Photo: Elizabeth Strater

ETFO Vice-President Maureen Weinberger and TORONTO 
2015 Games Mascot PACHI cut the ribbon for The PrideHouse 
That Kids Built 

with artist Sean Martindale (L) and PrideHouse 

Toronto Co-Chairs.

ELEMENTARY TEACHERS’ FEDERATION OF ONTARIO

25

Advancing Education and Equity

national movement working to transform multi-
sport games. In making sport and recreation spac-
es more inclusive for LGBTQ people, they become 
more welcoming and inclusive for everyone.

During the TORONTO 2015 Games, the PrideHouse 
Pavilion provided a safe, welcoming space for 
LGBTQ people and allies to celebrate the Games. 
Along with Games-viewing and parties, the 
Pavilion offered LGBTQ sports, arts and communi-
ty programming. Each weekend during the Games, 
PrideHouse Celebrates! offered live entertainment 
and opportunities to participate in, and watch, 
sports and recreation activities.

ETFO partnered with PrideHouse Toronto on The 
PrideHouse That Kids Built, a teacher resource 
featuring nine short stories by David S. Craig. The 
stories were designed to spark creative discus-
sion and critical thinking between students and 
their teachers about why some kids are excluded, 
or withdraw from, sport and recreation. Mailed 
to every public, Catholic and French elementary 
school in Ontario, the initiative invited schools 
to submit a decorated cardboard ‘brick’ with 
thoughts about inclusion in sport. These bricks 
formed the basis of a professional art installation 
at the Ontario Celebration Zone at Harbourfront 
during the Pan Am Games created by artists 
Kalpna Patel and Sean Martindale. Over 4,000 
local and international visitors toured the site 
during the Games.

Community Support

Each year, ETFO donates to Ontario community 
grassroots groups dedicated to poverty issues. 
In 2014-2015, the Federation made donations 
totalling $10,000 to groups working on poverty 
issues, undertaking political activities to further 
their cause or working directly to benefit those 
living in poverty in their communities. 

Under its Status of Women Donations, ETFO 
donated $20,000 to organizations whose goals 
are to improve the status of women and/or girls 
in Ontario or Canada. Those receiving funding 
this year included:

y

 Canadian Women’s Foundation – The Girls’ 

Fund (CWF)

y

 Native Women’s Association of Canada 

(NWAC)

y

 Plan Canada (Because I Am A Girl Project)

y

 Retired Women Teachers of Ontario (RWTO/

OERO)

y

 Willow, Breast & Hereditary Cancer Support

y

 YWCA Canada – Girls’ Programs and Services

This year, ETFO also made donations totalling 
$40,000 to 87 women’s crisis centres across Ontario.