Argonauts.ca Staff
Toronto – As the 2014-15 school year rings its opening bell, the Toronto Argonauts Football Club and their long-standing community programs are getting ready for a new year as well!
Entering its 14th consecutive year, the club’s popular and award-winning Huddle Up Bullying Prevention Program, presented by Tim Hortons, is almost fully booked and will again visit more than 30 GTA schools! The positive bullying prevention messages delivered by Argonauts players, cheerleaders and staff have influenced more than 500,000 students since its inception in 2001. This year’s program will continue to focus on the role of bystanders through student empowerment, parent information sessions, and female bullying with an added focus on cyber bullying prevention.
2014-15 will also mark the first official year of in-school programming for Huddle Up and Make the Call: A Gender-Based Violence Prevention Project, presented by Tim Hortons, in partnership with Status of Women Canada and TheWhite Ribbon Campaign. The project will be introduced to secondary schools throughout the GTA this fall and will focus on gender-based violence with an emphasis on education and prevention of men’s violence against women. This year, during the Argos’ home game on October 25 at Rogers Centre, the program will be the recipient of the Zonta Say NO Award which is part of Zonta International’s alignment with the United Nation’s Say NO Campaign.
Finally, on September 30, the Argonauts prepare to host the first-ever Captain’s Club Day. The initiative is part of the team’s Level the Playing Field Program, presented by Tim Hortons. That day, the club will invite select members of existing high school football teams, along with their coaches, to the Argonauts’ practice as part of the team’s new Captain’s Club. Youth will learn about leadership strategies from Argos players, alumni, and staff, discuss concussion and injury awareness, and be educated about gender-based violence prevention tactics with the goal to develop these players into leaders on and off the field.
