Global Perspectives Program

Our distinctive program is facilitated within the Simcoe County District School Board with a connection to The City of Barrie. It is a challenging, academic-based, semester-long program run at Innisdale in Semester 2 of a student’s grade eleven year. Students apply for this program during their grade ten year.
It is a highly competitive program where students from all over the county apply and work through an interview process to earn one of twenty-eight seats in the class. These students earn five, as opposed to four, credits in one semester. The credits earned are English (ENG3U), Politics in Action (CPC30), Music (AMU3M), Comparative Spirituality (HRT3M), and World Issues (GCW4UR). Teachers in the program are Matt Torlee, Karen Parnell, Jamie Babcock, and Jeff Toole.
Six weeks of international travel to Cuba, Germany, France, as well as another undetermined European country is a required component of the program. Typically, students spend two weeks of April in Varadero, Cuba connecting with students and professors from the University of Matanzas while learning about the history, culture and politics of this nation. Additionally, there is an exchange program with Helmholtz Gymnasium in Zweibrucken, Germany, one of the City of Barrie’s sister cities.
Program participants host a German student for one-month in September/October and we travel to Germany in the following May/June. Both groups travel extensively on day trips while abroad as well as have the opportunity to go on a three-night/four-day trip to another region. While here, our German guests travel to Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City, and we have travelled to places like Rome, Paris, Prague, Vienna, Munich, Berlin, and northern Italy (Milan, Venice, and Verona).
All residents of Simcoe County can apply to Global Perspectives, regardless of current school or school board designation.
For applications, please check out youthambassadors.barrie.ca/
or email Jeff Toole directly at [e-mail]