthen the social fabric of our society by supporting, enabling and convening community groups and organizations through grants, services and a network of public, research and community partners.
New this year, the City of Toronto is supporting 12 community and resident-led groups with Toronto For All community grants. These grants are providing people in neighbourhoods across Toronto with opportunities to build a sense of belonging and inclusivity through community. Find out more about these grants below.
| Recipient | Project Details |
|---|---|
| Bhumi | Bhumi is led by women who are also immigrants to Canada. Recognizing that many new immigrants are too busy to have a chance to explore the city’s vibrant natural spaces, they are holding a multi-day event called ‘Serenity’ to engage both new immigrants and seniors in Forest Bathing – a Japanese-inspired practice of mindful, quiet walks amidst nature. |
| Bridges of Belonging | Led by three Afghan women who each left Afghanistan at different times but met in Canada, Bridges of Belonging are creating spaces where newcomers can connect with people who have been here for 10 or 20 years. The group will host a series of creative, hands-on workshops designed to foster self-expression, build community and create pathways to economic empowerment for newcomer women. |
| Care for All | Led by three Black women with lived experience of poverty, they aim to use their lived and professional experiences to support marginalized communities in Malvern. Care for All is a wellness fair with interactive workshops and community building, local wellness practitioner mini market, and a children’s corner increasing accessibility for families. |
| 42 Voices of Malvern | 42 Voices mission is to openly and inclusively engage residents in a dialogue around community issues. With a goal of helping youth and residents in the community start their own business dreams, this group will introduce residents to various food locations in Malvern to make connections with local food store owners and have them share their knowledge about how they got into the business, where they get their produces from, other supply chain logistics, business opportunities and constraints, their customer base, type of food they serve, pricing and more. |
| Flemingdon and Thorncliffe Parenting Support Initiative | A South-Asian women-led group formed by parents, for parents, they held four peer-led parenting workshops with a goal of equipping parents with practical strategies to strengthen family relationships, support their children’s mental well-being and bridge the cultural gap between immigrant parents and their Canadian-born children. |
| Gordonridge Youth | A community-based group dedicated to serving and empowering youth in the Gordonridge area and broader Scarborough community. Grants supported a Gordonridge Community Day, designed to bring residents together, celebrate community spirit and connect families with local resources while providing youth with a key role in planning and running the event, gaining valuable leadership experience. |
| KGO Connects | KGO Connects has been active in the Kingston-Galloway/Orton Park (KGO) community since 2020. The group held a KGO Empowerment Day to support newcomer families and equity-deserving residents by doing a school supply giveaway for 200+ families on low incomes with school-aged children. There were also live performances by local Black and newcomer musical artists as well as interactive art and music workshops for children and youth. |
| Mental Health for Refugees | This group created opportunities over three days this summer for refugees to come together in a safe space to speak, connect and find healing. |
| Multicultural Pride in Scarborough | Free to attend, “Scarborough’s Multicultural Grill & Chill Bonanza’ is a one-day BBQ event held for community members who identify as low income and 2SQTBBIPOCSA+. Multicultural Pride in Scarborough provides resources, supports and accessible services for 2SQTBBIPOCSA+ multicultural youth who identify as differently-abled and are navigating mental health issues. |
| Muslim Freedom Fund | This group supports Muslims living in precarious spaces in Toronto, offering direct support to people who are detained, experiencing homelessness and or newly immigrated. They held a ‘Roots & Nourish’ community gardening day that brought together local residents for a day of planting, learning and community building. “It’s not just about planting food – it's about planting belonging, healing and resilience.” |
| Nurturing Youth Excellence | Nurturing Youth Excellence provides girls from low-income families in the Jane and Finch community to competitive basketball for free. This summer, they held a weekly Girls Basketball & Leadership Camp, providing free and high-level basketball training, nutritious meals and life-skills workshops. By nurturing both athletic and personal development, this group strives to equip girls with the tools to break cycles of poverty and build brighter futures. |
| Way Out Foundation | The Way Out Foundation held a ‘Back 2 School Bash’ before the school year started. Founded by individuals with lived experience of gun violence, they are dedicated to violence prevention, community empowerment and youth engagement in the Galloway and West Hills community. The Back 2 School Bash brought families and youth together, providing students with resources like free backpacks with essential school supplies, and motivation they need for a successful school year while creating a safe and positive space. |
Learn about and download materials related to the City’s public education campaigns supporting civic resiliency. See past campaign overviews and posters that are not featured above select from the list below:
The initiative is a municipal tool that supports the civic resiliency for all Toronto residents. Civic resiliency is the capacity of a group of residents or community to adapt to the evolving complexity and diversity of their social environment by building good relationships and viewing these changes as a strength. Civic resiliency can be measured in residents’ awareness of – and engagement with – the systemic barriers that exist for people in their environment due to group membership. Implicit biases, negative attitudes, stereotypes and prejudices negatively impact our civic resiliency.
The City, as the government closest to residents, must lead public dialogue that can support the civic resiliency of Torontonians for the benefit of all Toronto residents. The initiative is also designed to support customer service improvement efforts across all City divisions by equipping staff to better understand their own biases or stereotypes that may prevent them from providing the best service to Torontonians from equity-seeking groups.
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