The Mustard Seed’s Community Engagement team fosters a Christ-centered understanding of poverty and homelessness to transform worldviews and mobilize the community. The team facilitates experiential and educational opportunities for people of all ages
to broaden their knowledge of issues surrounding poverty and homelessness
Church Engagement
We offer different types of workshops/activities geared towards churches, youth groups, and conferences.
Partnering with Churches to eliminate homelessness and reduce poverty in our cities.
We have a number of staff who would be happy to share a message of hope and encouragement with your church congregation, small group, or event participants.
SEED SERVE
We offer week-long service-learning programs for youth aged 13-17 as part of a youth group. These alternative mission trips are an opportunity for teens to learn about poverty and homelessness, develop a deeper understanding of God’s heart
for our city, and practice faith in action through service projects. Programming runs for two separate weeks in the month of July; we also offer weekend or spring break opportunities for youth groups who have previous summer commitments.
Our presentations cover the forms & causes of homelessness, statistics relevant to Calgary, information about our programming, and opportunities for the community to get involved. Presentations can be tailored to address specific topics or
relate to Biblical themes
Seed Serve is a 7 day experience for your youth group focusing on God’s response and our call to those experiencing poverty and homelessness. Through community, discipleship and service, we will explore how God is calling us to be a part of
our communities and how we can step into his mission.
Discipleship, Community and Service
Welcome to Seed Serve!
Our mission is to serve and be served. It's an opportunity where you will exemplify the spirit of Jesus through the act of service.
At Seed Serve you have the chance to experience the presence of Jesus within our guests who are living in poverty and homelessness while serving the community you are placed in.
Community
Come and be a part of the movement that God is building with youth groups from all over Western Canada
Discipleship
Jesus said that He has come so that we may have life and life to the full. Through teaching, worship and prayer, come experience what Jesus has for you!
Service
We are called to do more. We're told in Micah 6:8 that we are to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God.
If you are a teacher and would like someone from our Community Engagement team to come and speak to your class or faculty, we would love to set that up. We can speak to all ages, sizes, and we can do it in person or online.
Social Issues Walk (not virtual for Calgary, in person only)
The Community Engagement team is also delighted to provide educational resources to teachers, including our Educator's Toolkit that
provides curriculum surrounding homelessness, poverty, and empathy, as well as our Booklist that recommends children's books focused
on these topics.
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS Our presentations cover the forms & causes of homelessness, statistics relevant to Calgary, information about our programming, and opportunities for students to get involved.
Presentations can be tailored to address specific topics or relate to programs of study (e.g. nursing, social work, addictions & community health).
WEEKEND AND WEEK-LONG Opportunities to volunteer, share meals with residents, host community-building activities, and participate in learning on a variety of topics related to homelessness and poverty
Grade Schools
SEED SCHOOL A 5-day field study program through Campus Calgary/Open Minds. Classes of Gr. 3-12 students can attend SEEDschool for an entire week of study to learn about social
issues, empathy, and how we can create healthy communities together. During this week, students will learn from experts, explore the Beltline and Downtown neighbourhoods, hear real stories
of resilience and hope, and work together to find ways to make their own communities safer, more inclusive, and more vibrant.
The Mustard Seed engages students with hands-on learning about poverty and homelessness with the goal of challenging them to raise awareness about these issues in their community. At SEEDschool, teachers and students are immersed in
workshops as well as experiential and service-learning, in order to build capacity for critical understandings of our interconnected Calgary community.
* Please note: due to COVID-19, some of our programs have been altered.
Social Issues Walk
Transforming Perspectives, Shaping Communities
SEEDschool is a program of The Mustard Seed in partnership with Campus Calgary / Open Minds, which provides Calgary teachers the opportunity to move their classes into a vibrant community site for an entire week of curriculum-based experience,
designed to meet the needs of each individual learner. Teachers design and implement a year-long interdisciplinary study that uses the week at the site as a catalyst for learning.
History of SEEDschool
The Mustard Seed has long been engaged in intentional student learning experiences. SEEDschool evolved out of 22 years of summer learning programs, and two decades of speaking and teaching in school classrooms. During the 2016-17 school year,
The Mustard Seed and Campus Calgary began to dream about initiating a pilot program at The Mustard Seed. After our initial pilot year in 2017-18 with 5 weeks of programming, we are now an official site running 18+ weeks of programming
per year.
Why Campus Calgary / Open Minds (CC/OM) at SEEDschool?
A week at The Mustard Seed is a catalyst for students to become engaged in the creation of their own year-long learning pathway. By incorporating student choice and design, teachers and site experts act as facilitators, working collaboratively
with students and grounding education in the local community, students can see the relevance of what they are learning and therefore become more engaged in the learning process. Students engage in hands-on learning about poverty, homelessness,
and social issues, thereby challenging students to consider their role in growing and nurturing the community.
Any Calgary teacher can apply through Campus CC/OM for their class to participate in SEEDschool. However, we are currently only accepting applications from Grades 3 – 12. Applications become available in February for the following school year.
Completed applications will include a proposal describing how you (the teacher) would implement an extended interdisciplinary study using the week at the site as a focus. Selections aren't made on a first come first serve basis but are
based on the year-long inquiry plan and factors like whether students and teachers have attended a CC/OM program before, whether a teacher has applied previously and not been accepted, time of year requested, etc. For teachers new to the
CC/OM experiences, further questions will be answered and forms explained at the information sessions offered in January and at the teacher’s convention. More information on applications is available here. If you have questions specific to SEEDschool, we invite you to contact us at CommunityEngagement@theseed.ca
If you are part of a business or organization and would like to partner with us to eliminate homelessness and poverty, we would be honoured to come alongside you. Join our Community Engagement Team for an in-person or virtual lunch and learn!
We will spend time discussing homelessness and poverty, it’s causes and context, and how The Mustard Seed is responding in Calgary.
Join our Community Engagement Team for an in-person or virtual lunch and learn! We will spend time discussing homelessness and poverty, it's causes and context, and how
The Mustard Seed is responding in Calgary.
Email communityengagement@theseed.ca to book a session.
We offer a one-hour Engaging Vulnerable People course to help your team learn how to safely and compassionately engage with people experiencing homelessness in our city. This course teaches participants how to evaluation a situation to see
if it’s safe and provides resources for supporting people experiencing homelessness.
Day in the Life – An immersive and experiential day of learning. Groups will have a glimpse into the day in the life of someone who experiences homelessness and poverty. The purpose of the day is to gain compassion and empathy for the most
vulnerable in our city.
Homelessness 101 – This workshop gives people an introduction to homelessness & poverty in our city. It also seeks to correct stereotypes/misinformation as well as highlight the services and programs that The Mustard Seed offers.
