The Ripple Effect Education

Honouring Juneteenth 💚💛❤️

Today, we recognize Juneteenth, a powerful reminder of the ongoing journey toward freedom, justice, and equity.

Juneteenth is a time to celebrate Black freedom, culture, and joy, while also reflecting on the work still needed to create communities where everyone feels safe, belonging, and empowered.

At TREE, we believe that peace education includes learning about history, lifting up marginalized voices, and taking steps- big and small, toward equity and belonging for all.

What a beautiful day in Elmira celebrating love, community, and pride at the Woolwich Pride Event 🌈

Thank you to Trish for hosting TREE's table and for all of your support throughout the day! It was amazing connecting with community members, and celebrating a space where everyone feels welcomed, belonging, and proud to be themselves.

Events like these remind us how powerful community, inclusion, and visibility can be. Thank you to everyone who stopped by our table and helped make the day so special!!

Save the date!
We are so excited to be attending Woolwich pride this year! Stop by our TREE booth to say hello!

Mark your calendars and come celebrate love, inclusion, and pride with us! 💛

📅 Saturday, June 13, 2026
🕐 1:00 – 4:00 PM
📍 Gibson Park, Elmira

🎉 That's a wrap! 🎉

Our Spring 2026 classroom workshop series has officially come to an end!

This season, we had the privilege of working with 5 schools across the Waterloo Region and engaging with more than 340 students through meaningful conversations, interactive activities, and opportunities for learning and reflection.

Thank you to our incredible workshop facilitators, dedicated teachers, supportive school staff, and of course the students who brought their energy, curiosity, and voices to every session. Your participation is what makes this work so impactful.

Thank you for another successful workshop season, we can't wait to be back in classrooms again soon!

Happy National Indigenous History Month! This month is an opportunity to educate ourselves about Indigenous history and culture and to celebrate Indigenous changemakers and wisdom keepers who have made significant impacts on peacebuilding work.

For those of us who are settlers, it is also an important opportunity to reflect on our responsibility to decolonize our lives, perspectives, and practices. We must take tangible steps on the path to reconciliation and recognize that colonialism does not exist only in past-tense; it is an ongoing process and issue. We are all on stolen land and we all have a part to play in uplifting and centering Indigenous history.

The Ripple Effect Education recognizes with gratitude and reverence that we live, work, and play on the traditional and current territories of the Neutral, Anishnaabe, and Haudenosaunee Peoples. The TREE office is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land promised to the Six Nations, which includes ten kilometers on each side of the Grand River. We also recognize that land acknowledgements are only a piece of the lifelong work that is reconciliation and decolonization. We are committed to reflecting on how we have been complicit in colonialism and to challenging colonialism systemically, interpersonally, and within ourselves.

We also want to uplift and celebrate the incredible Indigenous activists, community groups, organizers, and peacebuilders within our own community. We appreciate the opportunity to learn from you and the invaluable contributions you make to our region through education, wisdom, activism, culture, art, and more.

Take time to learn about Indigenous history this month and continue educating yourself moving forward.

🌈 Happy Pride Month! ✨

This month is about celebrating love in all its forms, embracing authenticity, and uplifting the beauty of being unapologetically yourself. Whether you’re out and proud, still on your journey, or showing up as an ally for someone you care about, you are seen, valued, and you belong.

At TREE, we proudly stand with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community today and every day. We are committed to fostering spaces rooted in inclusion, respect, and belonging for all.

Here’s to love, acceptance, joy, and the freedom for everyone to shine exactly as they are. 💛💚💙💜❤️🧡

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Laurel and Zelal facilitated two SHSM workshops on Conflict Resolution and Environmental Justice at École secondaire Michelle-O'Bonsawin.

Through meaningful discussions and reflective activities, students explored their identities, examined how power and privilege can shape experiences in different spaces, and reflected on their own conflict styles and approaches to communication. Together, they developed skills for navigating disagreements with empathy, respect, and understanding.

In the Environmental Justice workshop, students learned about environmental inequities and explored how environmental issues disproportionately impact certain communities both locally and globally. Through critical conversations, they examined the connections between sustainability, equity, and social justice, while considering the role they can play in creating more just and inclusive communities.

Thank you to all the students for your thoughtful participation, curiosity, and willingness to share your perspectives! 🌎✨

Power of Diversity!

Zelal, Zayna, Sarah M., and Rose facilitated 12 workshops at the Taking Space, Making Space event with the Halton Catholic District School Board, engaging 233 Grade 7/8 students in conversations on the power of diversity.

Through interactive activities, students reflected on and shared parts of their identities while exploring themes of belonging and pluralism. The workshops created a welcoming space for connection, encouraging students to listen, learn from one another, and celebrate what makes each of us unique.

Meet our new workshop facilitators! 🌿
These amazing educators will be working with students to explore conflict resolution, peace-building, and social justice in meaningful and engaging ways.
We’re so grateful to have you on the TREE team!

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

At TREE, we believe that creating inclusive spaces is essential for supporting mental health. When we feel seen, heard, and valued, we’re better able to navigate challenges, express ourselves, and build meaningful connections. 💚

An inclusive space is one where:
✨ Everyone feels safe to share their thoughts and experiences.
✨ Differences are respected and celebrated.
✨ People listen with empathy and respond with kindness.

Commit to making space for one another. Whether it’s checking in on a friend, practicing active listening, or advocating for more inclusive workplaces, schools, and communities.

Because mental well-being thrives in spaces where we all belong. 💛