Letter to the Editor
Re: 'Sistema grant cut puts children's program in jeopardy,' article, Sept. 6.
Last week I wrote to the Ontario government to express my disappointment that they will be withdrawing $500,000 in funding from Sistema Toronto, a critical music education program for at-risk children across the city, especially in communities like Scarborough.
I echoed the concerns expressed by my provincial counterpart Mitzie Hunter, MPP for Scarborough-Guildwood, who announced the funding in May.
Sistema provides several very important services to young people in vulnerable communities.
Firstly, it provides invaluable access to music education for those who may be unable to afford such opportunities. The talent and passion for the arts these students possess benefits everyone. They deserve our support to pursue and practice their art, which is so often inadequately supported by the current education curriculum.
Secondly, studies show that arts education increases scholastic performance, enhances emotional and social skills, and dramatically increases the likelihood that children from low-income families will graduate and obtain a degree.
Third, programs like Sistema offer at-risk youth a better path than might otherwise be available to them, helping to address other social issues in our communities that cannot be solved by traditional community services alone.
While the grant represents a significant amount of Sistema’s funding, it is a small fraction of the resources of the Ontario government. This decision may be pennywise but is pound-foolish and will harm not only children in Scarborough, but communities across the city.
I urge the new Ontario government to reverse this ill-considered decision and restore the necessary funding to Sistema so that they can continue to ensure young people in Scarborough have the support they need to successfully pursue their talent and inspiration. Ultimately, this will be to the benefit of everyone in our city and province.
I urge readers to write to Premier Doug Ford about the importance of supporting our youth through arts programs like Sistema Toronto.
John McKay, MP, Scarborough-Guildwood