Member Lisa
MemberForum Replies Created
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I believe anti-black racism in still a problem in Ontario for many reasons. I think part of the problem is lack of responsibility, lack of self reflection as well as lack of understanding. I learned so much during these modules even though I came into this thinking I had a decent understanding of anti-black racisms.
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My goal is continue reviewing and evaluating my personal interactions with Black youth as well as my program. This includes barrier to entry, understanding of Black youth wellbeing and considering external factors for black youth (including community, previous interactions with pervious supports, etc.)
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I believe that my organization and more specifically the program I am in can do more outreach to Black youth and the community to ensure our program is being offered to them. I see our program as supporting youth with goals such as housing and employment and also to advocate for them. My goal is to participate and lead this outreach initiative to ensure every black knows about the opportunity to engage in this program,
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I didn’t understand the purpose or intention behind my organization collecting Race-based data when we started a few years back. Reflecting now on what I’ve learned I realize how important it is to collect with intention and view to action. I have some good questions to go back to leadership with, to see exactly how that data is being used and what interventions/consultations are in place.
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Be Kind To Your Mind: The Community Healing Project
Join Jane-Finch Community and Family Centre every Tuesday and Wednesday for a conversation on mental health and wellness led by their youth facilitators! Starting September 21, 2021, to December 8, 2021.
- Jane Sheppard/ Chalkfarm Workshop: Every Wednesday 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm.
- Rexdale Workshop: Every Tuesday 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm.
Additionally, community hours, support letters, gift cards, and other support and incentives are provided!
Please visit their website for more information and other events for youth!
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In addition to drawing on existing research findings that highlight the existence and impact of anti-black racism on youth and their families we need to continue to ask courageous questions. In order to really change the culture within our agencies and institutions we need to draw attention to policies, practices and examples that do not support black youth and families. It is not enough to state that an agency or institution is committed to change without some hard evidence showing the internal problems that exist and persist. Humility is a key ingredient.
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One simple thing that I kept hearing throughout the modules is to listen to black youth. To listen with the intent to understand. Listen with empathy while being self-aware enough to acknowledge your own biases and differing experiences/ perceptions.
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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 and not as a systemic problem, but research findings that highlight different outcomes from the same environments disprove this.
We all acknowledge that no race is superior to another, so if the research findings show different outcomes then people must acknowledge that there are some external factors manipulating the outcomes based on race.
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Anti-Black racism continues to be an ongoing issue in Ontario because those that have the power to make change for Black communities and combat issues that perpetuate oppression are frequently not members of the Black community themselves. An example of this can be seen with the history of the Ontario premiers. Ontario has had 26 premiers since 1867. 25 have been white men. 1 was a white woman.
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Including Black youth in their own service development will empower the youth accessing services and undoubtedly reach more Black youth in the process. It will also be an opportunity for those who have historically made decisions about the needs of Black youth (potentially as people who have never been a Black youth) to gain clear knowledge of what Black youth are actually looking for in accessing services and break down barriers they may not have been aware were there.
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One simple thing that I can do is look at youth as individuals. It is so easy to look at quantity over quality. One simple thing that my organization can do is to look at quality programs for Black youth and focus less on the number of attendees. Five youth who have a positive experience would be better than 30 attendees who forget the program once they leave. Being able to follow-up with attendees would be great too if possible!
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Wonderful playlist. I will share it with my kids!
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I have been reading through the highlights of so much of the research that has been done. One thing that stands out is that even though we have been trying to change outcomes, there is still so much work to be done! I have been using the research to help me track improvements and to see what has worked and what has not moved the needle in a significant way. I want to focus my efforts on making the most impact. The training, coupled with the research, is also helping me to ask informed equity questions in my line of work.
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The International Coalition for Children with Incarcerated Parents (INCCIP) is hosting a virtual conference and is inviting youth (13-25) to participate in their Youth Track. From conference organizers:
“Every two years INCCIP holds an international conference to discuss the issues faced by young people who have lived experience of parental incarceration, good practice in the field, current research, and ways to improve the lives of impacted children across the globe…
This year’s theme is Striving, Thriving and Making a Difference. As well as recognizing the challenges that young people face when a parent goes to prison, our Youth Track will provide an opportunity for young people to share their life successes in order to motivate and lift one another up, as well as make suggestions to researchers and practitioners about what can and should be done next! We also hope that we are able to create a global network of young people who understand, support, and celebrate one another.”
The conference is free and will take place on September 29th and 30th, and on October 1st. Please visit their website for more information.
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Agreed! The playlist was lovely, hearing Brown Skin Girl always puts me in a good mood and makes me feel so beautiful.
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The playlist was amazing. Thank you for this. It really made the modules that much more powerful.
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I think that we have to move beyond mandatory training and push for real change. This would mean providing pathways to better employment and Black workers getting jobs in a decision-making capacity. In education, while streaming was officially eliminated, remnants of that program are long lasting. There has to be more opportunity provided on higher levels and needs to be more than representation. Work, programs, employment practices have to be intentional. Until we move into that stage, change will continue to be very slow.
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I Agree and I think @Kamau was spot on about also striving for actionable change! after the training is done then what… what are we doing to apply the knowledge. it requires a full culture shift and fire to dismantle these systems of oppression.
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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.
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There is so much good info here. I strongly believe that organizations need to include local Black youth in planning and evaluating programs. Youth should be compensated for their time as well with volunteer hours or monetary compensation. If I am really dreaming about this, I envision that their participation should also lead to other opportunities for growth, e.g. part-time work, reference letters and mentorship. I would like to see different pathways created for youth through multiple programs.
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YES!
Pathways created by youth, for youth and that support youth!
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Sorry I’m meaning to reply to the original discussion question, not one person’s specific post (tech doesn’t always agree with me).
I think as youth workers, its important to acknowledge that our profession (i.e. social work) has often been used as a force to harm communities of colour, especially Black and Indigenous communities. Therefore, our education and understanding of how to help youth is often grounded in Eurocentrism and anti-Black principles. Part of un-learning this involves utilizing research that challenges our biases and focuses on the impacts of anti-Black racism on Black youth and communities. We can use this to better inform our practices with youth.
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Exactly! And asking ourselves some hard questions. For example, for the organization I work for, a big question I have is why Black and Indigenous youth are not accessing our services. Based on research, we know that this is in part due to lack of trust in social services. How do we challenge this as an organization, as individuals who work there?
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Honestly, there is so much history behind racism in Canada as a whole that I lacked awareness of. I am so grateful for this content.
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A big part of the way I will engage in critical self-reflection is to look at some of the data we have collected as an agency. As one of the speakers noted, it isn’t enough to just get the data, it is about what we do with the information. Some of the data may show a disproportionate number of Black and Indigenous people having their service with our agency end early due to not following program requirements. It is important for me to dig deeper in this way.
I also agree that listening to Black youth voices is important. I also believe that we should compensate Black persons as they support our understanding of their experiences. We may employ HR specialists and managers to support the employees of an agency and, in the same way, we should employ Black and Indigenous people to support our agencies.
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I agree with this response completely! I too would like to include continuous self reflexivity practices in my work while engaging with Black youth. This will ensure I am creating safe spaces for the youth to interact while also ensuring I am doing my due diligence in providing trauma free anti-oppressive social work. As for my organization, I would like to see a space at the table for Black youth to create their own programs and projects to address the needs of other youth in the community. There is substantial value in having those with lived experiences lead the way in creating community based programming.
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No unfortunately. I don’t think I saw them again as this was just before COVID had shut us down. As a part-time faculty we all started working remotely. I did have some discussions with a colleague who teaches Indigenous studies to get her perspective. I also did not hear of any complaints either formally through the evaluation, or in hearing second hand. I have changed my practice by incorporating some explicit modules in all courses I teach. Partly to give more specific emphasis to racism and the impacts and also to provide students with a sense of what to expect. If anything, after this experience I have more purposeful discussion in all of the classes I teach.
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Definitely agree with everyone’s points here. When reflecting on my education experience, it was not until post-secondary education where I was taught about social justice issues and the hidden truths of Canadian history. Back in high school, slavery did definitely seem like an issue only in America, as Canada’s history of slavery was never discussed. Social justice issues and the true history of Canada need to be acknowledged and discussed to help promote change in the system.
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Great points! Creating safe spaces, and actively listening to the experiences of black youth is vital. To add, in looking at the education system, finding ways to allow our black youth a chance to see themselves in the curriculum will help keep them engaged, and feel valued in their learning.
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I agree with the points you have provided. Creating a safe space that allows individuals to open up about their experiences allows you to better understand and support them in their learning. A big focus in my line of work is identity building, which is established through creating trusting relationships, safe spaces, and actively listening to an individual’s story.
