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Strengthen Your Commitment to Access, Awareness, Understanding & Diversity

Are you an educator, student, coach, or service industry leader looking to encourage inclusion, acceptance, awareness and teamwork? You’ll want a progressive program from an organization you can trust.

We educate individuals, classes and community organizations about the importance of providing opportunities for people of all abilities. Through inclusive and integrated hands-on activities – like adapted games, wheelchair activities and rockwall climbing – and energetic discussions, participants will learn the importance of welcoming, accepting and understanding that we are all able, and as such, should support each other's ambitions whether they are related to sport or social ventures.

We're Proud of Our Experience

Variety Village has been educating individuals, school groups, corporations and community organizations in accessibility and inclusive healthy living options across Ontario for more than 25 years. Last year, 10,000 participants took part in Variety Village’s Outreach programs across the province. As one of the first facilities in North America to promote inclusive sport and recreation, we are proud to invite you to get involved in our exciting initiatives.

Making a Difference in Sport & Recreation
  • Variety Village is a 168,000 square foot sports and fitness facility in the heart southwest Scarborough providing integrated sports, fitness, life skills and learning programs that impact lives and strengthen communities across the Greater Toronto Area.
  • We empower individuals of all ages and abilities by providing accessible, safe, inclusive, and adapted fitness and sports through facilitation, skills transfer, and training.
  • Our Outreach and Education programs were created in 1987 to introduce adapted activity ideas to engage individuals with disabilities and their peers in inclusive opportunities. Each program offers practical learning in play, cooperation, individual and team experiences.
  • The Inclusive Physical Activity Classes can also provide an introduction to multi-sport or sport-specific activities based on a group's interests.

Promoting inclusive participation, access and awareness for schools, community groups and organizations.

Outreach & Education Programs

Team Building

Classes, groups, teams and organizations will benefit from this interactive, educational and exciting new program. Participants will have opportunities to learn more from our motivational ambassadors, participate in a variety of fun and engaging activities while increasing their awareness of an inclusive, welcoming environment.

Leadership Programs & Classes

Cooperative education or placement student and leadership classes will enjoy interactive learning experiences in areas including: inclusive practices, the importance of acceptance, diversity and community involvement.
$25.00 per participant – 4 hour session

Cooperative Education & Placement Students

High school, college and university students are invited to get involved at Variety Village to increase their awareness of inclusive practices in sport/recreation, health and fitness. Students will be actively involved in program development, planning and implementation for people of all ages and abilities. Individuals from across the province, country and internationally have taken part in our program enhancing their knowledge and experience in the field of promoting equity, diversity and accessibility.
If interested, please forward your resume, police check and course outline for interview consideration.

Fitness Friends

Join us to promote the importance of inclusive opportunities in social and physical activities at your school. This program is FREE with a focus on introducing a student with/ without a disability to connect during recess, lunch and in some case during physical activity classes to create innovative games, sports and recreation together. Each minute of activity counts as one point per team. Classes and schools gather points to achieve a total time outcome and celebrate their success together at an end of year FITNESS FRIENDS Celebration day  event organized in your region. Durham Catholic District School Board, Durham district School Board, Peel Region School Board and Peterborough Victoria North Humberland Clarington Catholic District School Board are involved with over 1,250 students participating annually.
Free

LEARN MORE HERE

Physical Activity Classes (Weekly Or Monthly)

Variety Village is the ideal venue to offer adapted physical activity classes. Our instructors provide adaptations to engage students in healthy activity opportunities that can coincide with physical education curricula in the gymnasium or aquatics wing.
Minimum 10 students
$10.00 per participant/ per 90 minute class

Multi Sensory Room

Community and school groups will benefit from booking the Multi Sensory room at Variety Village which includes: a bubble tube, fiber optics, an infinity panel,a sound board and light board along with a variety of sensory toys. Individuals can explore interactive equipment in a safe and accessible environment – play, interact, engage at your own pace and comfort. This non-structured learning environment provides stimulation and relaxation for participants of varied ages and abilities. Minimum: 2 participants / maximum: 8 participants, including support staff and educators.
$5.00 per person / Per 50 minutes

Contact
Archie Allison
Director, Access and Awareness
(416) 699-7167 x 236
aallison@varietyvillage.on.ca.

Training & Development Workshops

Inclusive Customer Service Training

Community groups and organizations will benefit from an interactive approach to access and promoting the importance of an inclusive environment. Guest speakers, discussion and resources support interest in this exciting learning initiative.

Accessibility

Increase your awareness of barriers, provisions and solutions to accessibility in your organization. Participants will develop their understanding of accessibility standards and resources to assist in creating a more inclusive facility.

Health/ Fitness

Let’s discover how you can design an inclusive environment to engage individuals and families in your community to get involved and get active. This workshop will feature ideas to develop a dialogue at your
organization to ensure programs/ services cater to the needs of individuals with varied abilities.

Inclusive Recreation/ Sport

As a leader in the field of adapted sport we encourage you to join us to increase your awareness of adapting equipment, recruitment ideas/ strategies and the positive impact play, sport and recreation offer.
Minimum of 10 participants.
Please note: there are on and off-site options to choose from. Off-site options will include an additional fee for mileage to / from location.
$50.00 per person

Guest speakers – Variety Village Ambassadors
$100.00 +mileage to/ from venue

Contact
Archie Allison
Director, Access & Awareness
416-699-7167 x236
aallison@varietyvillage.on.ca

Register Now!

Complete the form above and email to:
sristo@varietyvillage.on.ca for Ability in Action
aallison@varietyvillage.on.ca for Training & Development

Cooperative Education

High school, college and university students are invited to get involved at our fitness and life skills facility promoting inclusive active living opportunities for people of all ages and abilities.

If you're currently participating in a local, provincial, national or international academic program, you can volunteer your time and increase your awareness of access, advocacy and adapted activities in supervised interactive classes in the gym, aquatics centre or conditioning area. You will be actively involved in the planning and implementation of sport and recreation activities for schools, community groups, teams and organizations.

Additional opportunities are available for students interested in coaching, fundraising, promotions, special events and administration.

If you’re interested, please apply in September or in January by submitting a resume, completed police check and academic information appropriate to your placement. Please note that space is limited – so register early.

Contact
Archie Allison
Director, Access and Awareness
(416) 699-7167 x 236
aallison@varietyvillage.on.ca.

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BUS: We have a bus stop right outside! Take the 12A from Victoria Park Station.

FREE parking onsite.

Wheel-Trans accessible.

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