The Thorncliffe and Flemingdon neighbourhoods are rich in community and activism. We want to showcase our neighbourhood’s diverse community and its leaders. Grassroots leaders play a crucial role in addressing local issues, advocating for change, and fostering community connections. We are committed to working closely with grassroots groups in our neighbourhoods to effect positive change and highlight their invaluable contributions
Engaged Communities started in Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park, Toronto in November 2019 when residents and organizers in the community found responses to recent youth violence to be slow and limited. We organized to help address the issues of youth violence, analyze the underlying causes, and engage with affected communities to develop a description of the problems and possible solutions. Our focus is to:
- Increase the capacity of residents to engage in community processes (e.g. parents councils, student councils, places of worship, building associations, neighbourhood groups, youth groups) so they are defining priorities and co-creating solutions with agencies
- Help bring together the insights and resources of various groups and agencies who are already working on related issues but from different perspectives.
- Issues focused: youth violence started this, but other issues, like Covid-19, housing affordability, healthcare, etc. have come up. It’s all connected
- Our group includes residents, and partners from all community organizations, social agencies, the schools, and religious organizations. Stakeholders include the community police, resident groups, business groups, and politicians.
Mail : nfo@engagedcommunities.ca
Website: www.engagedcommunities.ca
Instagram: @engaged_communities
E-Heroes is a community-based grassroots group founded in 2019. Members are residents of Thorncliffe & Flemingdon Park and collaboratively connected neighborhoods from diverse culture in all age group. With education initiatives on indirect greenhouse gas emission reduction, the group is imparting knowledge to the residents to adapt climate actions. Activities align with identifying short- and long-term actions to reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions in key sectors – buildings, waste and transportation – contributing to the Transform TO strategy on the path to a low-carbon, healthy, equitable and prosperous future. Implementation of climate action projects is creating change among residents’ behavioral habits that impacts the community to fight climate change. Our goal is to make our neighborhoods stronger and the tower residents to ‘Be climate-wise for sustainable living.’ The group is also facilitating Senior’s inclusion from isolation that started in pandemic time for equal participation in the community.
Connect via email to collaborate. Together we can make a difference and act now for global warming.
Mail : eheroesgroup@gmail.com
Our group’s aim is to establish connection among our neighbours and to combat social isolation and loneliness. We have organized various events in our neighborhood to give our community a sense of belonging. Furthermore, to support educational needs of children our group is actively involve in the Parent Council of Gateway Public School, Valley Park Middle School and Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute.
Email : iffat_fareed@hotmail.com
FOF is a community-run table with a goal of educating and advocating. It is led by community leads in Flemingdon Park and supported by local agencies and partners.
Established in 2019, Friends of Thorncliffe Park is a group of neighbours working together to create accessible, engaging, and inclusive public spaces for everyone to enjoy.
Mail : ThorncliffeFriends@gmail.com
The Leaside Towers Tenants Association (LTTA), founded in 1987, is the volunteer, resident-led tenants association for 85 and 95 Thorncliffe Park Drive in Toronto. We are a member of the Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations (FMTA).
Our goal is to advocate for improvements to 85 and 95 Thorncliffe Park Drive for the enjoyment of our Leaside Towers community in Thorncliffe Park.
We always welcome new LTTA members because Together We Are Stronger.
Mail : LeasideTowersTA@gmail.com
The Annual Neighbours Night Out in Thorncliffe Park is the biggest community event of the year, which we are doing for last 14 years in the R.V. Burgess Park in Thorncliffe. The Annual Neighbours’ Night Out represents a wonderful opportunity for residents, friends and visitors to get together and enjoy a summer afternoon and evening together – accompanied by refreshments, cultural arts and crafts, musical entertainment, dance, games, bouncing castles, henna, face painting and activities for all ages, bazaar tables, and food prepared by local businesses. Neighbours Night Out has become a well loved summer tradition of Thorncliffe Park, that is organized by an independent volunteer committee that works tirelessly to make this a fun and enjoyable event for all residents of Thorncliffe (and beyond). Around 100 youth volunteer with us every year and learn more about volunteering, community engagement and enhance their leadership skills.
The Parenting Group is a grassroots community group with members from Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park. It has about 80 members from 75 distinct families, with diverse backgrounds and many different cultures and religions. Our aim is to build this group to take the leadership role of engaging both community organizations and residents to build a strong neighbourhood.
Thorncliffe Park Autism Support Network (TPASN) is a community-based grassroots founded in 2018 by the parents of children with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. It’s became a non-profit organization in 2020 and is providing free community based, family-oriented integrated services in the East York area for children and youth with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders and their families. Our goal is to make our communities more accessible so our children and their families can participate in all the events equally; empowering parents with advocacy skills; provide meaningful activities, programs and summer camp for the children of all abilities. We also conduct many charitable activities such as distributing food hampers during pandemic, distributing educational and recreational activities to the families who otherwise cannot afford it, organizing free field trips to Ontario Science centre, cinema and other learning and entertaining sites.
The Wellness Cafe is a community-led initiative aiming to raise awareness on mental health, while reducing the stigma attached to it in the South Asian community – particularly for newcomers and immigrants (first and second generation).
Thorncliffe Park Women’s Committee is a women led, grassroots organization, dedicated to engaging low-income, racialized, immigrant women in being advocates and leaders of positive change in our community, while integrating the goal of improving their livelihoods and economic security.
In 2008 our vision of transforming and animating the under-utilized RV Burgess Park, led to revitalizing a much needed public space for families and children. Our advocacy work secured playground equipment, picnic shelter,water bottle filling station, renovated splash pad, swings, benches, picnic tables, garbage bins, new light poles, power outlets, shipping container cafe and North America’s one and only outdoor permanent Tandoor bake oven.
Over fourteen years of work result in arts and fitness programming, community gardens, Friday community bazaars with local vendors and performers, park clean ups, environment education engaging over 750 people weekly.
Find us every day at RV Burgess Park-Park Cafe.
Email : info@tpwomenscomm.org
If you represent a local grassroot group that you would like to share with residents on our website, please fill out this form and we will get in touch.
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