OJEN’s Board of Directors, staff and special guests met on November 25th for the 23rd Annual General Meeting (AGM). The centerpiece of the meeting was a presentation by staff about key programing activities of the year that advanced the goals established in our strategic plan. OJEN’s strategic plan, established in 2022, takes the organization through […]
OJEN’s Public Legal Education programming for racialized justice-involved youth is an example of our strategic commitment to engage directly with youth. Over the last year, OJEN delivered 12 PLEI programs throughout Ontario to 100 racialized youth in open and closed custody facilities and in one diversion program. The program meets youth where they are and invites […]
By: Crystal-Claire Simmonds The 19th Annual Sistahs-in-Law Retreat coincided with the first major snowfall of Toronto’s 2025 winter season. Although I braved the weather to make my way to the Queen’s Quay district downtown, I fully expected the event to be sparsely attended – perhaps just myself and the organizers. Instead, I was shocked to […]
November 17, 2025 On November 12, the Chief Justices of the 3 Ontario courts met at Osgoode Hall to present the 19th annual OJEN Chief Justices’ Award. The award recognizes individuals who have made exceptional contributions in promoting public understanding, education and dialogue in support of a responsive and inclusive justice system. A six-person team consisting […]
Tate’s Tableaux is a special evening of music and humour to honour, remember and celebrate the life of Tate Herbert. All proceeds go directly to support OJEN. Since 2014, the Herbert family and friends have come together to remember Tate, who was the age of many of the youth who benefit from OJEN’s programs when […]
By Marija Apostolovski For educators across Ontario, the end of summer looks different for everyone. Some spend the last weeks setting up classrooms, imagining the students who will soon fill them. Others savour slow mornings and warm coffee, enjoying the final days without alarm clocks. For a few, the pace of summer school has just […]
Reimagining the Justice System was a multi-session program supported by the Law Commission of Canada and hosted by Downtown Legal Services (DLS). A group of youth from the Law in Action Within Schools (LAWS) program met with lawyers from DLS and took part in discussions exploring issues of law and justice. In the first half […]
I am a student from Bayview Glen and this coming September I am starting grade 12. I come from the co-op program offered by my school and have been doing a joint placement with OJEN and Justice Javed. This placement has opened my eyes to the field of law, and I’ve learned so much in […]
I am an incoming grade 12 student at Bayview Glen Independent School, and I started working at OJEN through the cooperative education program offered by my school. For the past four weeks, I have been doing a joint placement with OJEN and the Ontario Court of Justice alongside Justice Javed. This placement has truly been […]
During the last week of August, OJEN welcomed more than 70 law teachers to our annual Summer Law Institute (SLI). Over the two-day conference, teachers attended 9 workshops, heard from more than 20 speakers including the Chief Justice of Ontario, celebrated the exemplary achievements of one of their own and enjoyed networking opportunities with colleagues […]
OJEN’s Summer Law Institute (SLI) is the go-to professional development event for Law and Civics teachers every August. This two-day conference features insights into emerging legal issues presented by experts in the field. We’ve lined up speakers involved in some of the most important and timely topics in the news, including Indigenous law, safe injection […]
