[Adrienne]

Thanks for posing this question! One structure that I have found to embed youth within organizations to influence decision making is through youth advisory boards/councils/groups. Of course, these programs are susceptible to the same power structures and harmful normative practice that tokenize and de-value youth voice. However, with careful and intentional planning this structure can be used to involve uplift Black youth voice within organizations and systems that impact them and shift power to Black youth in decision making. These structures should prioritize Black youth in order to best understand the actual function of organizations.

[Maureen]

I wanted to share my “thinking out loud with members together” on 2 areas- thinking about the first part of the question that is posed to us and, wonder about the challenge posed in the second part of the question if that makes sense. Unsoo- thank-you for that important reminder of connecting lived experiences of “adult” or “youth mentors” into the kinds of supports we hope to provide youth as they are making their way. Would it be fair to suggest that these mentors would want to be aware not to “label” their experiences having been “the same”, but could be similar, so they don’t say necessarily “I know what you are experiencing”? Or, having lived experience, you in fact CAN say that? That is one thing I wonder and want to more intentionally learn about/understand. I am white so I hope this query has not been unintentionally ignorant or of white privilege. I sincerely apologize if I have been offensive. I was asking from the point of view of “active listening”- I am a Nurse . The second thing I am now wondering is the actually question being posed in the second part of this topic. And I may more be asking myself what is “my” second part of the question to think about based on what I do. Totally thinking out loud. Love the idea of first part of question “How might we move beyond service needs and gaps Black youth face” ( love being pushed). Here is what the second part of the question makes me wonder-is , in fact, my challenge to “proactively design pathways to inclusion in the youth sector”? or is my challenge to “proactively imagine pathways that promote where black youth see themselves and see possibilities for their own future?” Does that make sense? I think about the social determinant of health of education as one example. It is a foundation for income, self-efficacy and expression, eventual housing, food security etc (i.e. earning an income eventually and therefore getting to have broader choices in life AND match your strengths/ talents to jobs you might be interested in). For SURE there continues to be a need for youth sector support for youth living with a mental illness – or a period of time of mental health struggle but not due to a mental illness. So that immediate gap exists! I am thinking in my job on the factors that promote broader positive mental well-being (what we call core protective factors in public health)- enhancing control, quality social relationships, positive participation in education and social inclusion promotion. How can I help youth see themselves. One thing I wondered about what how to have youth see themselves in potential careers- we don’t know what we don’t know! And I want youth to see themselves in a variety of career paths. Thanks for this ability to think out loud. TOO long a post I know.

[Unsoo]

Research findings are a way to communicate with and convince people who do not know or admit the reality. Reasonable people my accept facts based on research findings more easily than emotional loaded opinions. However, “facts” don’t mean just quantitative results. It can be results of qualitative research related to personal experiences, anecdotes, and interviews as well. Especially acknowledging the community members related to the research topics will work as a powerful source of research and also implementing, making use of the results of the research. Researchers should involve community members collecting data for the research, report the results to them, and apply the results with them.

[Unsoo]

I was a students’ rights activist in my twenties, so I always think about bringing the voice of students in my classroom. Acknowledging and taking account of their voices give students more power for themselves to thrive in their learning and in the community. This will have no pushbacks from other students as I will have their voices also, but students who are silenced by the society will have more chances to bring their voices out. This will also serve as a better chance for their wellbeing as they will be able to advocate their own needs and will feel less marginalized and less oppressed.

[Unsoo]

One way to provide a program where Black youth don’t experience racism is to hire more diverse people to run the program who will understand the experience of them better. The practice of my school board to run a tutoring program for Black students with Black mentors is such a way. They are doing the program for other visual minorities as well with mentors from all over the world who have racialized lived experience.

[Unsoo]

I was shocked that the population of teachers in schools I’ve experienced were almost all white people despite the diverse population of students in Ontario. I heard that there were like only two Black teachers working in the school board. This is a big problem as students can’t see themselves in teachers, so they can less connect to their learning and learn less from the teachers’ modelling. There will be also a gap of understanding between the students’ and teachers’ cultures even if the teachers try hard to be responsive and inclusive. Racism isn’t just explicit discrimination, it can manifest in this structure of education. That’s why we need a more inclusive hiring process if we want to support Black youth thriving.

[Jean-Luc]

In my experience working with small Grass Roots organization in the GTA, finding an independent evaluator that they can afford has been a big challenge and a topic of discussion among management that can sometimes drag on. Community non-profit organizations are underfunded as is and have taken big hits in recent years under the current Premier, allotting the time and resources necessary to undergo a proper evaluation can place extra stress onto organizations that already have their hands full keeping the doors open.

[Emma]

A simple resonse to a complex question: capitalism. Globally, inlcuding Canada, we function within a capitalist system that has deep historically roots, including the enslavement, colonization and domination of many cultures, countries and peoples. At it’s core, capitalism relies on the private accumulation of wealth and power and promotes a model of competition where increasing profit at any cost is the name of the game. Fundamentally, this system relies on the exploitation and oppression of certain groups, including Black and Indigenous folks, in order to accumulate wealth and power in the hands of the few (namely rich, White men). The narratives espoused about Black people and resulting dominant cultural and political ideologies that sustain anti-Black racism, as discussed in this module, are core to the capitalist agenda. Within our current capitalist system, anti-Black racism remains entrenched in systems and structures as their remains a vested interest from those in power (or those who practice and participate in Whiteness) to maintain the status quo and ensure access to wealth and power remains concentrated in hands of those who benefit from the way things are now.

[Natalie]

I couldn’t agree with you more, Emma. The fact remains that anti-Black racism persists because it benefits many institutions, systems and individuals in multiple seen and unseen ways, and disrupting that ‘status quo’ would require non-Black folks “giving up” a lot of this unearned privilege and power, including accumulated wealth! Thank you for your reflections here

[Laila]

A lot of people think that Canada doesn’t share a similar history of anti-Blackness with the United States and that our diversity and multiculturalism (especially in Ontario) must exempt us from ever possibly being racist, especially at an institutional or individual level. We applaud ourselves for the smallest changes and long over-due actions when we should be – and are capable of – doing so much more at a faster pace.

It’s easier to sweep anti-Black racism under the rug and instead celebrate Ontario’s diversity because facing the facts that anti-Black racism is entrenched in our institutions is too uncomfortable for some.

[Kaamraan]

ABR is still a problem in Ontario because ABR is still deeply entrenched within Ontario at an individual, institutional, and provincial level.

[Sheeman]

Hi everyone! Central Toronto Youth Services is #hiring a Program Coordinator for our Pride & Prejudice (2SILGBTQ+) Program!

* must have membership in appropriate regulatory body (RP/ RSW) and membership in 2SILGBTQ+ community *

https://ctys.org/information/about/careers/

[Alexandra]

I really think it’s about one thing: funding. Funding that is targeted to provide better infrastructure, education, healthcare, transportation and other resources so that black families are not systemically disadvantaged in so many areas.

[Maureen]

I am now doing the course ending July/22 so first time on this virtual cafe platform- or a virtual platform period! Better late than never. Previous comments- ideally include end “users” (where did we come up with that word? better to say “partners”- gotta get this reciprocal language going!- systemic bias in epi and funding structures no doubt) in the program development is fundamental. And incredibly difficult for such patchwork community orgs in social and human services in communities. But we need to try! I also find, as per Monique, “little by little bit by bit”, as I learn, that I can reflect on my practice, then maybe influence others etc… the flutter of a butterflys’ wings can change the world. I want to believe that !

[Natalie]

I really appreciate your reflections here, Maureen! I am a big ‘word person’ and appreciate your invitation to use more reciprocal language, as I’ve yet to find a word/term that feels more equitable in nearly 15 years of youth work! I agree that the voices of those directly impacted by service is lacking, if at all present, and often is framed by organizations as an added ‘task’ or ‘burden’ for which they cannot provide the resources – financial or otherwise – to support, which is shameful. If we want to envision something new, how can we do it without those we claim to be walking alongside? If we want to be responsive and affirming, how do we do it without speaking with those we purport to affirm? This is not to suggest that we can essentialize Black youth, as they are certainly not a monolith, but to not attempt to engage them in processes of program visioning, design and implementation is to miss a significant opportunity at doing this differently and more likely, an opportunity to do more of the same. Thanks again for helping me dig a big deeper on my own thoughts.

[Tristan]

The more knowledge I seek, the more it becomes apparent that the entire western world thrives as a result of anti-Blackness. It is not something that can be remedied without re-constructing society itself. Anti-Black racism will persist as long as we continue to frame our society as a social totem pole. Those at the top are in power positions and will continue to perpetuate our current norms in order to refrain from relinquishing that power.

[Katarina]

If you’re looking for resources on cannabis to share with young folks in your life, check out the redesigned What’s With Weed webpage! YouthREX collaborated with a variety of partners — including young people! — to redesign a youth-friendly one-stop-shop on everything they might ask about cannabis and cannabis use.

Take a look through the five most common questions young people have about cannabis, and learn about the legalization movement and how you can use cannabis more safely. These resources are also available in French!

[James]

The redesigned webpage looks amazing! Such a useful resource

[Natania]

To me, this is still a problem because of no action. For years now I feel as though we have been asking the same questions and discussing best practices for incorporating Anti-Black racism policies in Canada. When it comes to the real work and doing something to enforce these policies very few step up to the plate and take on that task.

At a macro level, nothing will happen if those in power don’t share the same ideology because what we may see is a brief period of change and then back to the regular discrimination and marginalization our people face.

Lastly, we are in 2022 and people still think of Canada as this inclusive country…despite what we know regarding Indigenous people and the history of slavery and other discrimination that has happened here in Canada people still want to brush it under the rug and speak about the country as if its the perfect place to be – the problem can’t be fixed if people don’t see a problem.

[Emily Anne]

I work more indirectly with Black youth, in that I create resources for the counsellors and staff on campus that work with Black youth. I think one simple thing we can do as an organization is to include as much research on Black Youth as possible within our resources, to make sure our stakeholders are as informed as they can be on the realities faced by Black youth, so that they can better support them.

[Shannon]

I really love the idea of dreaming you have expressed here, Tobin! I think society and mainstream media has situated Black youth within such a deficit-based, damaged-centred framework, to use Eve Tuck’s idea in Suspending Damage, that we often forget that it IS possible to think about things differently and in turn, do things differently.

The “good enough” that Black youth are often offered in terms of services is not, in fact good enough and it requires a radical shift in thinking, which as you mentioned, starts with dreaming up new possibilities. This, I believe, requires youth participation, community involvement and family inclusion. We can’t dream of supports without dreaming with those the programs are supposedly designed for. We also can’t dream in the same way we do for every other people group. The plight of Black folk in Canada is much different than other people groups, and thus programs dreamt of may look unorthodox and non-traditional and that is okay. Perhaps then they, the programs, might actually meet needs and not simply be a tick on a tokenistic checklist.

[Shannon]

Shalaine, this is such a simple but effective thing that anyone can do. I love it. I am also intrigued by the use of pseudonyms in research because of the power that giving and having a name holds. I will be careful to think about this in my future work.

[Kaamraan]

I love this idea! As someone with a name that is difficult to pronounce, I understand how pronouncing one’s name correctly can instil great amounts of confidence in them.

[Shannon]

I totally agree, Erika. Lumping all Black youth into one category is really irresponsible and misrepresentative. Disaggregating data would definitely help with this. As a researcher, I also think of the power that comes from having youth participate in the research not solely as objects of study, but as active proponents in the work.

[Natalie]

I agree that adopting a trauma-informed stance/approach is super important and I would add that (at least for myself) part of a trauma-informed approach is working to facilitate “braver” spaces where service users can give honest and frank feedback about how I “show up” and specifically, where/how I may have misstepped or caused harm, whether intentional/conscious or not. I think this kind of relational accountability and relationship repair is a deeply important, if not under-acknowledged, aspect of trauma-informed work.

[Natalie]

I agree and I think that social service/human-service agencies have an obligation to start (if they aren’t already) collecting race-based data and/or disaggregating their data to examine both the ethno-racial identities of service users and how service outcomes vary by ethno-racial identity. Without this information, it has been my experience that many agencies/organizations continue to operate under the guise of “polite racism” believing that the problem of anti-Black racism is “out there” versus within their own organization, its policies, program development and service delivery models.

[Shannon]

I definitely agree. I also think there must be a deliberate effort on the behalf of researchers to conduct research in decolonized ways that allow Black communities to access the research. I feel like often, research on racialized folk, though possibly well-intentioned, is often extractive. That is, it is done to get funding, finish a dissertation, etc., and the community itself rarely benefits longterm.

The Jane and Finch Community Research Partnership offers us one way to rethink what research could look like in such communities. I have found it a really helpful place to start rethinking my own scholarship.

[Maureen]

Resorative justice, healing circles, so well said and insightful!

[Shannon]

I feel you on this. It is always, “Canada isn’t like the States” or “We do things better here”. I think part of doing away with this “shock” you’ve described is quite literally allowing ourselves to become comfortable with the uncomfortable truth that Canada isn’t all we see in the media, or better off because we are simply not like the States. This “better than” rhetoric is not enough. It isn’t enough to be better than the States and for that degree of improvement to serve as a stand-in for justice. Good enough isn’t enough. Period. Lasting change never comes from simply wanting to do better than someone else. There must be an unrelenting honesty.

[Lidia]

Thanks for sharing @Kathe ! Also, make sure to check out our upcoming event on Twitter Space! We’ll be hosting a live conversation with Jordan Zaitzow, facilitator of Families in TRANSition at Central Toronto Youth Services.

We’ll be discussing how to better support families and caregivers of gender diverse youth, how gender affirming practices are critical to trans youth wellness, and what change we want to see in society.

Date: Wednesday, June 29, 2:00PM-3:00PM

Set a reminder NOW: https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1dRJZlQArdQKB