June is the inaugural TDSB Italian Heritage Month!

This June, following a motion passed by the Board of Trustees in May, the TDSB is celebrating and honouring its inaugural Italian Heritage Month!
Students and staff are participating in special activities all month long. Events will educate the TDSB community on the experiences of Italian-speaking people and their culture.

Ontario is home to more than 1.35 million Italian-Canadians. Since the 1880s, the Italian-Canadian community has made, and continues to make, significant contributions to the growth and prosperity of Toronto and to the province and people of Italian heritage have made an incredible contribution to Canada’s history. The month of June will provide an opportunity for our Italian-speaking communities to share their vibrant culture and traditions with the city.

Facts

• More than 85 million Italian speakers worldwide.
• Italian is an official language in seven countries - Italy, San Marino, Malta, Switzerland, Vatican City, Slovenia and Croatia.
• Nearly 450 TDSB students speak Italian as their mother tongue or at home.

Students of all backgrounds will now have the chance to acknowledge the long and rich history of Italian Canadians, the challenges and successes they have faced and their contributions to Canada and the world in the past, the present and the future.

For more information head to www.tdsb.on.ca/equity.