Member Natalie
MemberForum Replies Created
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YouthREX is excited and honoured to co-sponsor and be a part of the Ontario Native Education Counselling Association C3 (Clean, Confident, Cool): Empowering Indigenous Youth Conference!
This conference will educate and empower Indigenous youth about the effects of cannabis and vaping, and provide workshops on confidence building, mental health, team building, and developing coping mechanisms. 🌿🧠🤝💗
Look for YouthREX team members at the conference, being held in Sault Ste. Marie from November 18th to 20th, and check out our workshop (featuring Youth Outreach Workers from the region!) on supporting youth to make informed decisions about cannabis use — a skill useful for caregivers, youth workers, and peer advocates.
We’ll be highlighting our What’s with Weed resources and giving away some cool swag items, too! 😎
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Last Monday marked the fourth anniversary of cannabis legalization in Canada. The federal government has announced a legislative review of the Cannabis Act, to be led by an Expert Panel chaired by Morris Rosenberg. The review will “focus particularly on the health and cannabis consumption habits of young persons, the impact of cannabis on Indigenous persons and communities, and the impact of the cultivation of cannabis plants in a housing context.”
What do you think the challenges facing youth have been since the legalization of cannabis?
Learn more about the history of cannabis in Canada and the journey to legalization through our interactive timeline.
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On November 2, 2022, the Centre for Innovation in Campus Mental Health is hosting a virtual conference: Building New Worlds.
This conference is designed for stakeholders in post-secondary mental health across Ontario and Canada, and will feature best, promising, and emerging practices in the sector through an online platform, including keynote speakers, concurrent sessions, poster presentations, wellness activities, networking opportunities, and more.
Learn more on their website, and don’t miss Dr. Jennifer Mullan‘s opening keynote, A Call to Action: Politicizing Our Educational Practices With Healing Engagement (9:00AM to 10:00AM).
This presentation will seek to sew together the intersections of student life, Historical and Ancestral Trauma, structural oppression, mental health, and the importance of reigniting and re-educating “where are our students are” amidst a global pandemic and intense violence for People of the Global Majority. Dr. Mullan will invite participants IN, allowing space for reflection and humanization within all systems, especially the education system. The keynote will highlight the deep need for the collective acknowledgement to “heal, feel, and deal” with the grief, rage, and disconnect present in our current realities, and how that is impacted by our lineages, and personal/cultural trauma histories. Dr. Mullan will draw from the intersections of psychology/mental health & wellness, the political/social justice, and ancestral honouring.
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Don’t miss our upcoming two-part webinar series, Arts-Based Approaches to Advancing Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing. We’re partnering with Broadview Psychology to explore improving mental health literacy and delivering engaging and supportive arts-based programming to advance youth wellbeing.
Part 1 (on Monday, November 7th, from 1PM to 2:30PM ET) will look at four core facets of DBT-informed creative arts interventions, including:
- Metaphor use
- Mindfulness skills
- Distress tolerance techniques
- Dialectics in Action
Part 2 (on Tuesday, November 8th, from 1PM to 2:30PM ET) will provide an overview of evidence-informed practices to deliver arts-based youth programming to support mental health and wellbeing, and engage in a discussion with practitioners across a variety of disciplines and communities on how these practices can be applied in your work with youth.
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I also just started the lecture series. The first two modules have been eye opening and emotion provoking. I have also been reflecting on past experiences with clients in the agencies I have been employed. I am disheartened by the statistics that have been presented thus far. They are a strong reminder that there is more work to be done, and the importance of being aware of our own implicit biases. I look forward to the remaining modules and the learning that will take place.
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I’ve just begun the lecture series, and I find myself replaying a lot of my experiences in personal support work in group homes play back in my head. Ignorant management staff, who at best are woefully ignorant in regards to the origin of certain slurs and derogatory terms, and at worst are downright combative about change and accountability. The amount of patience and effort it took to stand up to these problems at the time, and looking back, I know nothing has changed in that particular setting. Im trying to move forward and not feel complicit and instead focus on the change I can help feed in my current position. But it is difficult.
Here’s to a fuller toolbox by the end of the lecture modules.
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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.
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Curious about how you can improve your evaluation processes? Interested in identifying what kinds of data can tell the story of your program’s impact and legacy?
YouthREX & ArtReach are excited to co-present Evaluation 101, an online workshop for Toronto youth aged 13-29, on Wednesday, November 2nd, from 6:00PM to 8:00PM.
This interactive workshop will provide an overview of conducting program evaluation in the youth-serving sector. It will also explore creative strategies and tools for collecting data and sharing it with others, moving evaluation beyond reporting requirements to truly strengthen programming.
Click here to learn more and register!
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We wanted to share details about an upcoming online event — Innovations in Harm Reduction for Youth Cannabis Use — being hosted by Daniel Bear (Humber College), Rebecca Haines-Saah (University of Calgary), and Emily Jenkins (University of British Columbia).
This event will take place on Monday, October 17th from 9AM to 11AM PST (12PM to 2PM EST), showcasing Canadian cannabis research and education projects designed for and with youth, and creating space for discussing new developments in harm reduction, youth-led approaches, and how to be inclusive of the diverse needs of youth who use cannabis. The event will bring together youth experts, advocates, community organizations, and researchers across the country, featuring a panel discussion and a Q&A session with a Youth Expert panel. Come and hear about what’s new and next in youth cannabis use harm reduction!
For more information, contact: Ana.Figueras@ucalgary.ca
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We’re very excited to announce our next online Youth Work Teach-In — Beyond Invisible: Exploring Pedagogy, Perspectives & Practices for Black Youth Mental Health.
In collaboration with Donna Richards and the York Research Chair in Youth and Contexts of Inequity, YouthREX is excited to co-host this free event for the Ontario youth sector on Thursday, October 6th, from 9:30AM to 1PM ET.
The Teach-In will include a keynote presentation, engaging workshops, and conversations that explore how race shapes the mental health experiences of Black youth, and the importance of an anti-Black racism framework in transforming oppressive practices and policies.
Our opening keynote speaker, Mercy Shibemba, is an award-winning youth activist from the UK who uses her story of growing up with HIV to educate, challenge stigma, and inspire!
There will also be a spoken word performance by The Poet MJ.
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Check out the recording of the opening keynote by Mercy Shibemba and the closing workshop led by our YouthREX colleagues!
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We’re so excited to share that registration opened today for our next online Youth Work Teach-In — Beyond Invisible: Exploring Pedagogy, Perspectives & Practices for Black Youth Mental Health.
In collaboration with Donna Richards and the York Research Chair in Youth and Contexts of Inequity, YouthREX is excited to co-host this free event for the Ontario youth sector on Thursday, October 6th, from 9:30AM to 1PM ET.
The Teach-In will include a keynote presentation, engaging workshops, and conversations that explore how race shapes the mental health experiences of Black youth, and the importance of an anti-Black racism framework in transforming oppressive practices and policies.
Our opening keynote speaker, Mercy Shibemba, is an award-winning youth activist from the UK who uses her story of growing up with HIV to educate, challenge stigma, and inspire!
There will also be a spoken word performance by The Poet MJ.
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Did you know that YouthREX offers *two* FREE online certificates that can build your cannabis literacy? 💻📚
Cannabis and Youth: A Certificate for Youth Workers is self-guided with open enrollment, which means that you can register and begin learning any time! This certificate provides evidence-based information on the health, social, and legal risks associated with cannabis use, and connects you with resources that you can apply directly to your practice.
We also partnered with Cannabis & Psychosis to develop Cannabis and Mental Health, a comprehensive suite of online resources exploring a range of issues surrounding the mental health impacts of cannabis. This 90-minute course was created by youth, for youth, and includes a Mentor Guide for youth workers, program leaders, educators, mentors, parents, and youth allies! 🤝
Start learning today! You will also find diverse resource collections developed for youth workers and young people on our Knowledge Hub. 🤓
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In May, @KhadijahKanji and I co-hosted a workshop for Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario’s Gathering Divergence Multi-Arts Festival & Conference. This session unpacked Asking About Gender: A Toolkit for Youth Workers and created space to explore strategies for inclusion and innovation for youth arts programs.
We had a great conversation with Daniel Carter from Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Justine Abigail Yu from Living Hyphen, and Qwyn Charter MacLachlan from Community Music Schools of Toronto (expanding from Regent Park School of Music), and the workshop recording is now available for you to watch on our Knowledge Hub! 💻🏳️🌈🤝
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Watch two of our most recent webinars to expand how you approach engaging with youth and advancing wellbeing. 🤝💻
ICYMI, we co-presented an engaging, youth-led conversation on advancing the possibilities of youth-led organizing this summer with Leading in Colour, exploring why and how young people get involved in organizing, the issues driving their current activism, the benefits for youth, limitations and possibilities, and how adults can become allies. Watch the recording on our Knowledge Hub.
You can also revisit our webinar from April, presented with LGBT YouthLine, on how to ask youth about their gender identities to confront assumptions and challenge transphobia. This conversation, which you can also watch on our Knowledge Hub, unpacked Asking About Gender: A Toolkit for Youth Workers. The following month, @KhadijahKanji and I co-hosted a workshop on similar themes for the Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario‘s annual gathering, looking at strategies for inclusion and innovation for youth arts programs. Check it out!
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Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI) is offering a NEW online, self-directed professional development training program for Settlement Service Providers: Serving Youth in Newcomer Communities. 💻📚
This newly developed course will be launched for the first time this year, from October 1st to November 10th, 2022. The registration deadline is September 25th, 2022.
Upon completion of the training, learners will be able to:
- Learn to unpack their biases and engage in self-reflective practice.
- Develop interpersonal and professional skills and knowledge to support diverse communities of newcomer youth.
- Critically analyze the various systems that newcomer youth come into contact with, that may cause or perpetuate barriers and/or trauma.
- Strategize interventions that respond to barriers and empower youth.
- Develop programming that centres youth and responds directly to community-identified needs.
This course is open to settlement workers and service providers who are working in or with the immigrant and refugee-serving sector across the province who are willing to:
- Commit to approximately 2-4 hours of learning per week.
- Engage in Serving Youth in Newcomer Communities 101 Group at http://www.SettleNet.org, a new national online Community of Practice for the Settlement Sector.
- Complete assignments within the given timeframe.
Please note this is a 5 Module online training program. At the successful completion of the entire e-course, you will receive a certification of completion from OCASI.
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Don’t miss our next webinar, Advancing the Possibilities of Youth-Led Organizing, on Wednesday, August 17th, from 4:30PM to 6:30PM ET. 🤝
Join YouthREX and Leading in Colour for this engaging conversation and hear from young leaders across Ontario. Our confirmed guests include Sarah Jama, Co-Founder of Disability Justice Network of Ontario, Peter Cohen, Organizer, Climate Justice Durham, Habon Ali, Leader & Advocate, Serisha Iyar, Founder & Executive Director, Leading in Colour, Fae Johnstone, Executive Director, Wisdom2Action, and more!
Together, we will explore:
- Why and how young people get involved in organizing;
- What issues are driving their current activism;
- The benefits of organizing for youth;
- The limitations and possibilities of youth engagement; and
- How adults can become allies in support of youth leadership.
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You may be interested in our upcoming webinar on advancing the possibilities of youth-led organizing! Dr. Ginwright has written about the ways that youth organizing “embraces both individual development and social change,” but how can we become adult allies and meaningfully support youth-led movements?
Join YouthREX and Leading in Colour for an engaging, youth-led conversation on Wednesday, August 17th, from 4:30PM to 6:30PM.
Our confirmed guests to date include:
- Habon Ali, Leader & Advocate
- Peter Cohen, Organizer, Climate Justice Durham
- Serisha Iyar, Founder & Executive Director, Leading in Colour
- Sarah Jama, Co-Founder, Disability Justice Network of Ontario
- Fae Johnstone, Executive Director, Wisdom2Action
- Caleb Yohannes, Founder & Director, 1919 Magazine
You can learn more about all of our guests on our website.
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On July 21 and 22, YouthREX hosted a two-part workshop, Anti-Oppressive Practice in Youth Work. We had an engaging and impactful conversation about how we can work (together) against intersecting systems of oppression in our work with youth. As part of this conversation, attendees generously shared the following resources in the chat:
- CAMH Community Resource Sheets
- 11 Principles of Youth Engagement [Video]
- For the Wild: Dr. Larry Ward on Healing the Colonial Mind [Podcast]
- The Moccasin Identifier Project
- Trudeau Apologizes for Racism Faced by All-Black Canadian Unit in First World War
You can find additional resources in this curated collection on our website.
If you have any other resources to share, please add them below!
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When I dream of programs for Black youth, I dream of hope and resistance. I dream of educating Black students on their right to freedom. I dream of creating art, music, and poetry that exudes Black joy and resistance. I dream of my queer Black students finding themselves and living in their truth. I dream of a programming that is accepting of and takes into consideration ALL Black lives.
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Anti-Black racism is still a problem in Ontario because a lot of white folks and/or administration in schools for example, believe that acts of racism are “isolated incidents”. Black folks know, however, that anti-Black racism is embedded in the fabric of Canadian society, and anti-Black racism in schools is not “isolated incidents” but rather the consequence of the normalization of anti-black racism in schools. If we (educators) looked at anti-Black racism like how we look at bullying, we would mobilize and find the roots of the issues with hate crimes at schools, or outdated / inaccurate curriculum that is racist and change that. But folks just do not see anti-Black racism as something that impacts entire systems such as education.
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One simple thing I can do to center Black youth and wellbeing is to have a meaningful conversation with each one of my Black youth, asking them how they are doing and what is going on in their lives. Often, Black youth are silenced or looked over, so I want to be there and show them that I care about what goes on in their lives, and hopefully this can give them reassurance that they are seen by someone, and that their voice can be heard.
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I had the pleasure to help in a research study on anti-black racism in TDSB schools, learning how to create programming that is intersectional and addresses oppressive systems. We gathered data from the students and teachers involved, and such data will be used to help determine how teachers should be teaching anti-oppressive topics to diverse students. This study showed me the importance of using research to help highlight the impact of anti-black racism on youth and their communities.
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At my workplace we’ve loosely collected data and yet we haven’t used it effectively nor monitored it and checked it again the goals we’ve set. The goals we’ve set need to be more measureable and connect to the data we collect otherwise it’s not just useless it’s criminal. This I learned in module 4 and I appreciate it! Here’s to collecting data and making it meaningful by checking in with it and our goals on a bi-montly basis and thoroughly twice yearly.
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When I dream/envision this it’s important that the administration I work with support by creating spaces of diversity AND inclusion. So far, this past year, there were improvements regarding hiring so we have better representation but sadly these individuals were not invited to many of the decision making tables. In order to have voices be heard they need to be included in the discussions and it’s pretty much necessary that final decisions don’t get to move along unless approved by someone who’s had this training!
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One simple thing would be to determine at least 1 staff member per youth/student who represents a safe, caring, guiding adult. The expectation should be that this adult maintains the connection by checking in with the youth daily or weekly as needed.
A bigger yet important and doable step would be that each staff in our school board take this course!
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I have read all the responses and they are phenomenal!!!!
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I also agree that there needs to be a more inclusive hiring process and the importance of students seeing themselves in their educators. I don’t think that hiring more black educators will solve the issue of anti-black racism within the education system. I think it’s a bigger problem that needs to be addressed by revisiting the structure on which our education system was built. I think it would be a benefit for everyone in the education system to be held accountable in terms of educating themselves with the history of Canada and how complex and ingrained anti-black racism is. It’s not enough for school boards to say that they have hired more black educators. The presence of more black educators is important but it doesn’t make the issues of anti-black racism now become” isolated incidents”.
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I agree with you, Unsoo. I believe that black representation in the education system must be considered to increase the number of teachers in schools.
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First of all, thank you all at YouthREXABRCertificate program for having all of this. Secondly, thank you all for having this forum and specifically this thread. There have been waves of guilt and shame in going through the modules as I come to terms with how much Anti-Black Racism I have internalized as a Black Woman. I truly hope to implement what has been shared in future work with children&youth, but the guilt and shame is still there….I should have known better, as opposed to being frustrated at kids who were “not trying hard enough” to “fit into the system”…..
While I could brush it off as thinking they are just kids, I do wonder what they think of me as far as trying to do/be better and different now…..
Again thank you all for providing so much food for though; and this opportunity to reflect on our work, interactions, and ongoing engagement with community.
