It’s getting hot out there, earthlings… but we’ve got a solution! This summer, we’ll be visiting schools and libraries all over Toronto with our Summer Alpha Series. Come inside, enjoy some refreshing creativity and take off with a freshly-published book of your own writing!

FREE Alpha Workshop at the Bendale Library
This Thursday, we’ll be hosting a FREE Alpha Workshop for students aged 7-12 at the Bendale branch of the Toronto Public Library during the TD Summer Reading Club series.

We’ll bring the supplies you’ll need. With the help of a typist and professional artist, you’ll get to work with a team to bring your story to life and bring home a book of your own creation!

This workshop is FREE, but space is limited. Contact us at info@sp004.dev.contextstaging.ca to sign up!

An Update from Our Team of App-Stronauts
Our app-stronauts are making some serious progress with their storymaking app project!

Officially named “The Atomatons,” so far, our team of team has hired a graphic designer to help them create a logo to properly represent their project, learned the fundamentals of design from the team at archiTEXT and broken off into smaller teams to create paper prototypes of app ideas.

With prompts from a top secret mission dossier, our teams were assigned to tasks like: helping an alien find maps, citizen information, and a currency exchange during its first time on Earth, making popcorn from scratch with imported butter from northern Italy, and developing a game with care instructions for zombie and regular pets alike. Sounds so cool!

 

Summer is officially here, which means it’s time for us to kick off our awesome Summer Alpha Series! We’ll be keeping you posted about upcoming events around town, so clear your calendars and don’t forget to check back on our blog and social media to find out about our next event!

Story Making with Story Planet at the Bendale Branch of the Toronto Public Library

Next Thursday (July 9), we’re hosting another FREE workshop at the Bendale branch of the Toronto Public Library as a part of the TD Summer Reading Club series.

Kids aged 7-12 will get to work as a team to create their very own short story and watch it come to life with the help of a typist and professional artist. At the end of the workshop, they’ll all get to keep a copy of their very own book!

Registration is required for this workshop. Contact us at info@sp004.dev.contextstaging.ca to sign up! ‪

Thank you to everyone who came out to our open house on Thursday night and placed bids on our auction items. The night was a huge success!

If you weren’t able to attend our open house, click this link to make a donation and help us get closer to our fundraising goal. Every little bit helps!

TD Story Reading Club Series Event at Amesbury Park
This Saturday, we’re hosting a FREE workshop for kids aged 7-12 at the Amesbury Park branch of the Toronto Public Library as a part of the TD Summer Reading Club series.

Together, the kids will brainstorm, write, and illustrate a unique story and watch it come to life with the help of a typist and professional artist. At the end of the workshop, everyone who helped write the story will leave with a copy of his or her very own story in book form!

Registration is required for this workshop. Contact us at info@sp004.dev.contextstaging.ca to sign up!

A Bittersweet Goodbye to Our Program Coordinator, Joe Lasko

Friends, followers, students, and extraterrestrials, we have a bittersweet announcement to make. Joe Lasko, program coordinator extraordinaire will be blasting off from Story Planet this week to pursue a teaching career. You’ll probably see him around your school from time to time but, after this week, he will no longer be working full-time for Story Planet.

Joe, since you started here, you’ve been an inspiration to our students, an occasional character in our stories, a great friend to many, and an out-of-this-world member of our team. Thanks for everything you’ve done for us, best of luck, and make sure to visit very soon!

An Update from Our Storymaking App Team
Over the next few weeks, our storymaking app team (their official team name is TBA) will be creating an app that’ll help kids like them create and share their stories.

Last week, our app builders tested out some already existing storymaking apps to figure out what they liked, what they didn’t, and what kind of features they could include in their app to make it even better. This week, they had their first official training session, learning about the design process, prototyping, and how to test a prototype for bugs and other problems. It’s early yet, but we’ll keep you posted on their progress. We can’t wait to try it out!

Friends, supporters, volunteers, and followers, thank you for helping us reach 1000 followers on Twitter! We are over the moon excited that so many of you are interested in our programming.

If you’re not following us yet, find us @StoryPlanetITA for updates about our upcoming programs, live-tweets during fundraising events and original quotes from our hilarious students that you’ll want to retweet to all of your friends!

Don’t have Twitter? Find us on Instagram @storyplanetita or Facebook at facebook.com/StoryPlanetTO.

Open House

We’re hosting an open house on Thursday, June 18 from 6-9 to show off the awesome work our kids have been doing, answer all your questions about our programming, and raise money to get two of our student publications published. With your help, our students will be able to see their books come to life!

 

To sweeten the deal, during the event, we’ll have lots of free food, free beer, entertainment, and silent auctions for you to participate in. Come on by!

Great news! Story Planet was one of 25 projects to receive funding through the .CA Community Investment Program. We will be offering free workshops throughout the summer taking a team of intrepid 7-10 year-olds through software design basics — from techniques for brainstorming and developing ideas to design and coding fundamentals. Full release here.

For more information on the .CA Community Investment Program, please visit cira.ca/cip.

For more information about Story Planet’s programming, stay tuned to our news feed or contact liz@storyplanet.com.

Thanks again to the CIRA Community Investment Program for supporting our programming!

The Write Space: An Adult Workshop Series for Aspiring Writers with Joseph Kertes

Adult writers, are you working on a new book? Bring your first page to our next Write Space Workshop with award-winning author Joseph Kertes.

During this workshop, the other writers around the table will act as editors and read the first page of your manuscript. After that, the class will discuss what they thought about your project so far and whether they were compelled to turn to page 2.

Space around the writer’s table is limited. Each seat costs $50. Click on this link to find out more about the workshop and to reserve your spot!

Open House
Are you curious about Story Planet and our programming? Stop by on Thursday, June 18 at 5pm for our open house! We’ll have food, drinks and answers to all of your burning questions.

If you can’t make it to our open house, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to receive updates on our upcoming programming or contact Liz at liz@sp004.dev.contextstaging.ca for more information.

 Toronto, June 1, 2015 —With funding support from the .CA Community Investment Program, Story Planet will be hosting workshops with young designers on June 5, 13 and 20 to create an original story-making app that will empower kids to share their stories online.

Story Planet is giving young people between the ages of 7-10 tools to design and create technology in an effort to help them better understand, use and appreciate it. Many children face barriers with writing and creating, but by working with them to design, test and prototype a digital tool, Story Planet is building something that speaks to young people’s interests and inspires them to create. Learning through the arts increases engagement and aptitude to learn and decreases the likelihood of participation in at-risk behaviour.

Story Planet was one of 25 projects funded through the .CA Community Investment Program. Story Planet will be offering free workshops throughout the summer taking a team of intrepid 7-10 year-olds through software design basics — from techniques for brainstorming and developing ideas to design and coding fundamentals.

For more information on the .CA Community Investment Program, please visit cira.ca/cip.

For more information about Story Planet’s programming, stay tuned to our news feed or contact liz@storyplanet.com.

About Story Planet — Story Planet is a charity that offers free writing and creative workshops for underserved children and youth in Toronto.

At Story Planet we strongly believe in giving young people a voice. With this exciting project we believe the kids involved will develop new skills and confidence that will enable them to see technology as a new avenue to express themselves. CIRA is the perfect partner for this initiative and we are thrilled to see this journey begin!

Story Planet is located at 1165 Bloor Street West (Dufferin & Bloor Station).

www.storyplanet.ca

Instagram: @storyplanetita twitter: @StoryPlanetITA

Facebook: storyplanetTO

About CIRA and the Community Investment Program

Through the CIRA Community Investment Program, CIRA funds projects that demonstrate the capacity to improve the Internet for all Canadians. The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) manages the .CA top-level domain, Canada’s online identifier, on behalf of all Canadians. A Member-driven organization, CIRA represents the .CA registry internationally.

Fellow space explorers, unfortunately, we had to cancel our upcoming Mad Libs Story Battle scheduled for this upcoming Thursday.

We’re sorry to anyone who was looking forward to the event. But if you’d still like to show your love to Story Planet, it’s never too late to donate online to support our awesome after-school programming that’s FREE to students or, better yet, sign up for one of our workshops!

As well, on June 18, we’ll be hosting our first ever Open House! Come by for an amazing silent auction, free wine, beer and nibbles and some great entertainment. Drop in for a bit, stay for a while! We’ll announce more about this event soon!

Storymaking App Workshop

We’re hosting another Storymaking App Workshop this weekend! Students aged 7-11 are invited to join us on Saturday, May 30 from 10:30am-12pm to join the team and design a storytelling app made by kids for kids! This first session will be a brainstorming and ‘trying apps’ one. More workshops are schedule for when we’ll dig into design, coding and prototyping!

The registration cost of this workshop is pay what you can. If you were at our last app workshop, you’re welcome to come to this one too!

TEEN Stress Buster Workshop
Teens: Feeling overwhelmed about school? Life? We can help!

Sign up for our Teen Stress Buster workshop led by Rachael Frankford, MSW, RSW, Social Worker and mindfulness/yoga teacher and learn the skill you need to keep calm and write your exams with confidence!

The workshop will be held in our space this Sunday, May 31 from 10:30am-12pm and then again on Sunday, June 7 from 10:30-12pm.

The cost of the event is $20. For more information or to register, contact Liz at liz@sp004.dev.contextstaging.ca.

The Write Space: Turning to Page 2 with Joseph Kertes
Are you writing a book? Are you confident in the first page of your manuscript? If so, bring it with you to our next Write Space Workshop with Joseph Kertes on Thursday, June 4 and present it to the rest of the workshop class. The other writers at the table will act as editors, telling you what works, what doesn’t, and whether they felt compelled to flip to page 2.

Each seat at the writer’s table costs $50. Follow this link to find out more about the workshop and reserve your spot!

High school students, are you ready for exam season?

On Sunday, May 31 and Sunday, June 7, you’re invited to join Rachael Frankford, MSW, RSW, Social Worker and mindfulness/yoga teacher for a Teen Stress Buster workshop that’ll give you the tools you need to manage your stress during exam season.

Good luck in the coming weeks, students!

The Write Space with Vikki VanSickle
This Thursday, Author Vikki VanSickle will start off our next Write Space Series with a discussion about the ever-intimidating publishing process. She’ll talk about what to expect when finding an agent, working with an editor, promoting your own work and more.

Vikki’s workshop will take place in our space on Thursday from 6:30-9pm. Each seat at the writer’s table costs $50. Follow this link to find out more about the workshop and reserve your spot!

TIFF Next Wave Committee
The TIFF Next Wave Committee is a group of students between the ages of 15 and 18 who live in the GTA and share a passion for film. While the Committee members all have different tastes, opinions and plans for their future careers, they’ve all demonstrated an enthusiasm that has impressed TIFF leaders.

With the guidance of TIFF employees, the Committee gets to plan some of the major teen-oriented events at TIFF Bell Lightbox, including the TIFF Next Wave Film Festival.

If you’d like to join the TIFF Next Wave Committee, follow this link to find out how to apply!

The TIFF Next Wave Committee is supported by The Slaight Family Foundation Learning Fund.

Mad Libs Story Battle
We still have tickets available for our Mad Libs Story Battle fundraiser!

Our theme for this year’s event is “Eat, Drink, and be Mad.” The evening will include delicious treats, drinks and a panel of celebrity chefs/authors to help crown the 2015 winning Mad Libs team.

All proceeds from this event will go toward funding Story Planet’s unique writing and arts programming for kids and teens. Click this link to get your tickets before all the seats have been filled!

Storymaking App Workshop

We’re working on a new storymaking app and we need your input! Kids between the ages of 7 and 11 are invited to join us on Saturday, May 30 (from 10:30am-12pm) to help us design a storytelling app that’ll help kids like them create and share their stories.

The registration cost of this workshop is pay what you can. Contact Liz at liz@sp004.dev.contextstaging.ca for more information or to sign up. If you’ve come to one of our past app making workshops, we’d love your input on this one too!

Stargazers, have you bought your tickets for our Mad Libs Story Battle fundraiser yet? Our theme for this year’s event is “Eat, Drink, and be Mad” and it will of course include delicious treats, drinks and a panel of celebrity chefs/authors to help crown the 2015 winning Mad Libs team.

All proceeds from this event will go toward funding Story Planet’s unique writing and arts programming for kids and teens. Click this link to get your tickets before they sell out!

FREE essay help next Saturday
High school students, are you struggling with your final essay? Sign up for our workshop next Saturday, and receive FREE one-on-one help, lunch and a tour of the University of Toronto campus!

The workshop will take place from 10 am – 12 pm (the tour of the university will be after the workshop) at the Multi-Faith Building (569 Spadina Ave.) at the University of Toronto.

Space for our FREE Essay Help Workshop is limited. Contact Joe at joe@sp004.dev.contextstaging.ca or call (416)645-1049 with your name, what grade you’re in and which class your essay is for by Thursday, May 21 to sign up.

The Write Space
Author Vikki VanSickle will be kicking off our next Write Space series with a discussion about the ever-intimidating publishing process. She’ll give tips on how to find an agent, work with an editor, promote your project and tell you what to expect in the Canadian market.

Each seat at our writer’s table costs $50. Click here to sign up while there’s still space available!

Fellow earthlings and volunteers, thank you to everyone who participated in our button-making fun during the Bloordale Spring Fest! We had an absolute blast!

If you missed this event and would like to take part in the next one, keep checking back to our blog and our events page on our website to find out what’s going on!

Our Afterlight Book Club is Meeting TOMORROW
Fellow readers, it’s that time again! Tomorrow night at 6:30 our Afterlight Book Club will be meeting to discuss The Massey Murder by Charlotte Gray.

This event is open to everyone. RSVP on our Meetup event page to let us know you’re coming!

Our Write Space Series
Are you writing a book and wondering how to approach editors, agents and publishers?

Vikki VanSickle, author of the critically acclaimed Clarissa book series for kids will be hosting the first workshop in our next Write Space series. She will discuss everything you need to know about the publishing process from how to find an agent, to working with an editor, self-promotion and what to expect in the Canadian market.

Each seat at our writer’s table costs $50. Click here to sign up while there’s still space available!

FREE Essay Help Workshop for High School Students
We’re hosting a FREE Essay Help Workshop on Saturday, May 23, for high school students who need help with their year-end assignments.

Each student will get one-on-one help with their assignments, lunch and a tour of the University of Toronto. All for no cost!

The workshop will take place from 10am – 12 pm (the tour of the university will be after the workshop) at the Multi-Faith Building (569 Spadina Ave.) at the University of Toronto.

Space for our FREE Essay Help Workshop is limited. Contact Joe at joe@sp004.dev.contextstaging.ca or call (416)645-1049 with your name, what grade you’re in and which class your essay is for by Thursday, May 21 to sign up.

Good luck with your year-end assignments!