OJEN’s Waterloo Region Committee is made up of volunteers from both the justice and education sectors. We organize local programs and activities to connect students and teachers to the legal community and justice education, and are always open to new ideas. Our chair is Erik King teacher from Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School.
If you are a teacher teaching law, civics, history, family studies, or any subject with a legal component, and you haven’t already connected with the committee, we’d like to know you! Please contact Erik King at erik_king@wrdsb.ca to join our mailing list. We are also seeking more teachers to join the committee itself, which meets every other month. If you are a legal professional within Waterloo Region, we would love to have you involved!
Braiding Diversity into Justice is an annual event first offered in the Kitchener-Waterloo area in 2018. Its goal is to connect young women between the ages of 16 and 20 with women working in the legal sector. Gender fluid, trans, and non-binary youth are welcome. There is a place for everyone in the legal profession […]
The Waterloo Committee established the Braiding Diversity Founders Scholarship to support the success of Braiding Diversity into Justice program participants. The scholarship is available to any grade 12 or post-secondary student in Ontario, pursuing post-secondary studies related to the many careers in the justice system at an Ontario university or college. The applicant must be […]
OJEN’s Courtroom Visit program provides students with unique opportunities to deepen their understanding of the justice system through experiential learning. Students get a chance to observe real court in session and to directly engage with justice sector representatives, like judges, Crown attorneys, defense lawyers, justices of the peace, and many other individuals with different roles […]
OJEN’s Courtrooms & Classrooms activities enhance classroom learning by connecting students with the justice system and the professionals who work within it. Observing court in session, participating in mock trial tournaments, and connecting with justice sector professionals in the classroom – all help take law off the pages of the text book and into real […]
Law Day gives high school students the opportunity to participate in a criminal mock trial in a real courtroom, by taking on the roles of the accused, witnesses and the jury. Judges from the Superior Court of Justice and the Ontario Court of Justice preside over the trial. Local lawyers take on the roles of […]
The OBA/OJEN Competitive Mock Trials (OOCMT) for High School Students is a partnership between the Ontario Bar Association (OBA) and the Ontario Justice Education Network (OJEN). We invite high school students to find their local mock trial competition, register a team, and participate in the province-wide tournament. The OBA and OJEN launched the competition for Waterloo Region […]
On November 6th, 40 young women from the Waterloo Region spent the day connecting with women working in justice sector careers. Braiding Diversity into Justice was a full day career modeling program designed to attract greater diversity to the legal profession. Organized by the Waterloo OJEN Committee, this program aimed to inspire young women from […]
The OBA/OJEN Competitive Mock Trial Tournament (OOCMT) completed its fourth season last month, with record numbers of schools participating. Since it was launched in 2014-2015 school year, the number of schools enrolling in the program has grown from 87 to 175. Along with its popularity, the need for additional support at the local level, has […]
