Every Learner meets with a staff mentor for weekly 1:1 meetings to create learning goals, document completed projects, and discuss needs and project timelines. It’s a time set aside strictly for that Learner. Mentorship is a core piece of the Passages experience.

The staff Mentor’s role is to support and work alongside the Learners engaging and challenging them and offering other learning opportunities.

Community Mentors, university placement students or parents also offer skills, support, and resources.

We know learning happens everywhere and is rich in meaning when it’s in context to one’s life.

We work with the Learners to identify their interests and learning goals, then, through a wide network of staff, volunteers, and practicum students we work to create the learning they desire.

At a self-directed learning centre like Passages. programming is “opt-in” meaning nothing is mandatory. This allows learners to use their time as they see fit, and explore opportunities at their pace. They are empowered to create their own learning path, with support from mentors.

Passages does not offer credits or an OSSD - although learners can still meet their post-secondary and career goals.

We work with Learners to map out their big ideas, break them down into tangible steps and then create a path forwards . They take ownership of how they want to learn, and who they want as a part of their learning journey.

Reflection is always a part of the process. Plan, apply, reflect, adapt. And repeat.

A Learner’s time at Passages is documented during 1:1 Learner/Mentor meetings and their work is filed in an online portfolio. This is a curation of their self-directed work.

We are a consent-based, democratic centre using Sociocracy for decision-making. Modeled after democratic schools such as: Sudbury Valley, and Summerhill School.

Our weekly community meeting is a time to come together to share ideas and create change in the centre. Every voice is honoured and has an equal right to be heard.

These youth-run meetings offer opportunities for collaborative thinking, advocacy and self-awareness, democracy in action and more. These meetings are where we, as a community, make all our decisions.

Learning is a community endeavour and everyone is encouraged to be involved. Families are welcome to volunteer in the centre and bring classes and workshops to the Learners.

Passages families are sent weekly newsletters and are invited to a meeting twice a year with their child’s mentor. They are also offered times throughout the week for booking 1:1 calls.

We also offer monthly Parent Zoom Calls where we pick a topic, hear a short presentation on it then discuss as a group.

Throughout the year, we host showcase events which is a time for learners to exhibit their projects.