FAQs about the Leading Social Justice Collective

No, participants are not required to have a formal leadership position in their work or volunteer roles, but should be able to demonstrate their interest in further developing their leadership skills.

No, experience in the not-for-profit and public sectors or experience in a role with an explicit social mandate is not a requirement.

No. All applicants are welcome regardless of educational background.

While your project should focus on an issue in the GTA, you are not required to live locally. You and your teammates should, however, have a meaningful connection to the community and issue you are working on.

The GTA includes the City of Toronto and Halton, Peel, York, and Durham regions.

Please apply with one project in mind. However, we expect and understand that your project will evolve over the course of your program experience.

All teams must have three members. We see collaboration and working with partners as a key part of a successful project and a key learning. Consider forming a team with people from your organization/community and beyond, including from other sectors.

No, team members do not need to be part of the same organization, but must be working on the same social justice challenge. Collaboration across organizations and sectors is encouraged.

The program can accommodate only three members per team. However, teams are encouraged to share ideas and learnings from the LSJC with others in their organization or community.

No. We encourage but do not require teams to have cross-sector representation. The only requirement is that you and your team members are working on the same social justice challenge. You may all be from one organization/sector/community or from different organizations/sectors/communities.

In our experience working with teams, three is ideal because it fosters collaboration and creates accountability and shared responsibility. While teams are limited to three people, you are encouraged to share your learnings and insights with others who are contributing or working with you on your proposed solutions. 

Here are some qualities that contribute to successful teams: 

• Time and capacity to attend live online sessions and commit to project work 
• Teammates with a variety of skill sets and backgrounds
• Experience and commitment to driving social justice change 
• Significant relationships and experience with the community/organization you plan to work with 
• Curiosity and openness to learning 
• Personal and professional development goals for the LSJC as individuals and as a team 
• Project management skills and experience in advancing team-based projects 
• Experience working on the issues that are central to your project 
• Support/ a mandate within professional or community roles to participate in the LSJC and work on team project

No. There are no fees for the Leading Social Justice Collective. Your participation is supported by United Way of Greater Toronto and the School of Cities at the University of Toronto.

The Leading Social Justice Collective offers stipends of up to $1,400 per person to reduce barriers to participation for individuals. Applications will be available after acceptance to the program. Some barriers to participation might include but are not limited to: childcare or caretaking support, tech support, and/or income loss due to program participation.

Each team will have the opportunity to apply for $2,000 in funding to support project-related expenses. Grant applications will open after the program begins; eligibility depends on active program participation and demonstrated project progress

This funding is intended as seed money to help you participate and get started on your social justice challenge project. We understand that most projects will require further funding to reach their full potential. This program’s seminar sessions will help facilitate connections and some skill-building related to project funding.

The Leading Social Justice Collective runs from March 5th, 2024 to June 25th, 2024 and includes an estimated 30 total hours of live seminars. If a participant is unable to attend a session for personal or religious reasons, recordings of a portion of the session, and materials will be available on request.
Participants can expect to spend an average of 5-7 hours per week on LSJC activities.

• 2 hours/week team project working time 
• 1 hour of weekly personal and professional development time 
• 1 hour monthly online coaching sessions 
• 2.5-hour biweekly live online classes  
• 1.5hour monthly project workshop sessions (online or in-person) 
• 3 hour in-person program kickoff 
• Full day in-person intensive session on May 11th, 2024

Participants must be able to meet regularly with their team members to complete related course and project work. 
Successful candidates will receive a comprehensive program schedule prior to the first session.  

Course dates (subject to change): 

IN-PERSON Engagements 

• Kickoff Session (6pm-9pm) | March 5^th
• In-person workshop + social event I March 26^th
• Saturday Full-day Intensive Workshop (9am-4pm) | May 11^th
• Graduation (6pm-9pm) | June 25^th

Live VIRTUAL Engagements 

• Biweekly Tuesdays (6pm-8:30pm) | March 19^th; April 2nd, 16th, 30^th; May 14^th, 28th; June 11^th
• Workshops Tuesdays (6pm – 7:30pm) | March 26^th (in person); May 11^th (In person);  June 4^th, 2024 (online).

Course Assignments 

• Acceptance materials | TBD 
• Short team video | TBD
• Ecosystem map | TBD
• Final project information | TBD 
• Final project presentation | TBD 

We welcome any social justice challenge that impacts your community or organization. This can include a wide range of projects but should be focused on dismantling inequity and/or advancing equity and inclusion within your community or organization.  

We encourage you to pick an issue that you are particularly passionate about and/or a project that you are already working on. This could be a problem that makes you angry or frustrated or an opportunity that gives you hope and inspiration. We understand that your project will likely evolve over the course of this program. Your approach and solution to the challenge do not need to be fully formed when you apply, but you should have an idea of where you’d like to start. 

Social justice challenges:  

• Exist across sectors and communities 
• Are found in public, private and community organizations as well as a variety of formal and informal community settings 
• May include connections between social, economic and environmental issues and often require an anti-racist or decolonizing approach 

Your project: 

• Should address social, economic and/or environmental inequities in the GTA. Examples include but are not limited to: 
  • housing and homelessness; inclusive employment; climate justice; gender-based violence; reconciliation; systemic racism; food justice; inclusive infrastructure and city-building
• Could be a new project or a challenge you are already working on that could benefit from new tools and/or skill sets to create the change you wish to see  
• May focus on a specific starting point for this transformation. In the long term it should work towards systems-level transformation of your community, organization, or sector 

The bi-weekly classes, team coaching sessions and project workshops will all take place online and team members are all expected to attend. The Kickoff, Saturday full-day Intensive, and Graduation will take place in person. During the program and for alumni there will be optional workshops and networking events, some of which may be offered in person at the U of T St. George campus.

In order to receive an official UofT and UWGT Certificate of completion and to be eligible for the team project funding, you are expected to:  

• Attend all live, biweekly sessions. You will not be eligible for the certificate if you miss more than 2 sessions 
• Work on your project throughout the course of the program 
• Complete all of the assignments as referenced in the course guide  
• Attend and present at program graduation 

The seminars will run from March to June 2024. Teams will present their project progress at graduation, but we understand that projects will be longer-term in nature.

Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee composed of representatives from the School of Cities, the United Way Greater Toronto and the community. Successful applicants will be contacted in mid December 2023.