Community outreach: bringing parliament to life.

• Author: Scherer, Chelsea
• Position: Ontario

The Community Outreach program offered by the Parliamentary Protocol and Public Relations Branch of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario brings the experience of Queen's Park to communities and schools in a way that transcends financial and distance barriers. Participants get a hands-on experience learning about how Ontario's parliament works, the responsibilities of the three levels of government, and civic engagement.

**********

Learning the responsibilities of government and how the electoral and legislative process works is something every Ontarian should be familiar with. Unfortunately, travel costs preclude every resident from travelling to their federal, provincial and territorial assemblies to get a first-hand look at legislatures in action. To bridge this distance, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario has created the Community Outreach Program. Groups of children, young adults and ESL (English as a second language) learners have all gained an opportunity to learn the basics of parliamentary processes through this service. Shaped around the participating group's existing knowledge, the program aims to fill the gaps of what they don't know in an informative and entertaining way.

Since the first pilot project in December 2012, the program has travelled to cities big and small, visiting more than 2,300 Ontarians around the province. The program has especially picked up its pace within the last year, as more schools, community groups and organizations like the Ontario Public Service have become aware of this free service. Heather Tulipano, a grade six teacher from Orillia, wasn't aware the program existed until she attended the Teacher's Forum --a professional development opportunity designed for elementary and secondary teachers--at Queen's Park in Toronto in 2014. "Cost is a huge factor now with bussing," she says "When I found out they did Outreach [and] it didn't cost us anything--That's a goldmine for us."

The Outreach program captures the experience of a visit to Queen's Park for participants without them actually having to take a trip there. In addition to saving the time and cost involved in travel, patrons can also feel more comfortable asking questions in a less intimidating setting. Tulipano's grade six class, for example, welcomed the program to their school in June 2015. The class learned the responsibilities of the three levels of government in Canada. Led by two information officers, the group of about 30 students began...