What resilience looks like: My first 90 days at Dixon Hall

I started my new role as the CEO of Dixon Hall on May 22nd and this week marks just over 90 working days for me. I’ve lived in this downtown east community for several years now and I had no idea what  starting a new job in my community would look like. I had a concept of what working for an agency with such a rich history in a community with great need might be like, and did my best to manage expectations and to enjoy whatever new experiences came my way.  But I had no idea that I would (so early on) have experienced moments with community members and staff that will resonate with me for the rest of my life.

What I’ve witnessed is resilience.  The stories that have been shared with me from the diverse community members we support, our ability to adapt the programs we are implementing

Director of Employment Services, Haris Blentic shares how his team is adapting programs to the changing job market.

Summer is an exciting time of year for young people, and the students of Dixon Hall Music School are no exception.

Every summer, our Music School offers camps for students, and opportunities to attend cultural and sporting events in Toronto. Our students have seen the Toronto Blue Jays in action, attended the Shaw Festival, and gone to the opera. One of the highlights of the Music School’s summer calendar is the chance to attend a one-week overnight camp at Hart House Farm in Caledon.

The summer camp runs for two weeks in July. The first week is for older students, ages 11 through 16, and the second week is for younger students, from 8 to 11.

Highlights of this year’s Senior Camp

Adolescence is a challenging transitional time, so counselors focus on helping campers express themselves in new and creative ways. When they aren’t practicing their instruments and enjoying the picturesque setting at Hart

Lo and Mat started Fourth Saturday in January 2018, both inspired by individual community experiences. Lo lived abroad in Australia for three years, using Meetup Groups frequently to make new friends and exper ience different parts of Sydney. When she returned home to Toronto, she found Meetup Groups were lacking, and that meeting new friends with similar interests was challenging.

Enter Mat. Mat had recently volunteered with a non-profit that helped organize the Kensington Market Winter Solstice Parade. The entire experience was memorable for him, especially post-celebration, when volunteers and festival performers enjoyed a potluck meal.

Together, Lo and Mat came up with the idea of a group that would gather people in the downtown east end, to meet like-minded people and do good in the community by volunteering with a local organization. After volunteering, the group would socialize and get to know one another better, by supporting a local restaurant or café.

Dixon Hall Manager of Children and Youth Kenneth Slater wins a Bhayana Family Foundation award.