GEOFFREY CANADA Our Visionary

Who is Geoffrey Canada? He was born in 1954 in South Bronx, NY. His father was an alcoholic and his mother eventually left to raise her children alone. As a child, Canada was fortunate enough to have a mother who instilled strong values and a deep importance for education in him and his brothers at a young age.

Schooling  Canada was homeschooled as a child. Education and knowledge was very important. Television was restricted and educational programs were encouraged. His mother eventually earned a Master’s Degree from Harvard.  After High School, he attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine in This school was a vast majority of white male students. Canada received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Sociology.  He then went on to pursue a Master of Arts in Education at the Harvard graduate school of Education.

His Career Callings  During his time at Harvard, he served as supervisor at Camp Freedom in Center Ossipe, NH. He taught others how to instruct children with severe emotional disabilities.  After his Harvard degree, he joined the faculty of the Robert White School. It was a private school for troubled inner city youth in Boston, MA. In contrast to the Bronx, he had to work with a predominantly white student body in which racism was deeply rooted.  By 1977, he was appointed director of the Robert White School.

His Life’s Ambition  In 1983, he left the Robert White School and returned to the NY, motivated by the need to save troubled youths lives who might be cut short by violence.  He founded the Chang-Moo- Kwon Taekwondo Club, in order to help with conflict resolution in troubled and violent youths.

Credits ~Tyler ~Jessica H. ~Ian ~Sarah