What makes a HEALTHY community?

It's My Future Toronto, an OCAD University initiative, brings together Black, Indigenous and other racialized students to think about solutions for cultural, economic and environmental issues that affect the city

- REANNA JULIEN

Students from Chief Dan George Public School get ready to present their creations at the In My Future Toronto event at OCAD University last Tuesday.

What makes a healthy community? And what is in my power to make it happen?

These questions were top of mind for nearly 100 Toronto District School Board grades 7 and 8 students last Tuesday when they gathered at the OCAD University to construct their vision of a healthy community — with cardboard, construction paper and Popsicle sticks.

It was the culmination event for this year’s It’s My Future Toronto program, which brings together Black, Indigenous and other racialized students to think about solutions for cultural, economic and environmental issues that impact the city.

For Milan Rodriguez, a Grade 7 student at Chief Dan George Public School in Scarborough, a healthier community would include a multiuse building that’s a community centre, with a language centre and a walk-in clinic at the bottom, and housing for refugees on top.

“When the refugees come to Canada, they don’t have any homes,” Rodriguez said about the inspiration behind her design. “We decided as a group to create places we can give them to live in for six months and check in on them to make sure everything is all right.”

Founded in 2021 by former OCAD dean of design Dori Tunstall, previous themes included recovery from the pandemic, systemic racism and solutions to the climate crisis.

This year, students from Chief Dan George, together with Nelson Mandela Park Public School, which is in Regent Park, addressed what they believed a healthy community would be, and built models of their solutions.