The Canvas Mission
Based in Toronto, Canvas is a registered charity that provides empathy-based education on consent and 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion.
Hate is learned
Violence is Learned
Discrimination is Learned
We can Unlearn
Consent is Possible
Inclusion is Possible
Compassion is Possible
Change is Possible
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We use creative arts to be engaging and inclusive to all learners
The Canvas Vision
We envision a society in which all people are free to live authentically and have the tools to form safe, caring relationships. We believe high-quality, proactive education is key to combatting and ultimately ending homophobia, transphobia and sexual violence.
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Our programming is enhanced by the diverse lived experiences of our educators.
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We always strive to be intersectional, anti-oppressive and accessible
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We provide education with empathy and compassion
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Our holistic model works with individuals at key stages: youth, teachers, and employees.
About Canvas
CANVAS Programs is an Ontario-based charity that provides empathy-based education on consent and 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion. CANVAS envisions a society in which all people are free to live authentically and have the tools to form safe, caring relationships. We believe that high-quality, proactive, arts-inspired education is key to combatting and ultimately ending homophobia, transphobia and sexual violence.
Through creative and compassionate workshop facilitation, participants critically examine harmful norms, learn about the struggles of marginalized groups, and recognize their capacity to affect positive change. Together, we can work towards a more empathetic, equitable and kinder world-view.
Our Team
Our team consists of artists, social entrepreneurs, social workers, teachers, youth workers, and those invested in seeing a world free of homophobia and sexual violence. Each member of our team brings a unique skill set and knowledge-base to our programs.
Why Art?
Art is a powerful tool for dialogue and social change: it encourages empathy through storytelling, engages a variety of learning styles, and recognizes diverse knowledge and lived experience. Arts-based education is captivating, entertaining, and fun!
CANVAS’ Anti-Racism Committee (ARC)
The Anti-Racism Committee is a group of BIPOC folks and allies who are inspired by the vision of a world without gender-based and sexual violence, homophobia, transphobia and know that an intersectional, anti-racist lens is key to realizing that dream.
CANVAS is committed to an overall anti-oppressive practice and allyship. As such, the organization has tasked the ARC to contribute to this goal in the following ways:
Developing and strengthening CANVAS’s programming and operations through an anti-racist lens
Reviewing organizational literature to ensure that policies and procedures are equitable for BIPOC team members
Strengthening partnerships with community organizations committed to anti-racist work
The ARC will:
Use an intersectional, anti-oppressive lens to analyze and assist with organizational decisions, initiatives, and literature
Coordinate opportunities and provide tools to foster individual and organizational accountability
Lead and create anti-racist Professional Development (PD) opportunities for staff
Land Acknowledgement
We want to honour and express gratitude to the First Nations, Inuit and Métis people of Turtle Island who’s sacred land we are on right now. Today, the land we are standing on is still the home to many of these people. It is our responsibility to remember our history, be aware of how it affects people today, and take care of this land we live and meet on.
CANVAS’ Commitment to Reconciliation
We currently:
Include Indigenous lived experience and voices in many programs.
Offer one staff training annually on Indigenous topics.
Give a Land Acknowledgement at every workshop, and discuss its significance.
Provide paid opportunities for Indigenous guest artists.
We seek to:
Include Indigenous lived experience and voices in all programs.
Ensure all program materials about Indigenous identity are produced by an Indigenous designer.
Partner with an Indigenous-led initiative.
