The UTSC/KGO Initiative is intended to foster mutually beneficial collaboration between UTSC and the Kingston-Galloway/Orton Park (KGO) community with overall goals of:

• • Sharing insights gleaned through academic and community work
  • Using knowledge, opportunities and facilities available through UTSC to strengthen the KGO community
  • Using the Storefront’s networks and collaborations to provide opportunities for meaningful engagement in the KGO community to UTSC students and staff

Storefront launch of evaluation of groundbreaking community/university partnership                                                                 

Summary: The first years of The Partnership (2011-2014) have been very successful, not only from the perspective of community residents, but also from that of partnering organizations, students, and faculty. The KGO-UTSC Steering Committee have laid out a plan for the next five years to help us attain our vision and mission.

• KGO-UTSC Partnership: Planning for the Future
• An Emerging Model for Meaningful Community-University Partnership: Evaluation of the KGO-UTSC Partnership (2011-2014)

Some of our activities included:

• Course: Mindfulness and the Arts
• Course: Writing Your Life
• East Scarborough Run for Fun
• Soccer-Baseball at UTSC
• Learn To Play Tennis 2014 Program
• Spring Tennis Program
• Summer Tennis Program
• KGO Kicks Soccer Club
• 2nd annual Community Connections Leadership Forum
• Understanding Your Environment – A 6 week course for residents of KGO
• Learn to Play Tennis – Summer program for youth 
• Resident Rising, NAP and University of Toronto Scarborough Safety Project
• YouTube video: KGO Community Safety Project
• WaterWise: Every Drop Counts – A festival to learn about and celebrate water
• 1st annual Community Connections Leadership Forum
• The Lives of the Poet: A hands-on intro to writing poems

Click here to visit the Community Archives - a collection of essays written by students from the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus.

The KGO-UTSC Partnership was awarded the Vital Ideas Award from the Toronto Foundation in 2014. Receiving the Vital Ideas Award has meant that we were able to share our reciprocal learning model with national and international university staff, faculty and students and community organizations. Special thanks to our supporters!

The Community-University Sports Connection is generously funded by the Jays Care Foundation. This initiative is a partnership between the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) Recreation and Athletic Department and the East Scarborough Storefront.  By participating in the program, youth from the Kingston Galloway/Orton Park community are able to access University facilities and professional training and coaching in baseball, tennis, soccer.