Urban Expeditions

A BLANKET STATEMENT ▪︎ The contrarian view almost always makes for a good story that everyone wants to tell, but few people want to live. This is something we must all take time to consider during this year's Black History Month in Canada. The sacrifice abd entrepreneurship of our predecessors. . . . . What you seen here is a fly-by of BME Freedom Park in Chatham, Southwest Ontario. And, in the centre of the park, a marble bust if Mary Ann Shadd greets all passers by. Yet, few realize her monumental accomplishments. Ms. Shadd was the first woman in North America to become a newspaper publisher. . . . . Have you ever visited this park? Do you know the name of her first published newspaper? If not, perhaps it's time for a road trip. . . . . #urban #culture #diversity #travel #tourism #explorethecity #play #games #win #learn #grow #experience #socialcohesion powered by urbanexpeditions.com @tiaogram @tourisminnovationcanada @team.osw

SENSE OF ADMIRATION ▪︎ What you see here is the former homestead of Josiah Henson located in Dresden, Southwest Ontario. It's a place that we must remember at all times, but especially during #BlackHistoryMonth in Canada. And, a location made famous in a novel written by Harret Beecher Stowe. . . . . Can you name this place? Have you ever scene it in-person? If not, perhaps it time to plan a road trip. Somewhere out there, beyond the city, there's an inspirational story you haven't heard. A story that could nudge you toward success. All you gotta do is find it. . . . . For the next two weeks, #TheBHXSeries is offering you an opportunity to connect the dots of Black history, heritage, and human accomplishment. So whether you're playing for the prizes, the knowledge, or the accolades, we believe that gamification is the best way to achieve socialcohesion , a sense-of-belonging, and enjoy exciting new travel experiences. . . . . #urban #culture #diversity #travel #tourism #explorethecity #play #games #win #learn #grow #experience #people #places #stories powered by @tiaogram @tourisminnovationcanada @team.osw

BIT OF PERSPECTIVE ▪︎ What you see here is the former homestead of Josiah Henson located in Southwest Ontario. A place made famous in a novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Do you know the name of this place? Have you ever seen it in person? If not, perhaps it's time to plan a trip. . . . . We want to keep you connected and enhance your sense-of-belonging with our exciting new travel experience. Because, somewhere out there there's an #inspirational story you haven't heard. A story that could nudge you toward success. All you gotta do is find it. . . . . For the next two weeks #TheBHXSeries is offering you an opportunity to connect the dots of Black history, heritage, and human accomplishment. So, whether you're playing for the prizes, the knowledge of the accolades, we believe that gamification is the best way to achieve #socialcohesion . . . . . #urban #culture #diversity #travel #tourism #explorethecity #play #games #win #learn #grow #new #experiences powered by @tourisminnovationcanada @tiaogram @team.osw

BIT OF PERSPECTIVE ▪︎ For the next two weeks #TheBHXSeries is offering you an opportunity to connect the dots of Black history, heritage, and humaj accomplishment. So, whether you're playing for the prizes, the knowledge of the accolades, we believe that gamification is the best way to achieve #socialcohesion . . . . . #urban #culture #diversity #travel #tourism #explorethecity #play #games #win #learn #grow #new #experiences powered by @tiaogram @tourisminnovationcanada @team.osw

TIME WELL SPENT ▪︎ If I had only one wish, it would be to spend all day everyday exploring the world with my number one. Father and son. Adventures. Rangers. The city can be the greatest classroom in world.

INCREASE THE ACCESS ▪︎ One of the most fulfilling parts of my job is connecting the fresh minds of new people to new places. Especially our student interns. All that I ask is for my groups to exercise a reasonable apprehension of bias. And, head into each new space as a blank slate. . . . . Last week, our elite crew of Program Design Associates went on tour. We made stops @oxfordpropgroup , @hotelxtoronto , @ritzcarltontoronto , and the #FortYork branch of the @torontolibrary . Our mission was to polish our perspectives through the lens of local luxury bricks-and-mortar tourism assets. . . . . Special thanks to @lesclefsdorontario corporate concierge Thomas Chesterfield, and Hotel X team of Falitaa and Cassi. . . . . This week, in honour of #BlackHistoryMonth, we'll be launching #TheBHXSeries. It's a collection of hybrid games you can play from the comfort of your home, office, or classroom. These games have been developed to offer you a hands-on opportunity to explore human struggle, ingenuity, and success in Toronto, Southwest, and Niagara Ontario. The pre-game info session is this Friday. . . . . It works like this. Follow the narrative. Find the locations. Answer the questions. Collect the points. Anyone can play this games, but only points get you prizes. . . . . #urban #culture #diversity #travel #tourism #explorethecity #play #games #win #grow #experience #socialcohesion powered by urbanexpeditions.com @tiaogram @tourisminnovationcanada

SELF-GUIDED AND SUSTAINABLE  |  When most people hear the term sustainability, their mind tends to lean toward environmental matters. In this instance, we're using the expression 'sustainable' in reference to a sense-of-belonging and how our games can help you connect the dots of history and heritage. . . . . Two weeks from now, and in honour of #BlackHistoryMonth, we'll be launching #TheBHXSeries. It's a collection of hybrid games you can play from the comfort of your home, office, or classroom. These games have been developed to offer you a hands-on opportunity to explore human struggle, ingenuity, and success in Toronto, Southwest, and Niagara Ontario. . . . . It's true that history can often be an uncomfortable place to visit. But, if you play with it for a while, you may find it relevant and rewarding. Each game has been developed by business, research, and tourism students from local colleges and universities. . . . . It works like this. Follow the narrative. Find the locations. Answer the questions. Collect the points. Anyone can play this games, but only points get you prizes. . . . . #urban #culture #diversity #travel #tourism #explorethecity #play #games #win #grow #experience #socialcohesion powered by urbanexpeditions.com

THE INSIDE OUT ▪︎ Imagine that the entire city is one giant #escaperoom . But, instead of trying to get out, you're trying to get in. Because something is calling you. Drawing you near. . . . #TheBHXSeries is for those who have a desire for veracity and a better understanding of the world. A yearning for a stronger cultural connection, and a sense of adventure. Everything you wanted to know about Black heritage is right outside your door. You just need to know where to look. . . . In honour of #BlackHistoryMonth, we're playing a series of games that offer a hands-on opportunity to experience #DEI in action. Three hybrid games in Toronto, Southwest, and Niagara Ontario. Each game developed by business, research, and tourism students from local colleges and universities. Relevant and rewarding. . . . It works like this. Get the app. Follow the narrative. Find the locations. Answer the questions. Collect the points. Anyone can play these games, but only points get you prizes. . . . #culture #diversity #urban #tourism #explorethecity #play #games #grow #experience #DEI #socialcohesion powered by theurbanguide.com @tiaogram @tourisminnovationcanada

WITH THE PROGRAM ▪︎  No doubt there's a lot to be said about the early events of 2025.  These are interesting times. Changes in almost every aspect of urban existence. Government leaders.  Environmental impact. Business innovation. The global sense-of-community. And, it got me thinking that it's time to speak up and share few thoughts about the significance of storytelling, and 'the why' of it's origins. . . . . I thought that I'd share a snapshot of our Program Design Associate experience. We simply call it the 'program'. And, from within program, we use our story-telling playbook to help our associate take a closer look at the principal reasons 'why' humans likely began communicating in the first place. What we've come up with is called the Four S's of Storytelling. Remember, you heard it here first; . . . . Why #1 |  Safety. Perhaps two primal grunts and a guttural screech was the modern equivalent of "....run for your life!" . . . Why #2 |  Sustenance. Maybe the Palaeolithic cave paintings were messages that helped early humans track the migratory patterns of fish, birds, and animals. . . . Why #3 |  Shelter. In the early days of urbanization, the carved  tsunami stones in the hills of Japan most certainly saved villages from tidal destruction. . . . Why #4 |  Socializing. Drawn to the warm orange glow of the camp fire, we strengthened family bonds, shared cultural traditions, and  honored our ancestors. . . . . In modern cities we largely take the first three 'whys' for granted because they're usually services provided by others. But, the fourth why ,socializing, is a doozey. Nowadays, we get lost  in the cool blue glow of screens. We seem to be socializing so well that we grown tired enough to let AI help us do the heavy lifting.  . . . . On some levels this is great. But in the PDA Playbook, our interns don't use AI. Primarily because we need to properly grade and honour the authenticity of their work. And, as my team continues to develop new t

RELEVANT AND REWARDING ▪︎ Before we start anew, I'd like to acknowledge all the local #Toronto businesses, as well as our provinicial and national partners for their continued support of our games. The value that you bring to urban #travel , #tourism , and #hospitality cannot be overstated. . . . Special shout out to the leadership teams @totumlifescience @mythtoronto @arcadiaearth @viarailcanada @velatoronto and @tiaogram . . . Whether you #play for the prizes, knowledge, or accolades, why not start the new year with #TheWinterSeries. A collection of three games in Toronto. Each game is a beta version in development by business, research, and tourism students from local colleges and universities. The bells and whistles will come later. Right now, our aim to be #relevant and rewarding. . . . #TheWinterSeries is an engaging and practical way to learn about Toronto's #BlackHistory, #IndigenousHeritage, and #LGBTQIA+ community. Get in the game!

RELEVANT AND REWARDING ▪︎ Before we start anew, I'd like to acknowledge all of the local Toronto businesses, as well as provincial and national partners who proudly provide prizes and support for our games. The value that you bring to urban travel, tourism, and hospitality can not be overstated. . . . . Special shoutout to the folks @totumlifescience @mythtoronto @velatoronto @viarailcanada @tiaogram and @arcadiaearth . . . . Whether you play for the prizes, knowledge, or accoloades, why not start the new year with #TheWinterSeries. A collection of three games in Toronto. Each game is a beta version in development by business, research, and tourism students from local colleges and universities. The bells and whistles will come later. Right now, our aim to be #relevant and rewarding. #TheWinterSeries is an engaging and practical way to learn about Toronto's #BlackHistory, #IndigenousHeritage, and the local #LGBTQIA+ community. Follow the narrative. Find the locations. Correctly answer the questions. Score the points. Anyone can play this game, but only points can be traded for prizes

ORIGINS OF STORY-TELLING  | Take a closer look at three words in the English language (etymology, woke, and con), and you'll #awaken to the challenges of AI and society's addiction to instant gratification. . . . . . Etymology is more than just the study of words, it's the science of a word's origin and cultural relationships. The contemporary idiom 'woke' is usually in reference to a person's social or political awareness. And, though the prefix 'con-' has developed a lot of bad press in recent decades, the word's Latin origin means 'with or together'. . . . . . When students leave their classrooms to intern with us, we tell them two things right off-the-bat. First, they're not permitted to use #AI when creating game content because we demand #authenticity in their work. Second, story-telling needs to be respected not only from a technical perspective, but also from a measured outcome indicator that we call the 'Four S's'. . . . . . The second module of our internship program is called the 'Four S's of Story-telling'. This module attempts to answer the question of why humans began telling #stories in the first place. The Four S's are; Safety, Sustenance, Shelter, and socializing. The #logic of the first three S's are pretty straight forward. Shared intel on how not to get hurt, where to get food, and how to defend against nature. Topics that we largely take for granted these days. Now, most of our story-telling serves to socialize. . . . . . #TheWinterSeries is a collection of three games in Toronto. Presented by Urban Expeditions and The Urban Guide, each game is being developed by business, research, and tourism students from local colleges and universities. The bells and whistles will come later. Right now, our aim to be relevant and rewarding. #TheWinterSeries offers an engaging and practical way to learn about Toronto's #Black, #Indigenous, and #LGBTQIA+ communities. . . . . . Follow the narrative. Find the location. Correctly answer the questions to score th