Member Shannon
MemberForum Replies Created
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Community-based research is so important! We need to challenge what white supremacy tells us is “valid” (i.e. what is produced by academics, colonial institutions and non-profits, and what is written down). The knowledge, experience, and leadership that comes from communities directly impacted by the research needs to be centered not only in the topics but in the creation and implementation of the research project itself.
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I think evaluation is like a board game because the community consists of rewards and deterrences that guide youth through the game of life. Although we cannot simply prevent all of the bad outcomes from happening, we (stakeholders) can provide more positive outcomes such as a lucky card that will help them (youth) throughout the game (life) 🎲
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I agree with what Tracy-Ann said earlier. In my field of practice, the service provider is generally positioned as the ‘expert’. Part of decolonizing our work might involve stepping out of this mindset and repositioning ourselves as supports. It is crucial to listen to and centre the voices of Black youth and families, to seek to understand them, and to serve as resources that they can access to meet their own goals. Recognizing the impacts of ABR on wellbeing, workers can also seek to understand how the intersectionalities of youth and families are received by and embedded within their social contexts, and develop a collaborative understanding of how related experiences might pertain to their goals and their access to services.
Some of the recommendations indicated by research can be approached, in part, through clinical skills and frameworks. For example, a strengths-based approach can provide services in a non-stigmatizing way, and it can support both workers and Black youth/families to recognize and celebrate strengths. Client-centred care – for example, supporting youth/families to identify their own goals – can mitigate power imbalances and centre the voices of youth and families within service provision. Where workers lack cultural competence, a practice of cultural humility can help them to better understand the experiences of youth and families and to create more culturally appropriate spaces. A practice of reflexivity can also help workers to critically examine the beliefs and assumptions, including those behind their professional frameworks and methods, and help them to provide services that are more tailored to the needs of youth/families.
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As someone who is always listening to music, evaluation to me is kinda like a song? A lot of different instruments and vocals (i.e., all the different components like youth, stakeholder feedback) coming together to form one song (i.e., one evaluation). Separately, they don’t really sound like much, but together, they tell a story in a very beautiful way!
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We should use the research findings to do more than support youth and their families. While I think that it is important, it seems that the real issue is stems from society. These findings should be shared with all communities so that they can begin to understand the plights and internal struggles that happen within the Black community. Microaggressions happen everyday to BIPOC people after years of discussing its impact. Share the research findings as much and as often as possible until the message is clear to all.
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I believe Anti-Black Racism is not being addressed collaboratively by all stakeholders in the educational system. Teachers need to develop more competency in addressing Anti-Black Racism and use not some but all the resources that they can to enhance their practice and help to dismantle this issue.
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The first thing I could think of with the Black youth that I do work with is providing them with additional supports. I am finding that the other clients I work with are so well connected with family and other agencies. My plan is to connect the Black youth with supportive activities and communities in the area to ensure that they are receiving every opportunity available to them. Often times, opportunities go unused because they were not shown to be available, or they were not thought of. As a case manager, my ultimate goal is to ensure that my clients are taking advantage of every opportunity available.
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First off, we need better ways to collect data, create questions that are not coded and come from a trauma-informed lens when collecting data. It’s important to identify the demographic the information is coming from and what institutionalized effects are in play in the way the data is collected, how questioned are asked, what non-verbal cues are present and what language is used.
We can use good, decolonized research to remove any Canadian superiority over the US re: slavery and educate all youth on the real historical impact that the Black community has on Canada. We may share the positive statistics and research that exist and show how they have been hidden by “the people who wrote the history books”.
More opportunities need to become available for Black woman to occupy C-level positions, and make it a norm. Provide opportunities for women so young girls can have positive role models. We need to identify the overrepresentation of Black youth in CAS and juvenile detention centres and challenge that reality.
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We can reimagine or work with young people and their communities from a trauma informed approach that focuses on individual arm and injury to a healing centered practice that Fosters possibility and advances holistic and Collective well-being by promoting services and being inclusive. Services need to be centered to the need of the community and its members the need of the members being the driving force to care. Additionally, services need to be promoted Within communities as too often Youth and their families are not aware of available resources. Finally, once administering care it is imperative that the intersectionality of the individual being cared for be the driving force to the services provided.
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Anti-black racism is very prominent in Ontario as the invisibility of white supremacy and anti-black racism is powerful and difficult to dismantle. The learning journey is necessary to find ways to change society as we know it. Being able to identify your own biases and racist habits is extremely important and difficult in a society that encourages “keeping the peace” or keeping the status quo.
Powerful institutions, even on a local level are difficult to change. The over-policing of people of colour is awful, violent and unjust. Due to the “brotherhood” of police officers bad behaviours are protected and encouraged. To not comply brings on ostricization and mistreatment amongst colleagues. Therefore the individuals climbing the ladder to obtain positions of power are more times than not doing this for their own self interests. Institutions become saturated with people of this behaviour creating a continuous cycle of nepatism and a culture of favours. In this case, you will see, individuals aligning themselves with anti-racist learning experiences and messaging, to help them in their career.
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Racial microaggressions, in my opinion, are one way that racism and prejudice are committed. Microaggressions are everyday insults, humiliations, and humiliating messages sent by white people toward Black, Indigenous, or coloured individuals. The latter may be uninformed or oblivious to the damaging consequences of these verbal assaults. Saying things such as, “You’re pretty for someone who is dark skin” or “You don’t act like a normal Black person” illustrates how others perceive coloured people. Racial microaggressions can make people feel depressed and isolated from society
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It is relatively easy to learn the theory, much harder to put it into practice due to several factors, many of which revolve around a certain level of unwillingness to act. That being said, perhaps instead of insisting over and over again that part of the problem is a lack of action, we should begin having concrete steps for how action will take place including timelines. By breaking big changes into incremental, smaller changes; organizations may be less resistant to implementing ABR policies/actions.
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well, we could start by ensuring that youth workers are adequately trained on anti-Black racism and its implications for the services they deliver. This training should not be a one-time experience but an ongoing process of deepening understanding and practice of anti-racist approaches to youth work. In addition, youth organizations should provide meaningful pathways for Black youth to become involved in the design, implementation and evaluation of their services.
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I think it is clear that the myth of Canada being a welcoming and open society and the erasure of Black people from our history play an important role in the denying of systemic racism. People who are benefiting from White Supremacy can claim to be committed in diversity, equity and inclusion practices, but it’s often a way to erase anti-Blackness and racism, and make them feel better about themselves.
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Evaluation is like an onion because there are many layers to it, and more layers than you anticipate there will be!
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I just finished watching the first module lectures, a lot of that information I was only taught once I got to university. Imagine having to wait, in my case until you are 25, to know the depth of black history in Canada. Some families might have had the privilege of knowing long before I did, and I truly love that for them. I know that I will do my part to teach my children, and their children about as much of our history that I know. It can be hard working on loving every fibre of your identity but still having questions while still asking yourself about the journey your ancestors went through. I often find myself researching this journey wishing I had known when I was younger. Wondering if it would have made e more confident in identity growing up in predominantly White spaces to know all that we as Black people have gone through. I think it is very important, especially for the youth, to know their history and be continually reminded that they are their ancestors wildest dreams.
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All of the responses thus far are extremely useful!
I think that these good practices begin much before even meeting with youth participants involved in an evaluation. Good practices are something that must be considered, valued and intentional from even the planning of the evaluations (considering things like what is the significance of this information and findings? Who may be affected through these findings? Are community voices heard and included throughout the process?).
In saying this, when the evaluation process moves forward consent and communication, as many also mentioned, are CRITICAL parts. As evaluators we should be committed to communicating and checking in with participants throughout the processes of evaluation, answering any questions, and providing support if necessary.
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Explore ways to better collect and analyze data that highlights intersectionality of Black youth/families as well as incorporate different methodologies for collecting/analyzing data with greater openness to data that is not quantitative in nature.
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Anti-Black racism in Ontario is the direct product of anti-Black policies, attitudes, and beliefs that were present at the onset of colonial settlement, and which have contributed to the development of its institutions – from the education system, to the medical system, to the legal system, workforces, and so on. ABR has been perpetuated, in part, through the erasure of Black folks in Canadian history, the stereotypes and power dynamics conveyed through media, and exceptionalist attitudes (for example, how we tend to view ourselves as ‘better’ than Americans), and ABR denial. White supremacy is reinforced when White folks act on, ignore, or fail to acknowledge and confront their biases, or when they project their fears (internal or external) onto Black folks. The operation of White supremacy through non-White bodies – for example, in how some folks align themselves with Whiteness for social and economic gain or survival, or when anti-Blackness is internalized – has further supported ABR.
Rigorous and honest action is needed to undermine ABR at a systemic level. I believe that a significant barrier to this is a lack of general education about the construction of race, racism, and ultimately, White supremacy. “White supremacy”, for Canadians, can drum up images of specific, nameable, assumed-as-foreign actors, rather than a system of power dynamics that drives racial disparities. This is both an example of Canadian exceptionalism and an incomplete understanding of White supremacy. <font face=”inherit”>White folks, when confronted with evidence of racism, can experience discomfort on multiple levels, including challenges to this exceptionalism and the cognitive dissonance associated with democratic racism. To shift some of these ideas into a more psychological understanding: while white supremacy teaches us schemes of racial purity and division, it is also generally understood that racism = bad. The shame of seeing oneself as “bad” can trigger cognitive barriers to a deeper exploration of Ontario’s racial hierarchy, and ultimately, to what actions might meaningfully challenge it. Further to that, this</font><font face=”inherit”> exploration requires the recognition of ABR as both a systemic issue – that is, an issue that is beyond the individual – and as something that operates through biases, schemes, and relational power dynamics – that is, in ways for which we are personally responsible. These hurdles to the recognition of both individual and systemic factors contribute to ABR / ABR denial. </font>
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I believe that anti-black racism is still a serious problem in Ontario for a number of reasons that are all underpinned by the fact that the people who hold power are not willing to make real and impactful changes. Our systems are still based in whiteness and problematic perspectives that harm BIPOC individuals. Politicians, large organizations, school systems, corporations, etc. are not willing to do what would need to be done, including altering hiring practices, prioritizing ABR training, questioning their policies and practices, rebuilding from an ARAO perspective, etc. This is because the status quo benefits them and it would take money, time and difficult conversations to make these changes. I expect it is also due to the fact that many people are not willing to face anti-black racism personally or on a larger scale and understand how pervasive it is in our systems, our people and our organizations.
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Moving beyond identifying the service needs and gaps Black youth face to proactively designing pathways to inclusion in the youth sector needs a holistic approach. Additionally, social professionals need to be inclusive by collaborating the knowledge, ideas, requests, etc, of Black youths into services provided. This is essential for providing services to Black youths, because Black youths are experts of their own experiences.
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I feel as if in certain contexts, the data is there, it is a question of maximising its value in the analysis stage or of better designing the survey. Schools in Ontario are mandated to collect yearly data on school climate, from students, staff and parents. Various demographic questions provide information regarding ethnicity, orientation, gender, etc. The survey includes questions regarding safety at school, bullying, disciplinary practices, perception of equity. Yet, we do not receive any statistics that present the school climate responses in the context of the demographic data. I would like to know how particular group of students, including Black students, feel about these issues so our team can work more intentionnaly and precisely to make things better. As well, the response rate for staff and parents is very low. This limits our ability to draw valid conclusions given potential response biases. We obviously have to do better work as an organisation to make the survey more accessible and to motivate all stakeholders to share their feedback. This data has huge potential to help school boards and individual schools react, design and plan from an anti-racist perspective.
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I believe this work must start as early as possible and working intentionally from a strength-based perspective. Black children must have their feelings, thoughts and opinions validated by the all their caring adults, including teachers, childcare workers, coaches, club leaders and family members. We must help the child figure out how they are most confortable expressing themselves, be it through spoken language, writing, visual art, movement, etc. and help the child discover how empowering this communication can be. We thereby help to create self-confident and effective communicators. If we combine this with the development of leadership qualities through mentorship and training opportunities, once these kids reach adolescence, they are well-equiped to participate actively in the planning and design of supports and services that truly meet their needs. They will be empowered to participate in discussions with peers, educators, health-care providers and community leaders.
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As a school principal, I work closely with many families to support their kids. Dr. Carol Wade’s presentation in Module 3 resonated with me, especially when she discussed the importance of moving away from a eurocentric definition of family, to make room for a more fluid, “village” definition of family. Identifying and working with the caring adults in the extended “family” network may sometimes be a much more effective means of supporting certain kids. This must be done while respecting the student and parent’s right to confidentiality and the parent’s ultimate decision-making power. However, by working together to include other important caring adults, we may have more impact on the child’s well-being. I will also be reminding myself and our staff that we must always maintain a non-judgemental approach when a parent does not respond to our concerns as we would expect. So many factors may influence their response (language, previous experience with the education system, financial concerns, etc.), and it should not be taken as a lack of interest or concern for their child’s education or well-being.
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One thing that comes to mind for me is educating my co-workers who are not black and letting them know why it is so important for us to make sure our black youth are equipped with the tools they need to succeed. I’ve worked with black youth and their families. I think the biases part is very important. As staff, we need to reflect on how our biases can affect our approach to black youth. I think it is important to acknowledge that our biases can turn into harsh judgements. The module mentions the concept of how people carry themselves and can be judged for that without the person who is judging knowing the full details of what is happening. The stereotypes of black women and black fathers being absent. Until you build a rapport with someone to understand what is happening, it’s not fair to judge. I think young people sometimes sense the judgement of staff and that closes them up to wanting to share or seek help. Where I was previously working, I felt like the organization did a good job at making black youth’s well-being a priority. I think they could do better by supplying more funding to allow staff to do more with youth who attend our programs. I think that would allow black youth to experience things outside of their norm.
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This is great. I know some people may see this as superficial but it is definitely a confidence boost! I can’t think of anyone who did not feel invincible when they believed they looked their best. I would love to connect my clients with the right products and services to make sure they are feeling their best.
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This is such a cool illustration Ryan! I see it as the complexity and importance of the roots of Black people in history and how those roots are still alive today and will continue to grow into the future. I couldn’t agree more that youth, Black youth in particular, need to feel heard and safe. A big part of that is schools, educators, and admin needing to develop an awareness and acceptance of the reality of anti-Black racism and engaging Black parent and youth voices in their responses to addressing the issues these students/families face and ways in which to make curricula and responsive to their needs and inclusive of their stories.
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Thanks for catching this. It looks like the original source has deleted the PDF. Here is a similar resource that covers the same ideas!
https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/document/how-to-write-a-child-friendly-document/
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I agree with what you have written Rachelle! I would also extend your comments to the global platform; it’s challenging to think of ABR in the context of only Ontario as this province, country, continent (etc.) is part of a much larger world where ABR is very much alive and thriving, as is the harm done and perpetuated through white supremacy.
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I agree with Chantele and Madina that the historical roots of ABR must be taught in schools to create the context necessary to address the current state of ABR. While some schools and some boards do teach some elements of this history, especially during Black History Month, it should not be relegated to one-off “theme” lessons. Rather, it should be interwoven into the various relevant curricula. We must be careful to avoid teaching this history in a paternalistic manner. Rather, the goal is to create the empathy and understanding needed to then tackle current issues of ABR in our schools and communities, empower our Black students and their families, and highlight their import contributions.
