The problem:

Dropout rates in communities of marginalized youth in Toronto approach 40%, twice the average rate of dropouts across the School Board. Within these communities, dropouts can be correlated to higher incidents of gang violence and crime, drug use, health problems,and unemployment.

A solution:

Engage youth early in their academic lives by providing tools and technology so that they can experience not only bricks and mortar school but also virtual school, extending the school experience into the after school.

The use of a private academic social network, called Recess, plus the provision of Internet access and computers through charitable foundations, schools, and Toronto Community programs, in 100 middle schools in 13 identified areas within Toronto.

What Recess provides:

A safe haven for youth to use social networking, express themselves creatively through their profiles. interact with peers under a Code of Conduct, earn rewards through academic and community participation, and find ementors as role models and coaches.

A place where teachers can create virtual classrooms and interact with students, and a place where teachers can interact with each other developing communities of excellence.

A place where parents can interact with their children, their children's teachers, their children's school, community and each other.

A place where schools can become a community hub for their student population, parents, teachers and local businesses.

A place where community service organizations and public service providers such as police, and service clubs can make themselves available to the entire virtual community.

A place where interested citizens, both celebrity and youth role models, can volunteer as mentors to provide coaching and guidance to students.

Initial pilot project:

In May 2008, a Grade 7 class of 30
students from Brookview Middle School along with their teacher, and the vice principals of the school, joined Recess. Brookview Middle School is in one of the more
challenged neighbourhoods in Toronto.

The school had the highest
truancy rate in the Toronto District. When Recess was first deployed,
during class orientation, a number of students appeared disengaged.
They were approached and through discussion their interests were
identified. When told about blogging as a way of expressing their
interests (basketball being the common denominator) these students
became engaged. Within a few days all 30 students in the class were
visiting the site once per day. An average site visit lasted 17 minutes
and viewed 27 pages. During the first month there were over 21,364 page
views from a population of 30. Over the summer the same group viewed
over 14,000 pages even though the pilot study was completed.

Some
students published articles online and made them available to be viewed
by their classmates. In many cases these postings were not homework
assignments, but personal expressions about subjects that were of
particular interest to them. Students chose videos to post to their
sites. They personalized the look of their profiles. They uploaded
music and they used chat and the internal email messaging system to
stay connected. One of these students when asked if Recess had changed her, responded "yes, I now know what I want to do when I leave school. I want to write."

The goal:

To implement Recess in 100 middle schools as a study and track the performance of the students through their life while in school and beyond.

To create a Diversity Portal representing the ethnic and racial mosaic of those areas in Toronto with the greatest socio-economic challenges and provide through the implementation of Recess in the 100 schools, schools as community hubs, embracing local businesses, police, service clubs and community programs as well as the students, teachers, school administrators, and parents in creating virtual communities.

To aggregate data and provide ongoing reports to the Toronto Board that can be used to measure the effectiveness of the strategy.

The timelines:

Recess will be implemented in the 100 middle schools starting in January 2009. The plan is to extend Recess to the remaining schools within the Toronto Board in the fall of 2009 and beyond.

Keep tuned to www.meetatrecess.com to see the ongoing implementation and results.

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