Professional Activity (PA) Days are popular among schoolchildren in the GTA because they get the day off, while their teachers enjoy some professional development. For the working parents, however, it can be a bit of a scramble to come up with a plan for how – and where - their children will spend the day.
Step in Inclusive Communities Canada (ICCan) PA Day camp at the University of Toronto (U of T), an inaugural event dedicated to creating a fun, safe and welcoming environment for kids of all abilities to enjoy a range of activities facilitated by staff who are committed to ensuring that every child feels included and valued.
“This has been in the works for a few years and it’s very exciting to see it come to life,” said Laura Wagstaff, a master of teaching candidate from OISE and president of the U of T chapter of ICCan, the non-profit co-founded by Maeghan James, a graduate of the U of T Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE), whose doctoral research was focused on supporting active play for children of all abilities in a variety of settings.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for kids with diverse abilities to come together, learn about inclusion and disability and play together.”
ICCan UofT partnered with the KPE Sport & Rec program, which sponsored the event via the equity ideas fund and provided the use of the field house at the U of T Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport free of charge. In turn, the club offered the PA Day camp free of charge for the families whose children registered.
A total of 24 children registered after a call out was put through U of T Family Housing, the Family Care Office and Variety Village in Scarborough, which provides a variety of programming for children with disabilities.
“The kids enjoyed a day of fun, inclusive activities, including arts and crafts, sports, games and dance - all modified to ensure inclusivity of diverse abilities,” says Liah Yared, the Sport & Rec child & youth program coordinator, who was on hand to support the event, along with Debra Kriger, assistant manager of co-curricular equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging at KPE.
Alex Johnson, a second-year kinesiology student at KPE and member of the ICCan club, helped plan some of the activities as one of the inclusive recreation coordinators of the club.
“Early on in my undergraduate degree, I was looking for ways to get involved on campus and found out about ICCan and their mission to empower communities to celebrate differences and foster inclusion,” says Johnson, whose brother is on the autism spectrum. “I decided I wanted to help out, but in the process, I’ve learned so much myself.”