Member Natalie
MemberForum Replies Created
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It would be so wonderful if the voices of today’s youth were utilized to help us formulate policies and develop a better framework that supports all of the varying needs of today. I think that the privilege of working with children or young adults also gives us the opportunity to better advocate for those voices. It is so important to make connections with families and communities to better support today’s youth, but I also consider that when it comes to intersectionality the needs become more complex, the risks for that individual are higher, and it does not necessarily mean that any community in particular has all of the necessary resources to best support the person in need. It is because of this that we must listen to the voices of today’s youth to better understand how we can support them, and give them a platform to be heard. There is a lot of risk for marginalized individuals when they speak out against oppression. As a teacher or youth worker the best way for children to feel safe in this ever-changing world is to advocate for those voices so they don’t have to put themselves at risk.
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Moving beyond does take participation, this participation on a active voice should be in the creation process of public policies, servicies, action plans and frameworks. Youth should be taken on this process not only as receivers but as creators. Also including the intersectionality as we create new pathways on this important matter.
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Research is one of the most powerful ways to prove that anti black racism is a true contemporary era problem, that not only affects youth on the social matters but on the mental health matter. Also, trough research is one of the most faithful way to evaluate the extent, the application and the realistic look of Anti Black Racism prevention programs and policies.
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Not only in Ontario it is a problem. Anti Black racism still is a problem in all the colonized territories of the Americas, and its because the identity of our societies is build by the aspiration of whiteness, also is build by a lack of empathy and social justice, and a false idea that racism is something of many many years behind us, something old and that it disappeared when slavery was abolished, when in reality there is contemporary and new anti black racism in our environments.
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I am so happy to enter this space, I truly believe that centering Black youth wellbeing and overall youth wellbeing in our frame works is crucial because youth is that seed that will work and receive the society we built today. Also empowering black youth through the wellbeing framework will support vulnerable groups such as lgbtq+, migrants, others. One simple thing that my organization could do is to give to our youth clients the resources for them to study, analyze and elaborate their own actions plans.
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This is a great question and I’m sure it’s been answered in a variety of ways but I think including the voices of Black youth (co-creating / designing these pathways with them), operating from an asset based approach, utilizing research can help us design better pathways for black you. Further not to say, Black Excellence is what every Black person should aspire to but for those Black people that have achieved excellence it would be worth knowing (1) more about the environment/conditions to support their success, and (2) the skillset and competencies they leaned on the most.
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I was surprised to learn in the lectures that there is already a lot of data and recommendations about Black youth but no real willpower to implement it or to do systemic changes. It is a good example of the deep roots of anti-Black racism. This realization encourage me to make sure that I share these research and this data around me, with colleagues. It must be a collective effort to find ways not only to acknowledge this research, but also to put it into action.
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Need to build and invest in people. Skills and resources allocation for the Black youth that empowers them to lead a life they where options and opportunities for them to choose and not feel like they have limited options.
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Something that comes to mind for me is our collective need to collect, critically analyze, and disseminate race-based data across Canada as part of a comprehensive anti-black racism (ABR) strategy. For years, and particularly during the recent pandemic, Canada has been criticized for “colour blind” data collection policies (Institute for Canadian Citizenship (inclusion.ca)). I think of the phrase “we can’t address what we can’t measure” any time I hear someone say that racism is not an issue in Canada today. The small amount of fragmented race-based data that we do have access to shows us that systemic racism is a very real issue across Canada and that it leads to unequal health outcomes for BIPOC families. I was glad to see that the need for better race-based data collection policies was addressed in this course. In addition, I appreciate that presenter Chantal Phillips reinforces the idea that race-based data collection alone is not enough to address ABR. I have been watching the race-based data collection work that is being done in Ontario since 2020 and hope that the lessons learned from this work are scaled and spread across the country.
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From my personal experience, the historical denial and systemic racism exhibited by Canadians is evident. From my lens, the apparent commitment to maintain the status quo is beneficial to the people who benefit from their privilege. From their perspective, it is not worthwhile to change the current system because Canada is a wonderful, diverse, and open society. The current treatment of the indigenous and blacks are a clear indication that the institutions will remain in administering the systemic racism and classism.
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Love this idea of meeting audiences where they tend to “be” online.
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Visualizing data can be an engaging way to present findings. Infographics and interactive virtual visuals can be effective in sharing measured/collected evidence of impact. Particularly when the data/feedback is qualitative, adding photos, videos and personal connections to participants humanizes the evaluation process.
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Research is extremely effective in bringing awareness to the many contributing obstacles presented to black youth in Canadian and Ontarian society. In order to better understand each individual child, it is necessary to be aware of what obstacles they may encounter on a daily basis. Being a white priviledged person myself, I am blind to most of these obstacles and forms of oppression. It takes continuous study, engagement in conversation, understanding of myself and a push to do hard work in order to better serve my students. Especially students of colour. It can be very disheartening to learn that an alarming amount of people of colour experience racialized trauma in this “multi-cultural” society. As knowing more can be hard, I can only imagine how it must feel to live this truth everyday. Of course I am trying to incorporate more representation of people of colour into my lesssons. I make sure to be aware of the needs of students of colour in a more heightened nature as I want to make sure all of my students feel safe and cared for. Naturally with more learning, I can see my behaviour changing to better accomodate black children and their family members in a society that is still very far behind. As we continue on this journey together I am hopeful that our country is moving in the right direction. The change is slow, but I do see more and more people committing to the work. I am also hopeful that by us doing this work now, by academics sharing their research and findings, today’s youth will not only thrive as they grow-up, but will find themselves living in a kinder gentler society. I am also hopeful that more people of colour are gaining leadership positions in our country and province, helping to shape the framework of tomorrow. The best thing about the research conducted, is that it exposes the truth as to how white supremacy has shaped Canada, and still controls every aspect of our everyday life. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. There may be some that prefer to keep their heads in the sand, but there are enough of us to ensure that white supremacy and our racist society can no longer be hidden away.
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Utilizing research is crucial to bringing about change in the personal and social barriers that Black adolescents, their families, and their community encounter. The results of the research could be used to develop an action plan for problems affecting Black children and youth. Additionally, it is crucial to pay attention to Black youth since their experiences with discrimination and the challenges they have in getting access to healthcare services to provide information on the presence of anti-Black racism.
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I think there is a lot of work to do but I think finding solutions and supporting movements that directly challenge white supremacy at a systemic level is the place to begin. Black Lives Matter Canada is an example of a great movement that has done this in many ways. I think also acting within your own sphere of influence to change policies at work or in organizations you are connected to is another way to challenge white supremacy systemically. Acting in solidarity with Black people and with their concerns is a continual practice to challenge white supremacy as well.
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That’s a great idea! Thank you for sharing 😊
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Such a great idea! Any opportunity to gather and share in person builds community connections.
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I love this idea of a “wrap-party”. Thanks for sharing this, Jayal. Do you have any tips for others interested in using a similar approach?
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What an amazing illustration, you are very talented. I agree, as growing up in the educational catholic school system, this was not something talked about at all. When it came to visual arts, we still did not have crayons that represented all of us students, therefore showing that from a young age it was difficult was everyone to feel embraced and loved as representation for all cultures and races was non existent.
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I love how you represented evaluation as an experience in this metaphor. Awesome, Jayal!
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Absolutely, Satabdi! And similar to board games, we’re given some instructions at the beginning on how to start, but we don’t know where we will end up!
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This is such a nice interpretation, Ivy. Thanks for sharing!
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Love this! And if I might add, sometimes there are some tears involved 😉 JK!
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And as we see with evaluation, some of the best learning comes from those unexpected instances!
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Not far-fetched at all, Jeannie 😀 I love how this metaphor provides a more broad conceptualization of the evaluation process and highlights the importance of effective communication within it.
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Definitely agree with you here, Alexandra! Evaluation can be an extremely powerful tool for unlocking important information.
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Love the concept of an “adventurous” roadmap! 🙂
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Absolutely, Daniel. Your target audience is key! I’m still trying to learn the ins and outs of TikTok since it certainly is the popular platform for youth 🙂
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That’s great, Marco! Sounds like your organization is already collecting a lot of valuable data. I like how you mentioned registration/attendance records- this is a source of data that a lot of organizations collect that they forget can be used for evaluation purposes!
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Thanks for sharing, Jayal. Almost everything you shared can be categorized as a lack of capacity for evaluation, which is one of the biggest barriers that a lot of organizations experience. Whether it’s time, human resources, money or knowledge, there are many aspects that go into successful evaluation design, planning, and implementation!
