The University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies has launched its first personal finance course designed specifically for Black, Indigenous and racialized youth. 

Launching this week, the program, developed in collaboration with Wealthsimple Foundation, aims to equip young adults with essential financial literacy skills they may not have had the opportunity to learn in high school or other educational endeavours. 

“Youth may be in the early stages of their professional or educational pathways, and/or living independently, and financial responsibility or a budget mindset may not have been part of their lived experiences. This course helps propel them forward,” SCS Assistant Dean, Lifelong Learning and Innovation Juan Mavo-Navarro explains.

The program addresses this gap by providing practical knowledge and skills that will prepare youth for today’s real-world financial responsibilities and serve them well into their future. “When they start making money and having expenses like commuting or buying books for school, or paying rent, that’s when reality sets in,” Mavo-Navarro noted. 

"For those involved in a financially literate environment early on, the learning begins by experience. However, without guidance, they may be prone to costly mistakes."

Acknowledging this importance of early financial education, Wealthsimple Foundation has generously sponsored the program, making it free to attend for qualifying learners.  

Course co-creator Martina Simmonds says it was particularly important to her to gear the program towards young people from equity-deserving groups. 

“I prioritized developing a resource specifically tailored for Black, Indigenous, and racialized youth, aiming to address their financial literacy needs directly,” she explains. 

“Integrating culturally focused case studies, peer and celebrity confessions, and practical skills like completing income tax forms, were crucial steps in bridging this gap. This initiative represents the course I wish I had during my university years, and I am thrilled to partner with the Wealthsimple Foundation and SCS to make this valuable resource available.”

The online course is six weeks long and aims to equip learners with the key skills required for personal banking, budgeting, debt management, and smart personal financial planning. 

SCS Dean Catherine Chandler-Crichlow says she looks forward to seeing what participants in the program will do with the knowledge they gain through the program, adding:

“We’re so happy to be a part of helping these bright and determined young people gain access to a set of skills and knowledge essential to allowing them to take control of their financial futures.”

The University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies (SCS) is pleased to announce a new award for creative writing established by SCS learner and author Rajinderpal S. Pal. 

Named for Pal’s father, the Pal Saqi Award for Creative Fiction Writing will provide $2,000 annually to a Creative Writing Certificate learner with the most outstanding Final Project. The award’s recipients will be selected by a panel of Canadian publishing industry professionals.

For Pal, an award-winning writer and performer who recently launched his debut novel, the award is both an opportunity to give back to the program that nurtured his own writing, and a way to honour the memory and legacy of his father. 

“2025 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the death of my father, Bishambar Singh Saqi, a renowned Punjabi poet. I only knew him for a short time but his influence—his love of learning, of poetry, and his generosity—still guides me and my siblings to this day—two of my siblings are also published authors,” he explains. 

“The opportunity to support the Final Project award seemed to be a perfect venue through which I could honour the memory of my father, my siblings who are my biggest champions, and show gratitude for a program that helped me immensely.”

Pal, who received the Penguin Random House Student Award for Fiction while completing creative writing courses at SCS, hopes that in addition to the financial support, the award will give emerging writers the boost and, the much needed, early recognition to continue pursuing their passion. 

“There is no doubt in my mind that the courses I completed through the School of Continuing Studies were essential in building the skills and discipline I required to get my debut novel published,” he says. 

SCS Creative Writing program director Lee Gowan agrees that the award will make a difference in the lives and careers of SCS creative writing learners. “Besides giving emerging writers much needed validation,” he says, “this award will spotlight both the winning and shortlisted final projects to publishers and agents.”

The first shortlist of authors for the Pal Saqi Award for Creative Fiction Writing will be announced in Spring 2025 and the finalist will be celebrated at the annual SCS Creative Writing Awards Reception in Fall 2025. 

To learn more about Pal Saqi and the award, or to make your own contribution to support emerging writers, please visit the award’s donation page.  

Saqi Pal

Rajinderpal S. Pal

About 80% of people who make New Year’s Resolutions give up on them by mid-February, but that doesn’t need to be the case for you! Here are 10 resolutions SCS can help you keep in 2025. 
 

1. Move Your Career Forward – Prepare for and decide on the next bold step in your career with the help of one-on-one coaching, workshops, and free career-focused webinars offered through our Blueprint Career Services.
2. Learn a Language – Our language courses and certificates can help you learn or improve your skills in a wide variety of languages, while our popular English Language Program can help you reach your academic, professional, or personal English Language goals.
3. Improve Your Cognitive Health - Learning new information and skills can help your brain to keep growing and maintain neuroplasticity, which can help with memory, learning, depression, and can even aid in recovery from strokes or traumatic brain injuries.
4. Build a More Fulfilling Social Life – Growing your social circle as an adult can be challenging! We love seeing our learners connect with people who share a common interest with them and build new lifelong friendships.
5. Improve Your Project Management Abilities – Project management continues to be an in-demand skill set across sectors. Make 2025 the year you develop this skill set for yourself, or prepare to formalize the skills you already have with a Project Management Institute certification.
6. Start Your Memoirs – You’ve got stories to tell. Find your writing community and let our expert creative writing instructors guide you in telling those stories in a clear and compelling way. Not quite ready for memoirs? Check out our wide variety of other writing genres to explore.
7. Update Your Marketing Skills – With the explosion of AI technology over the past few years, there has never been a better time to ensure your marketing skills and toolkit are current and competitive. Our expert marketing and communications instructors are passionate about doing just that and about passing on their up-to-date knowledge to help you future-proof your marketing career.
8. Become An Effective Leader – Whether you already lead a team or you aspire to take on a leadership role within your organization this year, our leadership program can help you develop the skills and mindset of a great leader.
9. Earn A Professional Certification or Designation – You know what your skills and abilities are. Now let potential employers know by earning an in-demand designation to add to your resumé. 
   Whether you are working towards earning a professional designation or certification, or need to maintain your credential with continuing education requirements, we have partner-recognized courses and certificates to help you succeed on your journey forward.
10. Embrace AI - If your goal this year is to develop your understanding of AI, our Artificial Intelligence certificate is here to help you explore all modern branches of AI, from deep learning using neural nets to reinforcement learning as well as to understand Canada’s cutting-edge AI marketplace – and where you fit best in 2025.

The University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies (SCS) has been working with U of T faculties and divisions to empower leading organizations to upskill their workforce through customized training that aligns with evolving industry demands. 

One of these organizations, Porsche Cars Canada, Ltd., recently celebrated a significant milestone in their commitment to providing staff of their headquarters as well as Porsche Centre staff across the country with specialized knowledge on electric vehicle (EV) technology and innovation: the completion of the 500th Porsche Electro-Mobility Certification micro-credential. 

In response to the accelerating shift towards EVs, in 2021 Porsche Cars Canada leadership set out to enhance employee training with a forward-looking approach. They partnered with SCS and the University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering (FASE) to create a custom micro-credential designed to give Porsche Centre staff an in-depth understanding of this bourgeoning technology.

“Creating this micro-credential is really a hallmark of our culture,” explains Derek Tadros, Director of Retail Development at Porsche Cars Canada. 

“Porsche has always strived to be at the forefront of innovation. So I think from the onset, when we looked at the situation and the start of the electrification of our brand, we realized we had knowledge gaps. And we knew we needed a partner to help support us in ensuring we can provide the right skills and knowledge.”

The University of Toronto (UofT) School of Continuing Studies’ Organizational and Corporate Training department and U of T Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) professor Olivier Trescases were the ideal collaborators to provide that support. 

Trescases, who is both a professor in electrical and computer engineering and the director of the U of T Electric Vehicle Research Centre, agrees. “It's been an amazing experience working with Porsche and the School of Continuing Studies. It's been really a team exercise to craft this program according to their needs,” he explains. 

“I think this kind of micro-credential is essential to being competitive in the space of electric vehicles because the workforce really wasn't trained in that area and needs to make a shift. We're seeing major investments in Ontario, and I think this aligns very well with retraining, and retooling in particular.”

The micro-course was originally designed to establish competency in foundational electrical concepts and core EV technologies, as well as more forward-looking innovations such as vehicle-to-grid and wireless charging. Thanks to Trescases’ expertise, the course content has continued to evolve alongside advancements in EV technology.

Trescases says he sees this kind of just-in-time, customized education as increasingly valuable. “Companies don't necessarily have the time for their employees to spend two or four years in an advanced degree, but they want something very targeted that's up to date and that's from a trusted source,” he elaborates. 

“And I think this program really satisfied that requirement and I think we will see more and more of it going forward.”

Now, with electric vehicles selling in higher numbers than ever before Porsche has passed the milestone of 500 micro-credentials earned by Canadian Porsche Centre staff, and they are not stopping there. The ninth cohort of the program began in the fall, and participants say the micro-course leaves them feeling confident in their ability to address any concerns or questions their clients might have. 

“The engineering element brought into this course, which is so much different than what we’re typically used to seeing in the showroom, definitely made my knowledge of all things electric vehicles and batteries, so much broader in terms of my comfort level being able to explain the technology a lot more thoroughly than I did before taking the course,” says New Car Sales Manager at Porsche Centre Oakville, Domenica Giordiano. 

The program’s success is also due to Porsche Cars Canada’s decision to include both front-line staff and senior leadership. Julianna Morris, Senior Manager of Porsche People Excellence in Training believes this inclusivity was crucial, as it demonstrated to staff that members of leadership were willing to ‘walk the talk” when it came to continuing education and upskilling. 

“Having such positive feedback from the Porsche Centre teams has made me realize that continuing education and ensuring that people are skilled and have the knowledge as we progress in electromobility is essential to our success and to their success,” she says. 

“I believe that organizations must actively partner with universities to ensure the workforce of tomorrow is equipped with the skills and knowledge needed for long-term success.”

SCS Dean Catherine Chandler-Crichlow says the School of Continuing Studies’ Organizational and Corporate Training department is prepared to facilitate these kinds of academic-industry partnerships, not just in the automotive field, but across industries. By working with faculties and professors who are doing leading-edge research at the university, SCS can help bring current, highly-sought new skills to the workplace. 

“I think the Porsche Canada partnership is just a fantastic example of where the school, by leveraging our expertise and working with different groups within the university, taps into the strength of the university. So, it's a win, win, win in all directions,” she explains. 

A key strength of SCS is its ability to design, deliver, and evaluate high quality learning for adults, Dean Chandler-Crichlow adds. 

“That means that we can work with adults in any organization and at any level within that organization.” she says. 

“What really excites me about what we have the potential to do going forward is to continue to broaden our reach along different pathways and with different groups to continue to innovate within the micro-credential space itself. We are highly focused on the technical with Porsche, but there's a whole range of programming there that's just sort of waiting for us to tap into. That's very exciting.”

With this collaboration, U of T and Porsche Cars Canada are proving how customized, cutting-edge education can empower organizations to stay competitive in a fast-changing world. 

To learn how SCS can support your organization’s workforce training and upskilling needs, please visit our Corporate and Organizational Training services page.

Every year, the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies celebrates outstanding instructors who embody excellence in adult education. The SCS Excellence in Teaching Awards are driven by nominations from learners who feel their instructors have gone above and beyond to deliver engaging, impactful, and supportive learning experiences. 

“As educators, these instructors do more than teach – they ignite curiosity and empower learners to pursue their goals with confidence,” says SCS Dean Catherine Chandler-Crichlow. “Their dedication to fostering a love for lifelong learning and their commitment to student success are truly commendable. We are proud to celebrate their achievements and contributions to the school."

The Excellence in Teaching Award winners for the 2022-2023 academic year are: 

Jessica Westhead - Creative Writing
Westhead’s learners describe her as an enthusiastic, encouraging instructor with a genuine commitment to helping them grow and improve their craft. Her inclusive teaching methods and tools keep her class materials engaging, relevant, and accessible. Her dedication, expertise, and innovative teaching strategies make her an excellent educator.

Mary McBride - Languages
McBride is described by her learners as a passionate and dedicated instructor with a wealth of knowledge to share. She ensures that her learners feel comfortable, supported and valued and goes above and beyond to help them master the languages she teaches. 

Laetitia Walbert - Languages
Learners say Walbert is s an exceptional French teacher whose dedication to her craft is demonstrated through her meticulous preparation and her ability to tailor lessons to suit diverse learning styles. With a patient and supportive approach, she offers clear, engaging, and well-structured classes that make learning both enjoyable and effective.

Bernard Feder - Marketing and Communications
Feder’s learners describe him as a dedicated, knowledgeable and kind instructor. He exudes energy and passion for his subject matter and cultivates a respectful classroom environment. He is an excellent communicator and challenges learners to think critically.

J. Kent Messum - Creative Writing
Kent Messum’s learners describe him an instructor who teaches by example. He is  extremely organized and fosters a respectful and supportive environment for the writers in his classes while providing meaningful feedback to help learners’ skills and confidence grow. 

Jayna Grassel - Marketing and Communications
Learners say Grassel is a dedicated, innovative instructor who has a profound impact on their learning experiences. She provides personalized support and creates an inclusive classroom environment. Her enthusiasm and passion for the subject she teaches are infectious, inspiring learners to strive for excellence. 

Stephan Dyer - Career Development and Communications Skills
Dyer is described by his learners as an exceptional presenter who is passionate and motivated to pass along his skills. He fosters a strong sense of community in the classroom and provides detailed, constructive feedback.

Ed Burns - Business, Finance and Management
Burns’ learners say it is immediately clear how much he loves sharing his knowledge and empowering the people in his classrooms to make an impact in their workplaces with the tools he introduces them to. He approaches teaching with enthusiasm, passion, kindness, and humour.

Barbara Isherwood - Visual Art and Architecture
Learners say Isherwood is a gifted instructor who creates an inviting and accessible environment where anyone can learn about art, regardless of their level of knowledge. She is engaging, knowledgeable, passionate, and respectful, and her enthusiasm for her subject matter is infectious. 
 

The University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies has launched its accessibility plan for 2024 to 2027. 

In addition to laying out SCS accessibility goals, the plan includes information on the school’s AODA working group, and highlights EDI-related achievements, such as the creation of accessibility guidelines for subject matter experts who develop courses with SCS; participation in the Moving Towards Opportunity (MTO) Program; and a panel on navigating disability in the workplace. 

“EDI is a core value of our division, and we strive to build our culture around these principles. Our purpose is to strengthen human potential one individual, one organization and one community at a time,” says SCS Dean Catherine Chandler-Crichlow. 

“SCS is focused on ensuring all members of our SCS eco-system are supported and can access our working, learning, teaching, and collaboration environments in an inclusive, meaningful, and barrier-free way.”

Please visit our EDI page to read the full accessibility plan.   

When Tilo McAllister found himself working in B2B (business-to-business) marketing, he knew he would need to hone a very specific set of skills. So when it was announced that SCS instructor Tyler Calder, who McAllister had already taken Search Engine Marketing with, would be teaching a new B2B Marketing course, the next step in his learning journey was clear.

“A lot of the marketing courses out there are catering to B2C (business to consumer) and B2B and all this different stuff, trying to be everything at once, and I liked that this course was very focused,” he explains.

Currently the national sales and marketing manager for T&T Power Group, McAllister says his background was in sales, but he was always drawn to the storytelling aspect of marketing.

“While I do love the one to one nature of sales, I really like being able to influence the overall communication strategy of the company and the messaging that we put out to our audience and the entire marketplace,” he elaborates.

The knowledge and skills McAlister picked up in his B2B Marketing: Fueling Revenue Growth classes were instantly applicable to his work.

“All of the assignments and practical work exercises that we did, I just did on my current business. So I was able to develop content and strategies that I'm using right now,” he says.

“I would go to class on Tuesday night and on Wednesday morning I'd be trying to implement something that I learned, so that was really cool.”

McAllister says one of the most valuable lessons he learned in class was about taking a coordinated approach to marketing and sales strategy.

“They are truly integrated at this point,” he says. “They don't exist in a silo. They really have to be united and coordinated in their strategy and I think that was kind of one of Tyler’s major messages throughout the course.”

Calder’s advice was particularly valuable to McAllister because he speaks from up-tp-date professional experience in both sales and marketing management. McAllister says he also found himself pleasantly surprised at the level of engagement Calder was able to encourage through his welcoming and informal online teaching approach. 

“I've done a number of online courses and it's just a ghost land of blank profile pictures and it seems like the poor instructor is just talking to nobody,” he explains.

“I've never been in a course with that many people who are just comfortable to be on camera for the entire thing. And because of that I really feel like I connected with the other people in the class a lot more. It was really nice.”

In addition to enjoying Calder’s teaching style, McAllister says the course content was appropriately challenging, while also being applicable to his work right away, and that he got a lot out of participating in the course live.

“The discussions that would come up were really good. I liked having the opportunity and the invitation to actually participate in a bit of a dialogue, not just one way content,” he shares. 

“Every week there was a good question that led to a little bit of debate and it would often be a question he would ask at the start where everyone would chime in and give their opinion and then he would share his. That was that was a fun learning process.”

Asked who he would recommend the course to, McAllister says it's fantastic for people who are maybe new to marketing or new to B2B because it covers excellent foundational knowledge. 

“I'd say the group that I was with were all either kind of new to marketing or new to B2B or some of them just were maybe feeling a little stale after being in marketing for a long time and maybe not being so versed in newer up-to-date practices, specifically in digital marketing,” he adds.

For himself, McAllister says the course has helped him gain newfound confidence in his own skills and abilities.

“In my case, I took it on because I have the sales background that I have a lot of industry knowledge now but I felt like I was kind of missing a real chunk of foundational knowledge. We've been having great wins and success with our marketing, but I thought, you know, if I actually knew what to do, this would be easier,” he laughs.

“I think having some formal education empowers you to defend your ideas a little bit better and stick up for yourself in the discourse of business strategy and give a reasoning behind your gut feelings.”

For anyone thinking about taking B2B Marketing: Fueling Revenue Growth, McAllister’s advice is simple: “Just do it,”  he says. “But maybe more so, expect to enjoy it. I look forward to Tuesday night's lecture, like I look forward to like dropping volleyball on Thursdays.”

Created by award-winning poet Janice Colbert in 2012, the Janice Colbert Poetry Award honours SCS learners who have created a piece of poetry that moves us. 
Janice, who is an SCS Creative Writing Certificate earner, helps us celebrate the journey towards creative discovery through her generous award. This annual honour is valued at $1,000, plus two finalist awards of $500 each.

1ST PLACE/$1,000 AWARD WINNER: Hannah Lee

Hannah Lee is a lawyer who has spent most of her career advising, representing, and advocating for persons with disabilities. She lives with her inter-generational family in the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples. 

Lee says that “Writing poetry isn't sticky like a bad habit. Yet. But that's something I'm currently working towards. Changing. I'm cautiously thrilled to be this year's winner of the Janice Colbert Poetry Prize; for the metaphoric kick in the pants from this bit of encouragement.”

“Hannah Lee’s poetry is at once familiar and new. Her poems play in a space of contradictions, demanding on one line and disarming in the other. Lee's writing beckons us to peer into someone else’s world, and in doing so, recognize our own. - Sheeza Sarfraz, Editor, The Quarantine Review and Janice Colbert Award juror

FINALISTS/$500 AWARD WINNERS: Maude Abouche and Antigone Oreopoulos

Maude Abouche is a queer, neurodivergent, and half-Moroccan writer from Montreal. She draws inspiration from her mixed cultural heritage and identities to explore the liminal and interstitial through speculative fiction. Her story “Blabbermouth” received an honourable mention in the 2023 Penguin Random House Student Award for Fiction, and her short fiction has appeared in Hexagon Magazine, Haven Speculative, and Augur Magazine under her pen name, Madi Haab. She is also communications coordinator for the French-language speculative magazine Brins d’éternité, where she has published book reviews and essays. Find her at lamotdite.com or on Instagram, Bluesky, and Twitter @lamotdite.

“With visceral imagery and pared-back language that packs a punch, Maude Abouche’s suite of poems pulls the contemporary human condition into conversation with the world: a butterfly is “a dry leaf fluttering about my feet” and there are “sizzling server farms guzzling drinking water in Arizona to keep chatbots running.” Striking, spare, and sparky, these poems serve as a reminder that art can be both a mirror and, as famously espoused by Bertolt Brecht, a hammer with which to shape reality." - Leigh Nash, Publisher, Assembly Press and Janice Colbert Award juror

Antigone Oreopoulos is a caregiver, physical therapist, disability advocate, mom, and poet living in Edmonton, Alberta with her two children. When her son was three, he was diagnosed with nonspeaking autism but misdiagnosed with low receptive language and cognition. One day while writing a poem related to her grief from never truly getting to know her boy, a Google search landed her on an organization’s website that teaches students just like her own son to write poetry and song lyrics through text-based communication and a communication support partner. Finding communication for her son opened the door to knowing the real person inside the uncooperative body. These days, Antigone’s primary job is home schooling her son and being his communication support partner. Outside of that, she coaches other nonspeaking neurodivergent individuals in motor skills learning, exercise, and sport. She writes about violence against women, feminism and social justice, and, when lost, Antigone finds home again in a garden, on a dance floor, or at the edge of a lakeside dock.

"In these formally inventive and bravely vulnerable poems, we witness moments of innocent teenage crushes and sexual encounters that quickly turn to sex shaming and humiliation. We see the cycle of violence escalate inside a marital home swallowed by a black hole of domestic abuse. By courageously confronting these past traumas and memories, the speaker reclaims her power, finding strength, resilience, healing, and hope. Oreopoulos powerfully casts a spell for survivors 'to rid the pain that has built a home / in their body.'” - Hazel Millar, Publisher, Book*hug Press and Janice Colbert Award juror

For more information about the Janice Colbert Award, please visit our bursaries and awards page. 
 

Each year, the Penguin Random House Canada Student Award for Fiction is awarded to an SCS creative writing learner whose work and commitment to creative expression inspires us. This year’s first place prize has been awarded to Ruth Taylor.

Two prizes have also been awarded to this year's runners up: Joanne Lam and Katarina Young .
 

WINNER ($2,500 PRIZE):

HONOURABLE MENTIONS ($1,000 PRIZE EACH):

Records disposal manager Cori Cirolia knew she wanted to become a part of the Institute of Certified Records Managers, but found herself at an impasse.

“I was struggling to understand the prep exam coursework and they suggested that I attend the U of T School of Continuing Studies Records and Information program School of Continuing Studies Records and Information program to assist with understanding the information and to also be able to join after the successful completion of the courses,” she explains.

Cirolia works at a police department in the US as a Records Disposal Manager & FOIA Manager, where she is responsible for implementing a department-wide retention schedule, maintaining the department’s paper records storage room, completing digital records disposal certificates, and working with the IT department to ensure her department is compliant with all state mandates. She also works alongside the department’s Information Services to ensure all FOIA requests are received and processed according to the law.

“I like keeping things organized and on a system. I also like helping the police department maintain their integrity and fostering open communication with the public,” she says.

The coursework in the SCS Records and Information Management certificate encouraged Cirolia to understand records management from a more ”big picture” perspective with regards to how integral it is to work with everyone in the department to ensure efficiency and effectiveness when it comes to the retention of public documents in a government building.

Cirolia says the instructor who taught Records & Information Management Strategies gave learners the choice of personalizing all assignments so they could essentially be a practice run for their real work.

“It really was so helpful with understanding the content when I was able to bring the assignment to my work environment,” she says.

“The instructor even took the time to approve rough drafts and provided much needed suggestions, etc. I really learned a lot and I felt so much more comfortable when we finally presented our assignment.”

The school’s user-friendly learning platform, and engaged instructors who replied to questions regularly and in a timely fashion and really took the time to explain things thoroughly, fostered a welcoming learning environment, says Cirolia. Her biggest challenge was balancing her work, home life, and studying.

“I found that working fulltime and being a mother of three children has all of its own demands,” she explains, “but the information that was provided for reading and class preparation was excellent and was able to be completed on our time so that when we had to attend a scheduled live discussions, the class presentations were very organized, detailed enough to get the points across, and all professors stayed within their timeframe so I was able to still get all family and work obligations completed without too much stress.”

This month SCS marketing instructor Alison Garwood-Jones launched “I Miss My Mommy”, a graphic novel for orphaned adults. 

Following the back-to-back losses of her parents in 2011 and 2012, Garwood-Jones originally started working on the drawings that would eventually fill her book as a way for her to process her own experience. 

“For a long time I focused on writing as my main art, largely because I was earning a living as a magazine feature writer, but after my parents passed, I picked up my pen again. Drawing, for me, and I think for all people, is an easy way into different kinds of emotions,” she says.

At the time, Garwood-Jones wasn’t ready to deal with big emotions, and found the idea of processing them through large-scale art, whether it be large, intimidating paintings, or epic orchestral music, didn’t work for her. 

“That’s how some big pieces of art made me feel during the height of the grief, is remoteness, like big orchestral numbers, I can't listen to Wagner or even Mozart when I'm grieving, that's too big, I need to go small. I've always loved the expression ‘think small’.  We live in a culture that's very ‘go big or go home’, and I think when it comes to tough topics, thinking small is actually more powerful, because it gives people a way into something tough through something manageable,“ she explains.

“I found that spot illustrations, which is what this book relies on, were an effective way for me to process my own emotions.”

When Garwood-Jones shared those illustrations on social media she found that other people dealing with grief could instantly relate and connect emotionally to what the illustrations represented. For example, one illustration simply features a pile of boxes. 

“I thought, Gen Xers who've lost their parents, same with Baby Boomers, are going to understand boxes, because on these boxes, you're going to have labels like kitchen supplies, books, office supplies, this is all the stuff that's left behind after a life,” she says. 

“Part of grief is dealing with the admin tasks, with the storage units, and if I can show those responsibilities that the kids take on afterwards, just through a drawing of a pile of boxes, then maybe I can connect with people on a level that makes them feel seen, or maybe sometimes just gives them a bit of a chuckle. I don't know if I achieved it but I'm going for, not just comfort and compassion, but a little comic relief maybe.”

Garwood-Jones says these days she looks at grief as two things. “It’s dealing first with absence, like, ‘oh, my God, mom and dad are gone, they're never coming back’. And then it's dealing with presence. And the rest of your life, you're dealing with their presence,” she explains.

“For some people, that's an inspiration, because it carries you forward, the lessons they taught you, and what they showed you in terms of how they were resilient in life and how they handled challenges. If they did it in a way that was level -headed and strong, that is a gift that keeps on giving. So somehow in the aftermath of death, you're left with inspiration, if you're lucky. But a lot of people are left just feeling plain injured. You know, and because their parents, for whatever reason, again, couldn't be the parents they needed. Some people are not meant to be parents, but they still have kids, and it leaves behind a lot of injured souls. So I wanted my book to show that as well. There's a lot of walking wounded out there.”

Marketing a book on grief is a particularly delicate operation, and Garwood-Jones says that while of course she hopes the book will reach people it might help, she wants to connect with her audience in a way that feels authentic. 

“I'm part of that generation of writers now, and it's picking up steam big time, who wants to bypass Amazon, and sell directly to my readers. We live in an age where you can bypass the middlemen and the middlewomen. We've seen that in music with Taylor Swift and Beyonce. And I think writers are catching on now that there's a lot of technology out there, from a content platform point of view, from an e-commerce point of view, from a distribution point of view, that we can handle this on our own,” she says. 

“It's a steep learning curve. But I mean, legacy media is burning, and there are other ways. From burnt earth, there comes little green shoots. And I think one of the green shoots that is growing right now is this growing awareness from authors, by authors, that I can have this direct relationship with my audience and I can grow that. It's not the route to go if you want to be rich and famous. But if you care about your topic, and you care about what your audience would need from you in terms of your topic, you can grow something on a very sort of one-on-one basis slowly. It's a marathon, not a sprint.”

Garwood-Jones says it all makes for the perfect case study she can take back to her SCS classes. 

“Right now is a very, very interesting time to be putting something new out onto the internet because the internet is a mess right now. It's scrambled eggs, and part of the reason it's scrambled eggs is that it's been flooded with AI-generated content. There's a ton of synthetic content out there that's been trained on content by humans,” she says. 

“So the question is how do I rise above the noise and create something unique with a new point of view and a unique voice and a more compelling approach to a particular topic. This is where I've got to test things out. I can take this back to class and say, ‘okay, when I went really super long tail on the topic of grief, did that help with my ranking in terms of, not being necessarily an expert, but being someone who is joining the conversation online about grief?’”

Another thing Garwood-Jones says she will take back to her class is that she is taking a very one-on-one approach to marketing such a personal book. “I actually do want to have a meaningful one-on-one connection with every single person that purchases from me and sends me a note,” she says. 

“So I'm writing handwritten notes, sending them back a thank you with a custom bookmark for their book. I do that because I want them to feel good, but being kind makes me feel good. One of the best remedies for when you're feeling depressed or sad or stuck is to help somebody else. Do something nice for somebody else,” she says. 

“I know that that doesn't work for clinical depression and I'm not an expert at all, but for when we've got the blues or the mean reds, as Audrey Hepburn used to like to say, doing something kind for somebody else and connecting with them can really help.”

Alison Garwood-Jones is a Toronto-based author, illustrator, and podcast host. She started her career as an art historian working at the Art Institute of Chicago, The Musée d'Orsay in Paris and The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery and went on to become a magazine editor (Elle) and feature writer with a focus on culture, technology, and health. 

She currently teaches: Foundations of Digital Communications Strategy and Social Media; Digital Communications Strategy: Defining Your Business Objective; Digital Communications Strategy: Content Marketing and Distribution; and Writing Digital Content. 
 

This week, the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies (SCS) marked the successful conclusion of the BRIEF-Law program with a ceremony and celebration recognizing the hard work of women law professionals from around the world who took part in the program. 

BRIEF-Law is a pre-bridging program designed to prepare women who are internationally-trained law professionals for entry into specialized bridging or employment programs in Canada. 

Participants had their education and transferable skills, as well as their English language proficiency assessed. Then they attended a personalized selection of School of Continuing Studies English language classes, micro courses, and career coaching hand-picked to help prepare them to apply their unique skills and experience to successfully transition into the Canadian labour market. 

“It is so exciting to have SCS be a part of these brilliant women’s pathways from successful law careers in their countries of origin to what we have no doubt will be equally valuable and impressive work here in Canada,” says SCS Dean Catherine Chandler-Crichlow. 

In addition to the English classes, micro courses, and career coaching, participants took part in mentorships with senior legal professionals, networking events with justices of the Ontario Court, Supreme Court of Canada and law students, leadership skills workshops, and a series of law career-related conversation workshops featuring Faculty of Law alumni; academic advising and workshops; presentations from diverse sectors to provide insight into alternative careers; and occupation-specific job search and employment preparation, including resume writing and interview skills through ACCES Employment’s How to Find a Job program.

“I have loved seeing the women go through each component and seeing them communicate in a way that’s more confident the further they moved through the program,” says SCS Career Services program administrator Carla Gomez.  

Participant Freshta Karimi studied law in Afghanistan and was the founder and executive director of a Legal Aid Organization there for 17 years before relocating to Canada. She was excited to join the BRIEF-Law program to foster her network and connections in the Canadian law field and learn more about the legal system here. 

Karimi says she would highly recommend that other women legal professionals newly arrived in Canada seek out a program like BRIEF-Law. 

“This program provides a lot of good information and learning in a short period of time which is a career-accelerating opportunity for professionals,” she explains. 

“It is not easy to start everything from the beginning, but as legal professionals who we spent most of our lives working in the legal field, it would be a waste of knowledge if we don’t continue to achieve and catch up on our past experience and knowledge. There are good opportunities for women such as this program and we have to use these opportunities to get back on our path.”