Creating Opportunities for Young People

  • Cover of children's book Destination Jungle

    Young readers were encouraged to visit their local library to explore the wild side.

    Advancing Literacy

    Summer learning loss occurs when children stop participating in educational activities1. Research shows that reading just 4-5 books over the summer months can help prevent learning loss2.

    • The TD Summer Reading Club reached over 540,000 children across Canada (5% more than last year) and helps to keep young minds active during the summer months. The program is designed to allow libraries to adapt the materials to their own community. Over 200 children with vision loss also participated using reading club stickers in Braille.
    • The TD Grade 1 Book Giveaway is the largest distribution of free books in Canada. Over 500,000 Grade 1 students received a book in English or French.
    • The TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award gives a $25,000 prize for the selected English-language and French-language books. Read about the TD Kids Bookclub.

    Helping Youth Reach Their Full Potential

    • Youth in Philanthropy: In 2010, this program involved over 180 high schools in Canada and disbursed $940,000 to charities in $5,000 donations. After studying the diverse needs of their local community, Grade 9 and 10 students select a social need they are passionate about. They research local charities, and each team chooses one and learns about how it operates, including its mission, budget, fund allocation and impact. The students present their findings in front of their school and a judging panel. The team with the most compelling presentation wins a $5,000 donation, issued by the Toskan Casale Foundation, toward their chosen charity. Children gain greater awareness of philanthropy and the local needs on their doorstep. In 2010, TD gave $225,000 to support this project, bringing our overall contribution over the last seven years to $1.25 million.
    • The Remix Project: This is an innovative arts and music program for at-risk youth in Toronto that helps talented youth reach their full potential in neighbourhoods where 30% of high school students do not expect to graduate. Participants can earn credits toward a high school diploma or an opportunity to earn an internship or can secure funds to create a new venture. TD has committed $225,000 over a three-year period. Half of Remix graduates are enrolled in post-secondary education.

    photo of Charlotte Teeple

    “The sole act of putting a book in the hand of every child with the TD Grade One Book Giveaway really does make a difference in supporting children’s literacy."

    Charlotte Teeple, Executive Director, Canadian Children’s Book Centre

     

    1 Cooper, H., Nye, B., Charlton, K., Lindsay, J., and Greathouse, S. The Effects of Summer Vacation on Achievement Test Scores: A Narrative and Meta-analytic Review.Review of Educational Research, 66: 227-268, 1996.
    2 Alexander, K.L., and D.R. Entwisle. "Schools and Children at Risk." In Family-School Links: How Do They Affect Educational Outcomes?, edited by A. Booth and J.F. Dunn, 67-89. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 1996.M.

CRR book cover