Students Reimagine Toronto Through Design

By Neil Armstrong

Approximately 50 Grade 7 students at Taylor Creek Public School in Scarborough participated in “It’s My Future Toronto (IMFTO), a two-day program hosted by OCAD University Faculty of Design in partnership with the Toronto District School Board to let them know that their voice matters.  

IMFTO is a series of workshops that empower Indigenous, Black, and racialized youth to share their designs for Toronto and to tell their story of the future they want. It introduces BIPOC youth to people in journalism, advertising, design, and policy making who share practical skills in journalism, design, video filming, advertising, and policy making to enable youth to tell their story.

On May 20, the students gathered in their school library for workshops led by a journalist, a policymaker, and an advertising team, complemented by professors and TDSB personnel.

They learned the importance of data– “field reports” or “evidence” — and did a walkabout their school grounds with notebooks in hand to identify physical and social barriers that could be improved, and things they loved about their school too.

Policy is more likely to change when someone has “eye-witness” accounts of the problem. 

With the use of interviews and “street reporting,” they can prove a policy change is necessary. 

During the advertising team’s presentation, the students created catchy messages to appeal to decisionmakers to effect the change they want to see.

On May 25, the young enthusiastic changemakers travelled to OCAD University for a design workshop in which they created 3-D models to bring their ideas to life.  

Zayla said she was so excited about the trip to the university that she got up at 6:00 a.m. and learned that her actions could make a difference. Her design addressed creating more space in the gym by building a retractable stage.

“I think it was a great experience where I could learn a lot of things and visiting a university was pretty cool; I’d never been in a university before,” said Abdur whose design focused on making the playground accessible for wheelchair users and including structures his schoolmates would love. He built a slide with a ramp on one side and stairs on the other, monkey bars, and swings.

Kestin Cornwall, assistant professor in the Faculty of Design, who has been with IMFTO since its inception five years ago, said it was enjoyable to work with the students.

“We wanted to get youth that were between the ages of 10-15 to introduce them to design and art, policy, and use art, design, and advertising as a catalyst to things like journalism and policy.”

Cornwall said there are areas in design and art, and creativity, that open up possibilities; he hoped the program sparked their curiosity.

“This was an amazing experience for It’s My Future Toronto; each year it has been a little bit different,” said Kathy Moscou, an associate professor and former dean of the faculty.

“I’m amazed at the thoughtfulness, the design engineering, the design thinking that these young seventh graders came up with in order to bring their ideas for how it is that they could improve their school and the grounds around their school.”

Moscou said it was important for students at that age to be exposed to postsecondary education and to see professors that look like them.

#TDSB #OCADU #FutureToronto #Scarborough #YouthLeadership #BlackYouth #BIPOCYouth #TorontoSchools #DesignThinking #StudentVoices #Accessibility #EducationMatters #TorontoYouth #CommunityLeadership #FutureLeaders