Post-Secondary Partners
Post-Secondary institutions often bridge high school level interest in the law with career options and workplace opportunities. Ontario universities and colleges are reaching out high schools to deliver justice education in innovative ways. Information on each of these programs, and links to program templates, are organized as follows:
Law Schools
Unique programs at law schools have connected law students with high school students. Some of these programs incorporate tutoring and mentorship opportunities and they all share the same goal of sparking students’ interest in the law and its impact on social issues.
McGill High School Outreach Program
The Faculty of Law at McGill University has developed a three week program where law students visit partnering area high schools for the first two weeks to share their experiences and present on legal issues and on the third week, invite high school students to visit the law school.
University of Ottawa’s Public Legal Education Initiative
This new student group at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law delivers law-related classroom presentations to high school students. They are looking forward to partnering with more schools in the Ottawa area. A number of presentations were developed over the past year including presentations on Terrorism and Anti-terror Legislation, Drugs and Society, Rights to Private Healthcare, and Online Privacy.
University of Toronto’s Law in Action Within Schools (LAWS)
The LAWS program run by the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law partners with two area high schools to deliver two separate unique pilot programs. At Central Technical School, a three year law and justice themed high school curriculum has been implemented. At Harbord Collegiate Institute, a special law and justice themed grade 10 Civics/Careers course is in place.
Click on the links below for some examples of LAWS resources:
Careers information developed by the LAWS Program
Citizenship presentation developed by a law student in the LAWS Program:
2008 Resources prepared by Community Legal Services at Western Law School:
Employment Law (Classroom Presentation)
International Law (Classroom Presentation)
Restorative Justice (Classroom Presentation)
Youth Criminal Justice (Classroom Presentation)
ESL Workshop template developed by OJEN with assistance from a University of Windsor Faculty of Law student:
Osgoode Hall Law School's Teen Osgoode Program for Secondary Schools
The TOPSS program incorporates student mentorship, law presentation delivery, mock trials, competitions for high school students to creatively express ideas about the law, and open house visits as part of its outreach initiative. Click on the links below for more information on TOPSS:
Article: A TOPSS Day at Osgoode with West Toronto Collegiate Students
Post-Secondary Institutions with Law-related Initiatives
These post-secondary institutions engage in programming connecting students enrolled in paralegal studies, court administraion and criminal justice programs with high school students studying Law and Civics.
Community Groups
AJEFO, in co-operation with the coalition of francophone stakeholders, operates the Careers in Justice initiative, which aims at informing French-speaking middle and high school students of the various career opportunities related to justice administration, security, and corrections and all other aspects needed for the proper operation of the legal system in Ontario in the French-language. AJEFO also develops justice education resources; click on the links below for an example (Mock Bail Hearing Scenario):
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) delivers classroom presentations to high school students using the framework of the Canadian Charter to get students thinking about balancing rights and thinking critically about the law.
CLEONet provides legal resources to community workers and advocates as well as low income and disadvantaged communities. CLEONet offers information on every-day legal issues which individuals might encounter.
This program matches law student volunteers with community agencies with a need for legal services but with insufficient resources to compensate legal counsel. Law student volunteers usually work for public interest and non-profit organizations, tribunals, legal clinics and lawyers working pro bono on a particular case. Students take part in many types of law projects, public legal education being one of them.
Pro Bono Students Canada - Osgoode Hall Law School
Pro Bono Students Canada - Queen's University
Pro Bono Students Canada - University of Ottawa
Pro Bono Students Canada - University of Toronto
OJEN Initiatives to expand Post-Secondary Partnerships
Courtrooms & Classrooms: A Manual for Organizing Fun and Engaging Justice Education programs for Students
Templates for delivering introduction to the justice system programs for high risk communities for youth
Other Justice Education organizations in Canada
The B.C Law Courts Education Society aims to make the justice system accessible to everyone through hands-on, targeted, two-way education between the public and the justice system.
Éducaloi is a non-profit organization whose mission is to inform youth in Quebec of their rights and obligations by providing legal information in everyday language.
