Social Justice Bi-Annual Conference

Transforming Lives Through Restorative Justice

Wednesday, May 1st, 2024, 9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

290 Adelaide Street East, Room 406, Toronto, Ontario

George Brown College is pleased to be collaborating with the Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board to host this one-day, bi-annual Social Justice Conference.

This event is jointly funded by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development through the School/College/Work Initiative.

TCDSB, Dual Credit and TDSB logos

For more information about this event, please contact: Evan Murray at emurray9@georgebrown.ca

About the Conference

This one-day, bi-annual Social Justice Conference will help Grade 11 and 12 students gain an understanding of social and restorative justice in the hope of encouraging them to engage in civic activities in their communities and help make a difference.

A reading of the stage play Tough Case written by David S. Craig, will open the conference. This gritty, fast-moving drama depicts the resolution of a crime through restorative justice practices. Described as a ‘court room drama without the courtroom’, it engages the audience from the first line.

Following the reading, students will have the opportunity to ask questions of the performers.

Students will receive a brown bag lunch before breaking into smaller groups to discuss their experience with the play and get a tour of our St. James Campus.

About the Play

Tough Case Performance Synopsis

The stage performance of Tough Case deals with restorative justice – a concept and practice that brings the victim and the perpetrator of a crime together. It also brings all of those impacted, either directly or indirectly, to address responsibility, the needs of the victim, and actions that can repair the harms.

Beginning with the trashing of a senior’s apartment by a gang, we follow the emotional aftermath of the vandalism with the truculent but scared teen who’s charged, his talkative mother, the fearful senior, her outraged son and the restorative justice worker, who has a personal understanding of the teen’s background and brings the other characters together.

Tough Case was commissioned by Jennifer Llewellyn, Director, Nova Scotia Restorative Justice Community University Research Association in 2009. First produced in March 2011, it was written by David S. Craig and directed by Richard Greenblatt.

The performance of Tough Case is produced by Roseneath Theatre, a company that creates and produces original plays for youth and family audiences. Visit Roseneath.ca for more information.

Roseneath logo

Agenda

TimeEvent

9:30 a.m. – 10 a.m.

Registration

10 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Take 5 for Safety

Land Acknowledgement

10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Tough Case Performance

11:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Q&A with cast

11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Lunch

12:15 p.m. - 12:20 p.m.Remarks
12:20 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.Instructions for remainder of the day

12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.

TDSB: Tour of the college

TCDSB: Break-out groups led by college faculty

1:15 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

TCDSB: Tour of the college

TDSB: Break-out groups led by college faculty

2 p.m.

Conference Concludes

About the Centre for Community Services & Early Childhood

George Brown College’s Centre for Community Services & Early Childhood offers a broad range of community-focused programs that relate to the practice of social and restorative justice. These programs, each of which is taught from a social justice, anti-oppressive approach, combine classroom theory with hands-on learning to prepare you for a rewarding career.