Dr.
Christopher Spence, the director of education for the Toronto District School Board, will soon be able to add another prestigious award to his long list of accomplishments. Early last week,
DAREarts announced that Spence will be the recipient of this year's
DAREarts Cultural Award, an award which honours a lifetime of positive community leadership.
DAREarts, so-called for the values it aims to instill in participants (Discipline, Action, Responsibility and Excellence) has been providing young people with opportunities to learn about, and participate in, artistic creation for the past 12 years. By taking arts education outside the classroom and teaming students up with mentors, the program aims to give young people the tools, as well as the confidence, to become leaders in their community.
Spence is to be honoured at the annual DAREart Leadership Gala, which celebrates individuals whose professional and philanthropic pursuits have been dedicated to the same values which underlay the program.
Since July 2009, Spence has been the Toronto District School Board's director of education, while serving on the Council of the Canadian Education Association and the board of directors of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, a position he's held since September 2011. But Spence's commitment to education and leadership in Toronto goes back almost two decades. In addition to working as an educator and senior administrator for the TDSB, Spence has worked
to equip young people with the tools they need to succeed both inside and outside the classroom. He is best known for his work launching a series of mentorship programs, including
Boys2Men and
Young Women on the Move, programs which team up TDSB students with
adult mentors.
"Dr. Spence is an ideal recipient of the 2012 DAREarts Cultural Award," stated Marilyn Field, DAREarts founder and president, in a press release. "His values in life and education parallel those of DAREarts, as they both empower vulnerable youth to ignite change in their lives and communities."
In a statement released after DAREarts made the news public, Spencer said, "I'm truly honoured to receive this award. We have to believe in our students so they believe in themselves. One of the best ways to inspire that confidence is by giving children new and exciting opportunities to participate in programs exactly like what DAREarts provides to our school communities."
Spence will join a formidable list of past winners including Gen. Rick Hiller, George Chuvalo, Albert Schultz and Eugene Levy.
The April 25th gala will also honour six teens who have participated in DAREarts events, and who have used their newfound skills to ignite change in their community. The ceremony will be held in the newly renovated
Arcadian Court. Jeanne Beker, host of CTV's Fashion Television, will host. Tickets are available online
here.
Writer: Katia Snukal
Source: DAREarts