Introducing Glendon’s Bilingual Interactive In-Person and Online Workshops
Officially launched in 2019, Glendon’s Brain Boosting Workshops were developed as bilingual transitional workshops to support and enhance Ontario’s Ministry of Education Secondary Curriculum. Originally intended for French first and second language high school students, our workshops have been expanded to include anglophone and English second language learners, as well.
Our mission is to create more opportunities for students to engage in fun and interactive skill development, supporting their transition into postsecondary education and integration into the labour market, notably in bilingual or francophone communities. Moreover, our workshops are developed by Glendon students in collaboration with our faculty, thus providing them with research and experiential learning opportunities, while also creating a legacy for future students.
Our bilingual transitional programming allows high school students to develop important skills, discover new interests, and expand their vocabulary, by offering participants short workshops primarily in subjects offered at Glendon. Each workshop is created by a Glendon student under the guidance of a member of faculty and with the support of the Continuing Education team. Participants benefit from the expertise of Glendon faculty and students, while discovering new potential academic and career paths. Our growing repertoire of workshops covers a range of topics, including financial literacy, leadership, urban geography, psychology, math, drama, communications, and sociology. These interactive and activity-based programs can be delivered to francophone or anglophone students in their mother tongue, or to students seeking to improve their second language (FSL or ESL) in an engaging, safe, and welcoming environment.
Through our collaborations with faculty, staff, and students, we were able to develop 24 workshops on a variety of topics in both official languages. This year, despite an entirely virtual schedule, we offered our Brain Boosting Workshops to hundreds of high school students from grades 9-12 through our Destination Réussite, Destination Clic and Explore Programs, as well as through our partnership with Canadian Parents for French.
Participant Feedback
« C’était extraordinaire! Je l’ai vraiment aimé. Et merci beaucoup pour cet atelier j’aivraiment beaucoup appris. »
—Élève du secondaire, atelier de compétences en leadership, programme Destination Réussite 2021
« L’atelier était excellent, merci. Je suis contente d’avoir pu prendre avantage de cetteinitiative pour mes élèves et je vais certainement participer l’année prochaine si les atelierssont encore disponibles. »
— Enseignante du secondaire, 11e année, atelier de sociologie, programme Destination Réussite 2021
“I love the activities we’ve done so far! I really enjoy playing Kahoot with everyone becauseI have to use context clues to answer the questions which is really helping me improve my French!”
— Participant, 2021 FSL Explore Program
We invite you to collaborate with us in developing our bilingual transitional workshops for prospectives. By doing so, you are providing a Glendon student with:
- A paid experiential learning opportunity, through which they can continue to deepen their understanding of their chosen field of study.
- A work experience that can bolster their CV for graduate school and job applications.
These workshops are also an opportunity to:
- Familiarize Ontario high school students with York University’s Glendon Campus and the programs offered therein.
- Help Ontario high school students discover your area of expertise and explore theiracademic interests.
- Highlight your research and ongoing projects in a fun and accessible way.
- Align your area of expertise with the Ontario Curriculum.
- Contribute to attracting future Glendon students.
Each workshop is a collaborative effort between a Glendon student, a professor, and the Continuing Education team.
The project begins with an initial launch meeting between all three, whose responsibilities are as follows:
The professor:
- Selects the theme and general direction of the workshop.
- Mentors and supervises the student.
- Ensures the project is held to a high academic standard.
- Meets regularly with the student.
The student:
- Receives 120 paid hours to be the primary person responsible for research and content creation.
- Creates draft workshop documents (e.g., instructor guide, slide deck).
- Communicates regularly with the Continuing Education team.
- Submits their work hours bi-weekly to Continuing Education.
The Continuing Education team:
- Ensures the workshop aligns with the learning objectives of the Ontario Secondary Curriculum.
- Provides pedagogical support (e.g., suggestions on activities, strategies forcreating engaging content, and creating and/or reviewing supporting documents).
- Provides templates and examples of past workshops.
- Provides funding for the student’s hours and manages administrative responsibilities.
- Submits workshop documents for translation and branding.
Once the workshop is developed, the student has the chance to deliver it and gain some facilitation experience, while being supported by a member of our team.
If you are interested in collaborating with us, please contact us today by sending us an email to destination@glendon.yorku.ca
We look forward to hearing from you!