“Imagine a new story for your life and believe in it.” (by Paulo Coelho – Brazil)

The Toronto District School Board is proud to recognize June as Portuguese-speaking Heritage Month. During this month, the TDSB’s Portuguese-speaking communities are provided with opportunities to share their vibrant culture and traditions and also gain a better understanding of the Portuguese-speaking diaspora.

The contributions of the Portuguese-speaking community to Canada’s history are vast as it includes the arts, sports, medicine and public life. Of note,

• 250 million Portuguese speakers worldwide, making it the fifth-most spoken language
• More than 1,400 TDSB students speak Portuguese as their mother tongue or as a primary language
• Portuguese is the official language of eight countries: Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Time & Principe and East Timor
• While the Archipelago of the Azores and the Archipelago of Madeira are a part of Portugal, they are simultaneously Autonomous regions which share in the Portuguese language
• Due to historic ties, various regions of the world including Macau, China and Goa and Damao, India, celebrate their Portuguese influences/li>

Learn more on our Did You Know fact sheet!

Events are being planned through the City of Toronto to recognize the Portuguese-speaking heritage including the Portuguese Parade on Sunday, June 10 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend and join the team participating from the TDSB. For further information and to reserve a t-shirt (limited availability), please contact Norbert Costa at norbert.costa@tdsb.on.ca.