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Sep 04, 2021
Retreat-ing at Home
At our August online spiritual retreat, students dedicated a (14 hour!) day to reflection and personal growth. Activities ranged from discussion and creative practices to embodied movement and a nature ...
Sep 04, 2021
Personal Loss Inspires Service
by Radha Sharma, student leader Being a volunteer with Student Open Circles has become an integral part of my identity. After school went online, I was delighted to find out ...
May 14, 2021
Newsletter: May 2021
Our connection to one another is what sees us through difficult times. As school and extra-curricular activities continue to be entirely online, the students in our weekly reflection groups, courses ...
May 14, 2021
Staying Connected to Community
by Mohammad Jafari, student leader This past year, Mohammad led a Student Open Circles weekly volunteer group at the Newcomer Youth Centre, mentoring and tutoring recent immigrant youth. At the ...
May 14, 2021
Creative Crafts for Kids!
Keeping children engaged in online activities takes creativity and hard work. Our groups at Hamilton Mission Services's 196 After School Club have been very inventive as they plan weekly crafts ...
May 14, 2021
Reaching Out During Difficult Times
by Clare de Souza, student leader For the past year, I have been facilitating a “Letters to Seniors” weekly volunteer group with CityHousing Hamilton and Shalom Village long-term care home ...
May 14, 2021
Just Keep on Going!
by Brooj Mishal, student As a post-secondary student, it seems like there is SO MUCH one can do to grow, develop and flourish to become the best version of yourself ...
Mar 06, 2021
Newsletter: March 2021
I feel like a bird that was about to leave the nest, when suddenly without warning, I was pulled back. The nest is comfortable and I’m grateful for it, but ...
Mar 06, 2021
Open Circle: a stabilizing force during COVID-19
by Sowmithree Ragothaman, student As a student, COVID-19 has been difficult to deal with. I think the best comparison I can make is when you listen to a song where ...
Mar 06, 2021
Offline while Online
by Hani Choksi, student Open Circle has always run retreats, where students gather for community-building activities without being distracted by social media or the outside world. However, this term’s retreat ...