Monthly Archives: September 2022

Black Daddies Club celebrates our 15th year anniversary with the Black Families Un-Conference

This November 2022, will be Black Daddies Club 15th year anniversary doing work with Black fathers and their families, and we are extremely excited to co-present the Black Families Un-Conference in partnership with Justice Fund, Toronto Community Housing Corportation (TCHC) and Tim Hortons Camp.

The Black Families Un-Conference is a three-day gathering for families who identify as Black or Racialized to take part in a camping experience for the entire family that will take place in one of Tim Hortons Camps in Ontario, at no cost to the families that attend.. The idea behind the Black Families Un-Conference is to create positive memories and experiences for these families (parents or guardians and their children) as a whole in a safe environment that they may not be able to afford.

To register https://timscamps.typeform.com/to/TIbEkWfS

We look forward to seeing you and your families in attendance.

Black Daddies Club Co-Presents The Black Families Un-Conference registration is now open

We are excited to say the registration for The Black Families Un-conference is now live.

Register here https://timscamps.typeform.com/to/TIbEkWfS

Keeping with Black Daddies Club (BDC) focus on Black families in 2022, we are launching a new initiative that we have been conceptualizing for the past 5 years.

The Black Families Un-Conference is a three-day gathering for families who identify as Black or Racialized to take part in a camping experience for the entire family that will take place in one of Tim Hortons Camps in Ontario, at no cost to the families that attend.

The idea behind the Black Families Un-Conference is to create positive memories and experiences for these families (parents or guardians and their children) as a whole in a safe environment that they may not be able to afford. The Black Daddies Club (BDC) over the 15 years of operating in the Greater Toronto Area, has created programs which promote creating positive memorable memories within green spaces for Black families and their allies. 

This initiative is a collaboration between Justice Fund, Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC), Tim Hortons Camp and The Black Daddies Club (BDC). The dates for Black Families Un-Conference will be October 28th, October 29th and October 30th 2022. The location of the Black Families Un-Conference will be at a Tim Hortons Camp in Ontario which will be announced at a later date. 

Black Families defined:

Black folks are not a monolith and we have various entry points into our Blackness and this means the same goes for our families. So for Black families who identify as hetero-normative, nuclear, LGBTQ+, mixed raced, adopted a Black a child, Black parent or child with a disability, etc. The Black Families Un-Conference welcomes you to take part in this gathering.

The purpose of the Black Families Un-Conference is four folds: 

* Black and Racialized Families engage and learn from nature
* Black and Racialized Families learn about themselves in a setting outside of the city 
* Black and Racialized Families create new positive memories together in nature through experiential learning 
* Black and Racialized Families get to meet other families, promoting networking decreasing isolation during the gathering, and potentially maintaining those relationships afterwards 

Partnering with Justice Fund: is critical for making the Black Families Un-conference accessible for Black and racialized families, who have been disproportionately impacted financially by COVID-19 and Anti- Black racism in Toronto. Justice Fund will cover lodging, food and transportation costs for all attendees taking part in BDC Black Families Un-Conference. 

Justice Fund is dedicated to the social and economic well being of communities from the Northwest & Northeast of the GTA. Violence in Toronto continues to be an increasing challenge and youth who experience poverty are impacted more by this violence than any other demographic.

All cost for The Black Families Un-Conference will be supported through Justice Fund and includes: 

* Charter bus pick up and drop off at a designated site in East, Central and West Toronto 
* Lodging at Tim Hortons Camp for Black and Racialized 155 families for the three days and two nights 
* Food (breakfast, lunch and dinner) for the three days and two nights 
* All activities on the Tim Hortons campground  

Partnering with Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC), ensures that BDC is able to outreach to the residents on their property. TCHC is the second-largest housing provider in North America (behind the New York City Housing Authority), with over 58,000 units of housing and an estimated 110,000 residents. We will be working with TCHC to identify and outreach residents and their families who will be interested in participating in the Black Families Un-Conference.

What can families expect at the Black Families Un-Conference:

Camp Features: (Some of these activities may not be accessible depending on the weather that weekend)
* A zipline that travels over 400 feet.
* Trails for hiking and mountain biking.
* Canoeing, kayaking and boating. (Not available due to time of year)
* Swimming and fishing (Not available due to time of year)
* High and low ropes adventure courses.
* Climbing tower.
* Disc golf course.
* Fields for soccer, baseball, and football.

Black therapists on site at Black Families Un-Conference to support parents and families if they desire the support. We are providing two Black identified therapists (male and female) for the entire three days at the Black Families Un-Conference that will be on-call for the duration of the un-conference for any families that would like to speak to a therapist about something that they are navigating.

Black Families financial strategies workshop sponsored by Alterna Savings. We will have a plenary during the Black Families Un-conference for Black and racialized families looking at various strategies around money management strategies for all ages.

Workforce development opportunities for Black and racialized youths through Tim Hortons Camps, there will be an information session given by Tim Hortons Camp at the Black Families Un-Conference on employment opportunities at Tim Hortons Camps. Black and Racialized youths will be able to get more information on these opportunities at the Black Families Un-Conference and apply to become Tim Horton’s Camp counselors at the one their many camps across Canada for the summer, this is a great opportunity for young people to gain experience, get paid and travel.


Vaccination: Youth do not have to be vaccinated. Adults need to declare if they are fully vaccinated or have taken a rapid test morning of camp. This info is only on the honor system and no test results or proof of vaccination is needed. 

Registration and paperwork deadline is Thursday, October 13th 2022 at 4pm. Register at the link today to avoid disappointment.

Register here https://timscamps.typeform.com/to/TIbEkWfS