Sharing Knowledge and Thanks to our Community!

By Heather Watts, Shamim Ahmed, and Kaitlyn Corlett

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Here at Redefining Traditional, we’ve shared a lot of important resources, stories and beginnings of conversations to not only bring into our lives as student parents – but also throughout our wider communities and spaces of support. As we transition into planning for Summer 2021, we wanted to share many of the partners, posts, and activities that you might not have had a chance to see… or would like to engage with again!  

Our Partners:  

Our network of incredible partners continue to inspire and push us into reimagining traditional, while also grounding us in what we can do in the present and support one another. Here’s a great list of what our community partners are up to! 

• School of Graduate Studies – this year, they have launched the “Best Practices for Supervisors & Instructors of Graduate Students with Family Responsibilities” to support those with Family Responsibilities, along with community members who are supporters of student parents: https://facultyandstaff.sgs.utoronto.ca/family-care/ 
• Family Care Office – Is a hub of community and information for student parents and supporters in these times. From information about childcare, accessible events, informative blogs, and more, there is a place for you here!: https://familycare.utoronto.ca/ 
• Student Family Housing – as part of University Family Housing, this space continues to be a place of community of support for student parents and their families. Learn more about the space, residence life, and community updates here: https://studentfamilyhousing.utoronto.ca/ 
• University of Toronto Libraries – continues to share and hold space of support for students in these increasingly virtual times. You can learn more about supports here:  https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/covid-19/get-help#Students 
• Student Life – divisions within and throughout student life are providing a wealth of resources throughout tri-campus initiatives, including:  
  • Information for Parents and Family of UofT Students: https://studentlife.utoronto.ca/parents-and-family/ 
  • Additional initiatives for students are being provided throught Student Life Departments and can be explored here: https://studentlife.utoronto.ca/ 
• UofT Sports & Recreation – Sports & Rec at UofT is offering a wealth of online opportunities to engage and inspire through movement: https://kpe.utoronto.ca/sport-rec-u-t 
• The Innovation Hub: continues to reimagine new possibilities in higher education through design thinking & more – learn about their initiatives here: uoft.me/innovationhub

Previous Resources and Posts:  

Missed a previous post? No worries! Here are some of our many blog posts to help inspire and support:  

• Supporting Student Parent Success – Tips from Research and Practice (by Victoria Fritz, PhD Candidate (Family Relations and Human Development) & Learning Specialist, University of Guelph)

• Beyond Thanksgiving (by Heather Watts)

• Journey of an International Student (Part One) – “Much Ado about Nothing” (by Shamim Ahmed)

• A Fall Like Never Before: Academic Success can still be colourful! (by Shamim Ahmed)

• It Takes a Village (By Heather Watts)

• Balancing Parenting and Working From Home by Fostering Self Help Skills in Children (by University of Guelph student Megan Coghill)

• My Son Will Know Multiple Stories (by Heather Watts)

• A Glimpse into the Lives of Disabled Student Parents at the University of Toronto (by Terri-Lynn Langdon) 

• How to Talk to your Kids about Racism (by Amanda Cheung – Originally published on the University of Toronto’s Family Care Office Blog, Intersections)

• My Mother’s Daughter: The Story of a Student Mother and her Child (by Sauliha Alli) 

• Developing Healthy Screen Habits with your Child (by Emily Pritchard – Originally published on the University of Toronto’s Family Care Office Blog, Intersections)

Engaging with our Community

Finally, we want to highlight some ways to engage “live” with us in our community. These are facets of our virtual world that are only made possible with your contribution and support:  

1. The Share Your Story Campaign – an opportunity to submit to our blogs, and share your story about being a student parent or supporter. Learn more here: http://blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca/redefiningconference/share-your-story/ 
2. Join us in our virtual events! Our next event is on February 25^th, 2021 in our Kids Connect Session! Learn more and sign up here: http://blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca/redefiningconference/2021/02/08/join-us-in-our-kidsconnect-session/ 
3. Check out all of the amazing resources and activities we’ve shared on Facebook!
   • Our #MotivationMonday posts and resources to help start your day!
   • #TogetherTuesday highlights ways that we can come together as a community
   • Learn about the many facets of wellness in #WellnessWednesday
   • Explore new activities, books, and more with your family and children in #TryItThursdays
   • At the end of the week, let’s look ahead at our #ForwardThinkingFridays through our blog posts and more.

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We can’t wait to reconnect with you soon! If you have an idea to contribute to reimagining traditional in higher education – feel free to reach out or comment below!