That is a great point! Too often programs and services are created for youth without their input or genuine consideration.

There is a TED Talk by Jakhini Bisselink that speaks to that:

There is also a Youth Engagement Strategy Report by the Family Navigation Project that looks at…

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Thank you for sharing! These lectures cover very sensitive topics, and may evoke strong feelings that we don’t often get afforded the opportunity to explore. We encourage everyone to utilize the workbook to help understand and navigate these feelings.

You can find the workbook at the beginning of module 1 under the Getting Started…

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Thank you for sharing!

There are many systemic and systematic barriers to the development of Black youth in Ontario. These barriers will not be solved overnight, but below is a link to the Doing Right Together for Black Youth Report, which summarizes the experiences and knowledge of over 1500 community members and guided the creation of…

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Thank you for saying this! This certificate tackles a lot of difficult topics that cause us to recall past memories, but hopefully in the process it will allow us all a better understanding of our environments and how to deal with them.

I definitely agree. Government officials and leaders often play a game of shock and awe when racism in Canada is exposed, and instead of acting surprised it is time to give tangible support to the discriminated communities.

This Doing Right Together for Black Youth report by YouthREX outlines the top 10 issues for Black youth and their families based on 1,500 community members:

https://youthrex.com/report/doing-right-together-for-black-youth-what-we-learned-from-the-community-engagement-sessions-for-the-ontario-black-youth-action-plan/

If anyone desires more research on these topics, Wisdom2Action produced a great youth-engaged report on addressing anti-black racism:

https://www.wisdom2action.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Anti-Black-Racism-Final.pdf

I believe to pro-actively create pathways to inclusion within the youth sector there must be a concerted effort to engage with a diversity of races, experiences, and perspectives, in the developmental process of programs. Designing pathways to inclusion requires inclusion in the program development process.

If anyone is looking for additional ideas on how to center Black youth wellbeing I recommend taking a look at the “The Potential for Youth Programs to Promote African American Youth’s Development of Ethnic and Racial Identity” research summary available on the YouthREX Knowledge Hub…

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I really love the point of young black people being the source of change if given the opportunity. Too often young black people’s experiences and thoughts are disregarded, and they are told what they need without any of their own input.

The need to involve community members stood out to me as well. Community members should always be considered due to their contributions and the subsequent impact the data can have on them.

This is a great idea! Connecting black students’ learning experiences to the true history of black people in Canada and their own lived experiences has been shown to be an impactful teaching practice when combatting anti-black racism.

This is a great idea! I have heard many black students express how much they feel like an afterthought, especially in schools where there is a small percentage of black students. Something like this would be great in areas in and outside of the GTA where the experiences of black students are often not considered.

I believe the point being made here is so important. Ontario’s diversity has too often been used as a barometer to signify the overcoming of racism when that isn’t the case. That along with the comparisons to the more anti-oppressive practices of the United States has been used to mislead people about anti-black racism in Canada.

Thank you for sharing this! This is a great way for people to connect.

Trauma-Informed Youth Work Workshop: https://learn.youthrex.com/courses/Workshop-trauma-informed-youth-work

I absolutely agree with this point. Analyzing anti-black racism on an individual level ignores its systemic presence and can prevent real change.

Hi Alexandra,

I would say it could be seen as a result of other areas of privilege, as long as it is still acknowledged that those said areas will have definite impact on one’s mental wellness.

Thank you for posing this question!

I believe mental wellness can be seen as a privilege for some because of some of the things you outlined. Mental wellness is something that needs to be actively worked on, and if someone isn’t able to work on it because of their life circumstances then the ability to work on one’s mental health can be seen as…

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Too often the health concerns black youth face are underestimated because of implicit bias that black people are innately able to withstand more. In addition, anti-black racism has been linked to higher levels of anxiety and anger, which inevitably leads to varying mental health consequences. The poor experiences many black youth face in…

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YouthREX’s Knowledge Hub page has a fact sheet that may be helpful. It gives advice on how to possibly broach the topic of the intersectional identities of black youth and their experiences.

https://youthrex.com/factsheet/ten-tips-for-putting-intersectionality-into-practice/

Research findings can be used to illustrate the challenges black youth and their families face due to anti-black racism, which helps in combatting the viewpoints that minimize the impact of anti-black racism. However, to pro-actively assist black youth in their growth and development the research must be used to understand what kind of…

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In a world where black youth aren’t experiencing anti-black racism it would be imperative that we understand anti-oppressive practices and create an environment where no youth feels inferior based on their race. I believe that would start with creating an equitable environment that allocates the necessary education and wellness resources for…

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I love this point, Sandy. Conversations about the impacts of racism are important, but can only really manifest into change when that knowledge is being connected to strategies that support black youth.

Thank you for saying this! Throughout the certificate the lectures will address a lot of realities that will illicit different emotions in all of us, and it is important for us to use that information how ever best fit in our own lives and thought processes.

The lectures can be a lot to handle, so everyone please feel free to go through…

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Great point!

I think that the media tends to look at racism as individual instances instead of a systemic problem, so that they can’t be held accountable.

I absolutely agree with this – Ontario has utilized revisionist history when discussing it’s role in slavery and systemic racism. If anti-black racism isn’t first acknowledged then it won’t be addressed or changed.

I agree with this point! Anti-black racism has been present in the Ontario systems for so long that it is hard for people to recognize the problems in the system because it has just become the norm.

I definitely agree with these points. I believe one of the most powerful ways to illustrate the reality of anti-black racism in a society is by highlighting research findings that exemplify the different treatment and outcomes of black youth in comparison to their counterparts. Many people tend to attach anti-black racism to fringe communities…

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I very much agree with this! Although representation and training hold a purpose, there is so much more work that needs to be done afterwards in order to initiate real change. When training is used as a substitute instead of being incorporated with program changes it merely gives the illusion of change without addressing the real problems.

I definitely agree with those points. Anti-black racism has relegated black people to the bottom of the global economic system, which was founded, and in many ways still thrives off of exploitation. I believe that in order to make any type of progress in combatting anti-black racism in Ontario, the Canadian and greater global economic system…

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