About Us
One-Up’s mission is to prepare young men to become responsible, mature, and principled leaders, with the capacity to be of service to their family, friends and communities.
The Program
One-Up is a leadership program for young men in high school. It helps participants develop as strong students and leaders, teaching them the virtues necessary for greater success throughout their lives. One-Up takes place every Saturday from September to April at Ernescliff College, a student residence for men on the University of Toronto campus.
The program offers participants the opportunity to develop leadership skills, receive personal mentoring, broaden their horizons and forge lasting friendships.
Program Offering
Develop leadership skills
One-Up encourages each participant to become a virtuous leader and man of character by means of a variety of classes that lay the foundation for a successful high school career and responsible adulthood. Topics range from developing study skills and proper goal setting, critical thinking, public speaking, cultivating personal talents and also career exploration.
Receive personal mentoring
One-on-one mentoring is the keystone of One-Up’s program. Each participant is assigned a mentor who can help him personally to find practical applications for the principles discussed in classes. Specifically, mentors challenge and encourage participants to set goals for themselves, then track and achieve them.
Broaden your horizons
Through sports, excursions, social service projects and other activities including movie productions, the One-Up activities help each participant to expand their interests and develop their talents.
Ernescliff College also offers Christian formation for those who are interested. This includes courses on Catholic Doctrine, spiritual direction, days of recollection, and spiritual retreats. For the most part, these take place every Saturday before the One-Up activities.
Forge lasting friendships
Participants are able to develop lasting friendships with their mentors and peers as they engage in thoughtful discussion, work together to complete projects, and compete while playing different sports.
Frequently Asked Questions
One-Up runs two programs throughout the year, one in the Fall and another in the summer.
The Fall Program runs every Saturday from September to June. Visit the Fall Program page for more detailed information.
The Summer Program consists of different activities catered for specific age groups. We take students on leadership and service projects to Quebec City, Manitoba, and abroad. The offerings vary from year to year. Visit the Summer Program page for more details.
One-Up is a leadership program for young men that fosters character formation and a spirit of service.
Ernescliff College is a student residence on the downtown campus of the University of Toronto that also offers various leadership and personal development activities for young men in high school and university.
Activities at Ernescliff College are based on a Christian view of life that recognizes the dignity of the human person, the value of human work, and the God-given moral law. Opus Dei is an institution of the Catholic Church whose mission is to help people find God in and through the circumstances of their ordinary life. It ensures that a true Christian spirit is present in all the activities organized at Ernescliff.
No. As a leadership program, the One-Up is open to students of all backgrounds.
Ernescliff College offers an integral and complete approach to personal development and character formation; the Christian faith informs this effort. For those who are interested, Ernescliff also offers activities of Christian formation.