Toronto Oasis, Secular Community

Sun Jan 31 – [Online] Isolation and Depression (Part 2)

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.

Our featured speakers will be Laval Martin and Peri Matthew, co-authors of the book: Isolation and Depression: The Little Black Book of Depression (https://www.amazon.ca/Isolation-Depression-Reversing-Situational-Resulting-ebook/dp/B086WD2YP8/) about transforming our experience of depression from negative to natural. This will be part 2 of their two-part talk about their book. The recording of part 1 of their talk last Sunday, Jan 24th can be downloaded and viewed using the following link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zbNkfKXopgdXj7EqF_Emji1AKrRmlepH/view?usp=sharing

Laval Martin is a corporate trainer on topics such as resilience, conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, and mindfulness (https://www.lavalmartinconsulting.com/). Holding a Master of Social Work degree, he also provides psychotherapy and relationship therapy (http://www.wisemindtoronto.com/). Additionally, Laval has practiced various martial arts and self-defence systems since 2001, with a focus on avoiding and de-escalating conflict. He is a full-instructor of Senshido and also holds an instructor certification with Safe International. Laval has been hosting a monthly Beer and Philosophy Night since May, 2014.

Peri Matthew has suffered from chronic depression since she was 14 years old. In her late twenties she went into a treatment centre for drug addiction. Soon after that she completed her 3-year BA – it took her 15 years. She also obtained her Teaching English As A Second Language Certification. Peri worked in brief stints with the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture, The Institute of Self Healing and Authentic Relating Toronto. She’s learned and practiced mindfulness meditation, Vipassana meditation and has recently discovered Heartwork – the heart meditation that can be found in Chapter 5 of their book. She co-founded and ran an intentional community out of her home for 9 years. In addition to co-authoring the book Isolation and Depression, she’s written a young adult fantasy novel, Into Me See. Peri spends most of her time and energy being a mother to her 2 boys.

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

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

This meeting has been recorded:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CXm_4L9jJ7jTTQnZpM94Oh9jgGvG3QRB/view?usp=sharing

Sun Jan 24 – [Online] Isolation and Depression

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

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

This meetings has been recorded:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zbNkfKXopgdXj7EqF_Emji1AKrRmlepH/view?usp=sharing

The chat info was captured from this meeting:

11:02:15 From Tania Akon to Everyone :

-Links to core values & code of conduct:

Core Values: https://torontooasis.org/about-us/

Code of Conduct: https://torontooasis.org/code-of-conduct/

11:03:13 From Tania Akon to Everyone :

-Email address for Toronto Oasis – to let us know if & how you want to contribute to our programming:

416oasis@gmail.com

11:04:11 From Tania Akon to Everyone :

-Link to online meeting info:

Important online meeting Info: https://torontooasis.org/online-meeting-instructions/

11:07:41 From Dan Cooperstock to Everyone : To answer Tim, Helen Lenskyj co-authored the “No” part of a Toronto Star Yes/No pair of articles yesterday about whether the Olympics can be held safely this summer. I posted a link to it on our Facebook page.

11:33:27 From Tania Akon to Everyone :

Music video on YT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzNvk80XY9s

Sleeping At Last’s website: http://www.sleepingatlast.com/about

11:40:26 From Tania Akon to Everyone :

The Amazon link to the book: Isolation & Depression: https://www.amazon.ca/Isolation-Depression-Reversing-Situational-Resulting-ebook/dp/B086WD2YP8/

11:40:38 From Tania Akon to Everyone :

Link to Laval’s consulting business: https://www.lavalmartinconsulting.com/

Link to Laval’s psychotherapy practice: http://www.wisemindtoronto.com/

11:44:42 From Dan Cooperstock to Everyone :

One of us has made a good suggestion that if we want to buy their book, we do it from a local bookstore rather than Amazon. 🙂

12:32:15 From Dan Cooperstock to Everyone :

Contact info for Laval:

Laval Martin

416-826-4919 (be persistent!)

laval@lavalmartinconsulting.com

Sun Jan 17 – [Online] How Humans Came To Write

Our program will run from 11 am to 12:30 pm but you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

This Sunday our featured speaker will be Michael Dorman. Michael will present a brief cursory survey of the history of some major writing systems leading us up to the invention of the Guttenberg press. This will be Part One of a two-part talk. Part Two of Michael’s talk, at a future date, will deal with the spread of reading and writing, libraries, bookshops, censorship, book burning, etc.

Michael received his B.A. in Anthropology from McMaster University in Hamilton and trained to teach English and French as second languages. He taught French to grades 7 & 8 for a couple of years. Michael has a passion for languages with French and Spanish being his second and third languages and he has studied Italian, German, Portuguese, and Latin. Michael is interested in language in general.

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

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

This meeting has been recorded:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1D_99FpnfyCb4ojZ1vR4tzDgT6KqxUXqB/view?usp=sharing

Sun Jan 10 – [Online] What Is “Lived Experience”, and Why Are Politicians Talking About It?

Our program will run from 11 am to 12:30 pm but you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

Where did the concept of “lived experience” come from? Is it meaningful? Has it been coopted? In the early decades of western women’s liberation movements, progressive voices challenged a wide range of mainstream ideas. They argued that concepts routinely seen as “common sense” were largely based on privileged, white male experience. In other words, sexism, classism and racism, working together, created social institutions that kept gender, class and ‘race’ divisions firmly in place. Fast forward to 2020, and we see significant changes… or is it only the optics that have changed? What does it mean when those in power invoke their “lived experience”?

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

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

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

This meeting has been recorded:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qJYe0bd3DccBpXyaHDj8LF5uVeuZ9xuX/view?usp=sharing (Please note that the recording started in the middle of the first music segment.)

The chat info was captured from this meeting:

11:01:18 From Tania Akon to Everyone :
-Links to core values & code of conduct:
Core Values: https://torontooasis.org/about-us/
Code of Conduct: https://torontooasis.org/code-of-conduct/
11:02:43 From Tania Akon to Everyone :
-Email address for Toronto Oasis – to let us know if & how you want to contribute to our programming: 416oasis@gmail.com
11:03:03 From Tania Akon to Everyone :
-Link to online meeting info:
Important online meeting Info: https://torontooasis.org/online-meeting-instructions/
11:10:56 From Ryan Zhang to Everyone : https://www.thebeaverton.com/2021/01/canadian-physios-overwhelmed-as-nation-injured-patting-itself-on-the-back/
11:30:41 From Tania Akon to Everyone :
Live Music from:
https://moonfruits.ca/
11:40:51 From Tania Akon to Everyone :
Featured speaker Helen Lenskyj:
www.helenlenskyj.ca
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/helenje63185798
12:10:45 From Helen Jefferson Lenskyj to Everyone : https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/nov/14/lived-experience-kamala-harris?CMP=share_btn_link
12:32:01 From Tania Akon to Everyone :
-For upcoming events check out our Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/
12:32:11 From Tania Akon to Everyone :
-Toronto Oasis Contributions:
https://torontooasis.org/donate/

Financial Report – Toronto Oasis, Secular Community
https://torontooasis.org/financial-report/

12:32:38 From Tania Akon to Everyone :
-Toronto Oasis Website:
https://torontooasis.org/
-Email address for providing feedback & suggestions
416oasis@gmail.com

Sun Jan 03 – [Online] Why I Am Still a Quaker, Even Though I’m an Atheist

Our program will run from 11 am to 12:30 pm but you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

This Sunday our featured speaker will be Dan Cooperstock. Dan is one of the only active members of Toronto Oasis who is still also active in a religion – the Toronto Quaker Meeting. He has been involved with Quakers since 1979, joining as a member in 1981.

Dan was somewhat surprised at the level of strong anti-religious feeling expressed in reaction to the recent talk he introduced by Karen Armstrong, which didn’t seem to distinguish between harmful aspects of religions, and liberal religious traditions that he did not see as at all harmful, and that he respected. So, he thought it might be helpful to speak to us about what Quakerism is, and why it is still meaningful to him.

Dan will also talk about what being a non-theist and atheist Quaker means to him, and how he and the many other non-theist Quakers interpret and translate more traditional Christian language within Quakerism.

Dan Cooperstock is the Toronto Oasis Treasurer, an atheist Quaker, and a software entrepreneur, writing and selling software for churches and charities.

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

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

This meeting has been recorded:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Fa-R5G-W13GXApefUIvzkzKybJxKXTSP/view?usp=sharing

The PowerPoint slides used in the talk are also available as a PDF at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jBk0vHvRiU83T1A7nHaIEb_qxOkWdvcl/view?usp=sharing

Sun Dec 27 – [Online] Overtourism

Our program will run from 11 am to 12:30 pm but you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

Our featured presentation will be a YouTube video clip from John Oliver’s show Last Week Tonight related to the phenomenon of “overtourism”. Ryan Zhang, a Toronto Oasis volunteer, will introduce the video and lead the discussion after we watch the video together.

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

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

Sun Dec 20 – [Online] Faith Without God

Our program will run from 11 am to 12:30 pm but you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

This Sunday we will watch an IdeaCity Conference talk, found on YouTube, by Gretta Vosper, one of the founding members of Toronto Oasis, an ordained minister of the United Church of Canada and a self-professed atheist. Tania Akon, a Toronto Oasis organizer, will introduce the video and lead the discussion after we watch the video together.

We will also be having live music this Sunday! Our featured musician will be Cassie Norton, the music director of Toronto Oasis. Cassie is 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. Check out her website: https://www.cassienorton.com/

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

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

The live music performance by Cassie Norton was recorded and may be viewed using the following link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TmIz6M-tQ1cIQNUNi6INm-TRpBFi11z-/view?usp=sharing

The sing-along climate carols Cassie performed can be found here:

https://musicforclimatejustice.bandcamp.com/releases

For more of Cassie’s music check out the following:

www.cassienorton.bandcamp.com

https://www.cassienorton.com/

Sun Dec 13 – [Online] Understanding Sexual Orientation: A Personal Journey

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 but you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

This Sunday our featured speaker will be Paul Kaplan. In his presentation, Paul will discuss the meaning and significance of sexual orientation as he learned it in his own life. He will share his experiences of being in the closet, coming out, and living in freedom.

Paul Kaplan grew up in New York City where he attended New York University and earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, economics, and computer science. He continued his studies at Northwestern University, just outside of Chicago, where he earned a master’s degree and doctorate in economics. After graduating, he remained in the Chicago area, working as a financial economist for over 20 years. He then moved to London (UK) and worked there for two years. In 2012, he moved to Toronto where he has been living and working ever since.

Since coming to Toronto, Paul has been active in various secular groups, including the Humanist Association of Toronto and Toronto Oasis where he has presented on topics related to economics and investing. He also has been active in the various LGBTQ groups. Paul has keen interests in science and history.

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

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

This meeting has been recorded and may be viewed at the following link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15JrFkj3V8bP4-R9NEVreKgntglvB_I59/view?usp=sharing

Sun Dec 06 – [Online] Six Non-Drug Ways to Relieve Depression

Our program will run from 11 am to 12:30 pm but you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

This Sunday our featured speaker will be Kristen Gane. She will outline the six, non-drug approaches to relieve depression from the 2014 book “Out of the Blue” by author Bill O’Hanlon, a seasoned psychotherapist. “Out of the Blue” offers uncomplicated, evidence-based strategies to gently address depression and shift mood.

Bill O’Hanlon’s journey began when he struggled with debilitating depression as a teenager. Many years later, he wanted others to benefit from his experience. His book offers hope and empowerment with the flexibility to try one approach or all six, and may provide timely help to buffer the impact of COVID on our mental health, as well as support those who struggle during the holiday season.

His book is intended for therapists, family members with depressed loved ones, concerned friends who want to help, and for depressed folks themselves. It is an approachable, positive read (available at the Toronto Public Library).

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 has a Master’s-level Graduate Diploma in Art Therapy from TATI, (thesis on therapy programs in Canadian hospitals), and a BA in Ethics, Society and Law from U of T. Prior to this she attended three years of OCAD studies. In addition to her therapy work, she is a freelance writer and an artist.

Kristen came to her profession later in life, and had a variety of jobs previously, from daycare provider to senior health policy analyst. With her therapist hat on, she has worked at SickKids Hospital, Youthdale Acute Crisis Unit, Women’s shelters, Emily’s House, etc., and currently has a private practice offering compassionate, strength-based support to children, youth and adults struggling with issues that hinder healthy interaction with themselves, their loved ones and the world around them. Her website is www.torontoarttherapy.ca.

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

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

Sun Nov 29 – [Online] The Golden Rule as the Core of Ethics and Religion

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

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

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