EDUCATIONAL
WORKSHOPS
We lead peer-to-peer workshops across elementary and high schools, with the goal of teaching homelessness as an intersectional issue, disassembling stereotypes early on, and introducing the idea of health equity. This initiative was born out of research conducted by Dr. Kaitlin Schwan, director of the Women’s National Housing and Homelessness Network, exploring the efficacy that peer-led educational initiatives like this can have.
The first of these workshops was launched at Bayview Secondary School in June 2022 with support from a $5000 grant from the York Region District School Board. The event reached 150+ students and led to the assembly of 100+ care kits for Blue Door Shelter in York Region.
Since then, we have hosted numerous workshops across the GTA, including at Bayview Secondary School, Alexander Mackenzie High School, Don Mills Middle School, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Secondary School, and BGC St. Albans Club, reaching students from age 12 to 18. In Kingston, Ontario, we also connected grade 6 students at Winston Churchill Public School. We extend our utmost gratitude to all the teachers, coordinators, and students who have engaged with us, asked good questions, and showed curiosity!
From left to right: Patricia Olar, John Wu, Cici Liu, and Jillian Feliciano, May 2026
Check out this video on where encampments form, great for elementary school students learning about how the physical environment shapes communities and health:
January 29, 2026