Author: Toronto OASIS

This will be an online Zoom meeting. Please RSVP on our Meetup for this event to get access to the Zoom link. See our online meeting instructions at: https://torontooasis.org/online-meeting-instructions

Our program will run from 11 am to 12:30 pm and you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am for our open social. Followed by an extended discussion for a half hour. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

This Sunday our featured speaker will be Kristen Gane. She will discuss the nuanced topic of resilience by exploring the protective elements and risk factors that create or impair our ability to meet life’s challenges and carry on. What fosters resilience during childhood and what threatens it? As adults can we address gaps in our resilience toolkit and continue to grow and develop strengths as we navigate through life? Join us this Sunday for some ideas and simple strategies.

Kristen is a Registered Psychotherapist (with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario), a professional member of the Canadian Art Therapy Association and the Ontario Society of Registered Psychotherapists. She is also a freelance writer and an artist.

Please RSVP on meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/bhgwksyccmbqb/

Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and perhaps some new ones!

This will be an online Zoom meeting. Please RSVP on our Meetup for this event to get access to the Zoom link. See our online meeting instructions at: https://torontooasis.org/online-meeting-instructions

Our program will run from 11 am to 12:30 pm and you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am for our open social. Followed by an extended discussion for a half hour. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

We will watch and then discuss a TEDxJerusalem talk by Yiscah Smith, a Jewish transgender woman, who had been ultra-orthodox for many years, before starting to work towards transitioning at age 50. Dan Cooperstock, a Toronto Oasis organizer, will be introducing the topic and leading the discussion.

Please RSVP on meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/bhgwksyccmbhb/

Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and perhaps some new ones!

Dan has provided his powerpoint presentation here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1PVu-28ptD3DGI0fauySNjCSOk_8SwmKy/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=109653132821260096038&rtpof=true&sd=true

This will be an online Zoom meeting. Please RSVP on our Meetup for this event to get access to the Zoom link. See our online meeting instructions at: https://torontooasis.org/online-meeting-instructions

Our program will run from 11 am to 12:30 pm and you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am for our open social. Followed by an extended discussion for a half hour. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

This August, in place of our featured presentations, we will have discussions on our five core values, focusing on one each Sunday. At the moment there are 13 Oasis communities in North America. All of them, including our own community, Toronto Oasis, are founded on these five core values:

People are more important than beliefs.
Reality is known through reason.
Meaning comes from making a difference.
Human hands solve human problems.
Be accepting and be accepted.

What do these values mean to each of us? How similar or different are our interpretations of what they mean? Are there limitations and exceptions to the “rules” implicit in each of these values? Should the wording of any of these values be modified to better communicate the underlying core value? Let’s discuss!!

This Sunday we’ll focus on the core value: Be accepting and be accepted. Toronto Oasis volunteer, Paul Kaplan, will introduce the topic and moderate the discussion.

Our guest musician will be Fairy J. Fairy J is a multi-disciplinary artist and performer, choreographer, musician, intuitive healer, mentor and mother. She believes that art is a portal to the divine and in that she is in a constant investigation around how her work can create more space for healing.

Please RSVP on meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/bhgwksycclbmc/

Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and perhaps some new ones!

This will be an online Zoom meeting. Please RSVP on our Meetup for this event to get access to the Zoom link. See our online meeting instructions at: https://torontooasis.org/online-meeting-instructions

Our program will run from 11 am to 12:30 pm and you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am for our open social. Followed by an extended discussion for a half hour. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

This August, in place of our featured presentations, we will have discussions on our five core values, focusing on one each Sunday. At the moment there are 13 Oasis communities in North America. All of them, including our own community, Toronto Oasis, are founded on these five core values:

People are more important than beliefs.
Reality is known through reason.
Meaning comes from making a difference.
Human hands solve human problems.
Be accepting and be accepted.

What do these values mean to each of us? How similar or different are our interpretations of what they mean? Are there limitations and exceptions to the “rules” implicit in each of these values? Should the wording of any of these values be modified to better communicate the underlying core value? Let’s discuss!!

This Sunday we’ll focus on the core value: Human hands solve human problems. Toronto Oasis member, Helen Lenskyj, will introduce the topic and set us up for the discussion.

Our guest musician will be Reenie Perkovic. Reenie is a queer folk-pop artist. With a soulful edge, she composes heartfelt songs that are both fun and introspective. Infusing her classical background with jazz harmony, folk rhythms, and pop sensibilities, Reenie and her guitar weave together stories of the human condition, connection, and social justice.

Please RSVP on meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/bhgwksycclbdc/

Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and perhaps some new ones!

This will be an online Zoom meeting. Please RSVP on our Meetup for this event to get access to the Zoom link. See our online meeting instructions at: https://torontooasis.org/online-meeting-instructions

Our program will run from 11 am to 12:30 pm and you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am for our open social. Followed by an extended discussion for a half hour. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

This August, in place of our featured presentations, we will have discussions on our five core values, focussing on one each Sunday. At the moment there are 13 Oasis communities in North America. All of them, including our own community, Toronto Oasis, are founded on these five core values:

People are more important than beliefs.
Reality is known through reason.
Meaning comes from making a difference.
Human hands solve human problems.
Be accepting and be accepted.

What do these values mean to each of us? How similar or different are our interpretations of what they mean? Are there limitations and exceptions to the “rules” implicit in each of these values? Should the wording of any of these values be modified to better communicate the underlying core value? Let’s discuss!!

This Sunday we’ll focus on the core value: Meaning comes from making a difference. Toronto Oasis volunteer, Kristen Gane, will introduce the topic and moderate the discussion.

Our featured musician will be Cassie Norton, a Toronto-based singer-songwriter, violinist and climate activist. She has recorded two full length albums as a solo artist, Little Strength (2009) and Quiet Wilderness (2010). Cassie and her band released their first EP: Lullaby for the End of Time in February 2019. When she isn’t busy making her own music, Cassie shares her love of music with others through teaching. She teaches a variety of private and ensemble classes at Regent Park School of Music, and through her private studio. Cassie is also the music director of Toronto Oasis. Her website is: https://www.cassienorton.com/

Please RSVP on meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/bhgwksycclbtb/

Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and perhaps some new ones!

This will be an online Zoom meeting. Please RSVP on our Meetup for this event to get access to the Zoom link. See our online meeting instructions at: https://torontooasis.org/online-meeting-instructions

Our program will run from 11 am to 12:30 pm and you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am for our open social. Followed by an extended discussion for a half hour. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

This August, in place of our featured presentations, we will have discussions on our five core values, focussing on one each Sunday. At the moment there are 13 Oasis communities in North America. All of them, including our own community, Toronto Oasis, are founded on these five core values:

People are more important than beliefs.
Reality is known through reason.
Meaning comes from making a difference.
Human hands solve human problems.
Be accepting and be accepted.

What do these values mean to each of us? How similar or different are our interpretations of what they mean? Are there limitations and exceptions to the “rules” implicit in each of these values? Should the wording of any of these values be modified to better communicate the underlying core value? Let’s discuss!!

This Sunday we’ll focus on the core value: Reality is known through reason. Toronto Oasis volunteer, Clive Hannah, will introduce the topic and moderate the discussion.

Also, this Sunday, we will be featuring some live music from Moonfruits. Their website is: https://moonfruits.ca/

Please RSVP on meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/bhgwksycclblb/

Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and perhaps some new ones!

The slides are available here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/12sR53092TNq2naYBEDo2ZatvEBwNb5tZamG2Vz5rrHE/edit?usp=sharing

This will be an online Zoom meeting. Please RSVP on our Meetup for this event to get access to the Zoom link. See our online meeting instructions at: https://torontooasis.org/online-meeting-instructions

Our program will run from 11 am to 12:30 pm and you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am for our open social. Followed by an extended discussion for a half hour. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

This August, in place of our featured presentations, we will have discussions on our five core values, focussing on one each Sunday. At the moment there are 13 Oasis communities in North America. All of them, including our own community, Toronto Oasis, are founded on these five core values:

People are more important than beliefs.
Reality is known through reason.
Meaning comes from making a difference.
Human hands solve human problems.
Be accepting and be accepted.

What do these values mean to each of us? How similar or different are our interpretations of what they mean? Are there limitations and exceptions to the “rules” implicit in each of these values? Should the wording of any of these values be modified to better communicate the underlying core value? Let’s discuss!!

This Sunday we’ll focus on the core value: People are more important than beliefs. Toronto Oasis organizer, Tania Akon, will introduce the topic and moderate the discussion.

Also, this Sunday, we will be having live music! Our guest musician will be Wesley Blondin-Doan, whose stage name is Kid Grit. Kid Grit’s folk songs are quiet and pensive reflections of a life lived. From the depths of isolation possible in a digital age, to the heights of exaltation, living and growing up in nature. His music travels through the processes of life and how we heal, through gentle whisperings, swelling warm harmonies, and sometimes painful personal admissions – attempting to find peace and truth in the smallest of things.

Please RSVP on meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/bhgwksycclbcb/

Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and perhaps some new ones!

This will be an online Zoom meeting. Please RSVP on our Meetup for this event to get access to the Zoom link. See our online meeting instructions at: https://torontooasis.org/online-meeting-instructions

Our program will run from 11 am to 12:30 pm and you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am for our open social. Followed by an extended discussion for a half hour. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

With twelve hundred years of history, Spain’s Camino de Santiago is one of the world’s great pilgrimage roads. After a steep decline through much of the twentieth century, the Camino has experienced an amazing reflowering since the 1980s.

This Sunday, our featured speaker, Robert Ward, will offer a brief introduction to the Camino for novices, then compare the meaning and experience of the contemporary pilgrimage to the ancient, before looking at some of the changes the Camino has undergone in the twenty years since Robert’s first pilgrimage.

Robert Ward was born and lives in Toronto. He is the author of Virgin Trails, an atheist’s guide to the sacred places of the Virgin Mary, and All the Good Pilgrims: tales of the Camino de Santiago (available on Amazon and Indigo). Since 1999, he has walked the Camino “about seven times.”

Robert Ward’s website: https://robertward.ca

Please RSVP on meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/bhgwksycckbhc/

Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and perhaps some new ones!

This meeting has been recorded:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lwjV-ZL2WDBHDqdx1evRAPJ9pXJtSc6E/view?usp=sharing

This will be an online Zoom meeting. Please RSVP on our Meetup for this event to get access to the Zoom link. See our online meeting instructions at: https://torontooasis.org/online-meeting-instructions

Our program will run from 11 am to 12:30 pm and you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am for our open social. Followed by an extended discussion for a half hour. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

We will watch a TED talk by James Randi. Dan Cooperstock, a Toronto Oasis organizer, will be introducing the topic and leading the discussion.

Please RSVP on meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/bhgwksycckbxb/

Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and perhaps some new ones!

This will be an online Zoom meeting. Please RSVP on our Meetup for this event to get access to the Zoom link. See our online meeting instructions at: https://torontooasis.org/online-meeting-instructions

Our program will run from 11 am to 12:30 pm and you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am for our open social. Followed by an extended discussion for a half hour. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

“Just because I dunk a basketball doesn’t mean I should raise your kids” (Charles Barkley)

Athletes and other celebrities are routinely held up as “role models” for children, youth, minorities, and others. According to this popular idea, members of underrepresented or disadvantaged groups simply need to see “someone like themselves” doing something spectacular – winning Olympic medals, sitting in the Supreme Court, serving as US vice-president – to demonstrate that such success is possible. Simple problem, simple solution? No, it’s not an individual’s lack of imagination that’s the problem, it’s a systemic problem, and celebrity role models are not the answer.

Our featured speaker on this topic will be Helen Lenskyj, Professor Emerita, University of Toronto, where she taught sociology. Helen grew up in Australia and has lived in Toronto since 1966. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of Toronto in 1983, and was a professor from 1986 until retiring in 2007. As well as writing books, she enjoys swimming and kayaking. Her website is www.helenlenskyj.ca; TWITTER: https://twitter.com/helenje63185798

Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and perhaps some new ones!

This meeting has been recorded:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aGOUUjN9rvfGk4BkyNQyEh3eULlBgloy/view?usp=sharing