Who should Apply

Black Ontario youth who will be enrolled in Grades 9, 10 or 11 in September 2022 and who have a passion for learning.

What

SummerUp’s Maximum City – Urban Solutions course is about urban design and how cities can work better for everyone. What does it take to build a community, re-design a street, a park, a public space, or a city? What does it take to make a city more sustainable and accessible? What if a town or city sets a goal to be more pedestrian friendly – how would this goal be achieved? These questions point to the challenge of how we design and build our cities and this program presents the challenge to students. Since Maximum City is about ‘urbanism’ and how cities work, it helps to understand the meaning of the word which is “the study of how inhabitants of urban areas, such as towns and cities, interact with the built environment”. (Wikipedia)
It also helps to understand ‘urban design’ which integrates areas of knowledge such as architecture, the social sciences, culture, and economics to build a better living environment.

Maximum City- Urban Solutions offers hands-on learning and discovery of what makes cities work. Topics include design, architecture, health, getting around, sustainability, and climate change. Students explore these issues through a series of field trips and collaborative activities led by experts. This course, coordinated by University of Toronto Schools, has been delivered on the University of Toronto downtown campus since 2011 and in satellite locations around the world.

This course will appeal to Black youth who are interested in the design processes and solutions that towns and cities use in providing a better living environment for their residents.

Why this Matters

The rapid growth of cities worldwide brings with it the challenge of designing and organizing these cities so that they are welcoming, thriving, functional and equitably meet the needs of their growing population. This course draws back the curtain on urbanism and provides interactive hands-on learning experience for students through field trips and expert guests. It also gives students the chance to discover the varied skills and career opportunities which are associated with urbanism – careers in fields such as engineering, design, architecture, urban planning, sociology and geography.

By the end of this one-week course, students will have learned how to:

• design,
• collaborate,
• citizen, and
• how to solve problems

Admissions Information

Who: You will be considered for admission if you are a Black student residing in Ontario, and if you will be enrolled in Grades 9, 10 or 11 in September 2022. As well, you must have a passion for learning, be keen to learn collaboratively with other students, and be totally committed to attending all five in-person classes (see class schedule below).

Admissions Process: Eligible applicants with a passion for learning will be considered for admission. Refer to application deadlines at https://llileaders.com/summerup/ Applicants will be required to attend a course orientation.

Start/Stop Dates: SummerUp’s Maximum City – Urban Design course will span five days – all within one week starting Monday, July 18 and ending Friday, July 22, 2022. Classes will commence at 9.30 a.m. and end at 3.30 p.m. each day. There will be breaks – including a lunch break. There will also be special programming on the first and last day of the program, including a showcase of work on the final day (parents invited).

Meeting Pattern: Here is the class/event schedule for the week of July 18, 2022. Classes begin on time. Applicants must attend all sessions/events:

Monday, July 18
– Students arrive by 8.30 a.m.
– Orientation/Issue of T-shirts: 8.30 t0 8.45 a.m.
– Community Lunch: Students will be provided lunch on this day. It’s a way of ‘getting to know you…”
– Program time: 9.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. (includes breaks and field trips)

Tuesday, July 19
– Students arrive by 8.40 a.m.
– Lunch: Students will provide their own lunch.
– Program time: 9.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. (includes breaks and field trips)

Wednesday, July 20
– Students arrive by 8.40 a.m.
– Lunch: Students will provide their own lunch.
– Program time: 9.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. (includes breaks and field trips)

Thursday, July 21
– Students arrive by 8.40 a.m.
– Lunch: Students will provide their own lunch.
– Program time: 9.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. (includes breaks and field trips)

Friday, July 22
– Students arrive by 8.40 a.m.
– Community Lunch: Students will be provided lunch on this day. It’s a way of solidifying ‘community’
– Program time: 9.30 a.m. to 2.15 p.m. (includes breaks and field trips)
– Project Showcase: 1.30 p.m. to 3.45 p.m. Students will exhibit the project they worked on during the week.
Parents and family are invited.
– It’s a wrap! The program ends at 3.45 p.m.

Dress: Inasmuch as this course is delivered in-person and given that appropriate dress is a part of the learning experience, we require students to dress appropriately. While on campus, each student will be provided a T-shirt which must always be worn. On field trip days (rain or shine), there will be walking, so comfortable shoes are a must.

Parent Role: We deliver this course in partnership with parents and legal guardians. We ask parents to ensure students arrive and depart the campus safely and on time; that provision for lunch is made on the three days a ‘community lunch’ is not provided, and that students are appropriately dressed. Parents must attend an online orientation for selected students.

Mode: This course is delivered in-person. An online version will not be available. Given the organization of this course, students will not need to bring laptop computers to class.

Campus Site: This in-person course will be delivered on the campus of University of Toronto, St. George Campus. University of Toronto Schools (UTS) is on the corner of Bloor Street and Spadina Avenue and is highly accessible by TTC. Selected students will be provided location directions.

Vaccination and Masks (Updated June 15, 2022):
Our SummerUp website (Student Responsibilities) makes a general statement relating to Vaccination and Masks. This general statement reads: “We encourage all students, instructors and staff who are engaged in in-person and hybrid classes to be fully vaccinated. While SummerUp will not require proof of vaccination, there may be occasion where this is a requirement by certain institutions…”
University of Toronto Schools, where this course, Maximum City – Urban Solutions, will be taught, does require students on campus to be fully vaccinated. What this means is, in order for you to participate in this particular SummerUp course, you must show proof of vaccination (e.g. your vaccination certificate) prior to the start of the course. Without proof of vaccination, you will not be admitted into this course. Also, “masking will be strongly recommended, unless a 2-meter distance cannot be maintained (such as close work in a classroom). Exceptions to the 2-meter spacing requirement include when actively eating/drinking, engaged in strenuous physical activity, or playing an instrument/singing/performing. Teachers leading summer camps can require participants to wear masks when the 2-meter rule cannot be maintained.” (UTS)

Course Faculty

Josh Fullan – Program Founder

Josh Fullan is a teacher at University of Toronto Schools. He is also Principal Consultant at Maximum City, Toronto. He is a recognized leader in inclusive engagement, civic education, and age-friendly communities, who brings over 15 years of experience in leading and advising successful projects for governments, communities, and private enterprise.

About University of Toronto Schools

University of Toronto Schools (UTS) is an independent, merit-based university preparatory school, affiliated with the University of Toronto. The school is located on the University’s St. George Campus. Founded in 1910, the school provides a transformative education program of academic distinction to approximately 670 students in grades 7 through 12. UTS graduates love learning, take initiative, and innovate as socially responsible global citizens and go on to attend many of the most selective universities around the world.

Special Note:

SummerUp is a program designed to serve and support the personal and professional aspirations of Ontario’s Black youth. The program is developed and presented by the Lifelong Leadership Institute (LLI), and it is primarily funded by the Ontario Ministry of Education. The quality of the SummerUp experience is assured by the contributions of a diverse group of individuals, educators, institutions, and corporations. All are committed to championing the well-being, development, and advancement of Black youth.

The Lifelong Leadership Institute also offers the Leadership by Design program which provides extensive leadership-development opportunities to Black youth.

The SummerUp 2022 program is primarily funded by the Ontario Ministry of Education.