Channels South is a program at Reena that started in July 2015 and is located in downtown Toronto. Individuals with developmental disabilities in the program have been having fun, learning new things and keeping very busy this past year.
Last summer Channels South took advantage of all the great activities happening nearby; visiting the CNE, High Park petting zoo, Toronto Islands, Kajama boat rides, and attended both a Blue Jays game and a Pan Am basketball game.
Participants have also gone on fun and interesting outings every week including visiting the Science Centre, the Film Reference Library, Toronto City Hall, Escape Zone, the Boat Show, Auto Show and a Job Fair.
Guests to the program have also been invited to come and give presentations and workshops. There has been a magician and a comic book artist, plus the group made a stop-motion video and had fun learning about composting.
Volunteering is another regular activity for Channels South. The group has learned new skills and had new experiences volunteering at Scott Mission, Food Share, Fort York Food Bank, and the Toronto Humane Society.
In the cooking program once a week participants have made sushi, granola, tacos, stir fry, chilli, macaroni and cheese, and more delicious dishes. Cooking program helps in practicing skills such as grocery shopping for kosher foods.
IPads were recently introduced to the program, which are used to access apps that help improve spelling and typing skills, in addition to practicing how to search the internet.
The group has also been volunteering once a month with StopGap, an organization that provides brightly coloured wooden ramps to businesses to increase access for all people. A few ramps have already been spotted in the community.
Channels South also started working with the group GrOCAD to help plant seeds that will be used in the community garden this spring. GrOCAD also showed the group how to make their own paper and will be providing many exciting workshops this summer.
To learn more about the Channels South Program click here
