Lawrence Heights Pathways to Education Program

The Lawrence Heights Pathways to Education Program is located at:
New Heights Community Health Centres
12 Flemington Road
Toronto ON M6A 2N4
Tel.: 416-787-1661

For complete program information, please contact:
Owen Christopher Hinds
Program Director
Tel.: 416-787-1676, ext. 306
Email: ohinds@newheightshealth.org

About the Lawrence Heights community
Lawrence Heights is a community of ethnic and linguistic diversity, predominantly newcomers and first-generation immigrants from East and West African countries, as well as Caribbean and Latin American countries. There are 1,080 family units and a high proportion of single-parent families. It is one of a number of Toronto communities affected by youth gangs and violent crime involving firearms over the past few years. Other youth issues include few links between the schools and families in the community (often because of language barriers), little to no after school programming, and high dropout rates, particularly for boys. The average household annual income is approximately $15,000.

In October 2005, Toronto City Council designated Lawrence Heights as one of 13 priority neighbourhoods, requiring infrastructure investment and improvement of community services.

The Lawrence Heights Pathways to Education Program is offered through an alliance between United Way of Greater Toronto and Pathways Canada. Further, in addition to corporations, foundations and private donors, the Youth Challenge Fund has been a key funder for both the start up and implementation of the program, contributing significant funding over the next three years.

Catchment area
South: Lawrence Avenue West
East: Varna Drive & Cather Crescent
North: Ranee Avenue
West: Flemington Road, Blossomfield Drive, Flemington Road, Allen Road South
Three addresses on Neptune Drive: 135, 145 and 155

How to join
If you are a student in grade 9 from the Lawrence Heights catchment area and would like to find out how to join the Pathways to Education Program, you or your parent/guardian can contact Owen Christopher Hinds at ohinds@newheightshealth.org

How to volunteer
Interested volunteer tutors and group mentors please contact Shafin Devji, Coordinator, Tutoring and Mentoring, at sdevji@newheightshealth.orgindicating your area of interest and expertise.