Member Stephanie
MemberForum Replies Created
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Check out Harnessing the Digital Community to Center Black Youth Wellbeing, DIVERT Mental Health‘s inaugural education session in honour of Black History/Futures Month, on Monday, February 13th, online, from 12PM to 1PM ET.
Panelists Dr. Uzo Anucha (Academic Director for YouthREX), Dr. Carol Wade (Academic Member, YouthREX), and Kamau Davis-Locke (Learning and Research Associate, YouthREX) will chat about their experience launching Centering Black Youth Wellbeing. They will reflect on the possibilities and limitations of anti-Black racism trainings, such as this certificate, to contribute to organizational equity shifts and overall knowledge, awareness, and sense of safety in organizations.
To participate, register as an Associate Fellow for DIVERT. It’s free and only takes a few minutes. After registering, you will receive a calendar invitation for the event within one business day. As a registered member, DIVERT will be keeping track of your attendance so that you can receive a record of attendance for these sessions. Each session will be live captioned in French.
DIVERT Mental Health, a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Training Platform, is dedicated to disrupting mental health research and practice with children, youth, and families through integrating inclusivity and accessibility within university training programs and within communities of practice outside academia. Harnessing technology to increase the reach of the mental health system requires breaking down silos between disciplines, between universities, and between sectors. Their Associate Fellows stream is open to anyone and everyone interested in joining the DIVERT Mental Health training community as a learner, a mentor, or a teacher. Once registered, Associate Fellows get free access to DIVERT’s monthly virtual educational activities (one session and one professional development workshop a month), an invite to annual in-person regional meetings, and limited access to mentorship affinity groups with leaders in the field. Check it out!
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We wanted to share this opportunity to join DIVERT Mental Health‘s online community and to participate in their inaugural education session about YouthREX’s Centering Black Youth Wellbeing certificate.
In honour of Black History/Futures Month, DIVERT is launching their virtual educational series on mental health research and care that integrates inclusivity and technology (accessibility) with Harnessing the Digital Community to Center Black Youth Wellbeing (Monday, February 13th, online from 12PM to 1PM EST). Panelists Dr. Uzo Anucha (Academic Director for YouthREX), Dr. Carol Wade (Academic Member, YouthREX), and Kamau Davis-Locke (Learning and Research Associate, YouthREX) will chat about their experience launching Centering Black Youth Wellbeing. They will reflect on the possibilities and limitations of anti-Black racism trainings, such as this certificate, to contribute to organizational equity shifts and overall knowledge, awareness, and sense of safety in organizations.
To participate, register as an Associate Fellow for DIVERT. It’s free and only takes a few minutes. After registering, you will receive a calendar invitation for the event within one business day. As a registered member, DIVERT will be keeping track of your attendance so that you can receive a record of attendance for these sessions. Each session will be live captioned in French.
DIVERT Mental Health, a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Training Platform, is dedicated to disrupting mental health research and practice with children, youth, and families through integrating inclusivity and accessibility within university training programs and within communities of practice outside academia. Harnessing technology to increase the reach of the mental health system requires breaking down silos between disciplines, between universities, and between sectors. Their Associate Fellows stream is open to anyone and everyone interested in joining the DIVERT Mental Health training community as a learner, a mentor, or a teacher. Once registered, Associate Fellows get free access to DIVERT’s monthly virtual educational activities (one session and one professional development workshop a month), an invite to annual in-person regional meetings, and limited access to mentorship affinity groups with leaders in the field. Check it out!
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Plan International Canada is hosting a Solutions Lab, a free program that supports young people to be active drivers of change, similar to a ‘hackathon’ or a ‘design jam’. 📢
The event is open to all youth in Canada between the ages of 14 to 24. This year, it will be in a hybrid format (online and in-person) and will take place on Saturday, February 25th, from 1PM to 5PM ET.
During this year’s event, youth participants will work to build their knowledge of the impact of social media on body confidence and self-esteem issues that affect girls globally, and how Plan International Canada works to address the issue. After doing so, they will work in teams to design innovative responses to the issues. They will then present to a panel of experts with the goal of receiving seed funding to bring their amazing ideas to life.
This event presents a great opportunity for young people to learn how they can get involved in issues they’re passionate about here in Canada and around the world, while also hearing from subject matter experts on strategies and tools young people can use to become active leaders. ✊
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Listening is very important when working with Youth in general but particularly with racialized Youth especially if they are subjected to prejudice and discrimination. Being able to hear their experiences of marginalization without responding with overwhelming anger is difficult but a key to creating a safe place.
Developing an anti-black racism strategy in my organization is very important in making sure we will address it in all aspects of our work.
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The first step to pro-actively designing pathways to inclusion in the youth sector is to make anti-black racism training programs mandatory for all youth workers from teachers to community center workers. It is also necessary for the youth sector to have specific anti-black racism policies that have consequences and are taken as seriously as bullying or sexual harassment.
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Research is a key element in DEI, particularly for a sensitive topic like racism. It allows the conversation to be more credible and less anecdotal, numbers also make issues less personal. Data make the case for the urgency of Black Racism in Ontario and the rest of Canada. It can challenge the denial of the discrimination happening nationwide and put pressure on lawmakers and politicians to make important changes. Data has no color and no loyalty, data is not politically correct or in denial, data depicts reality and is central to any in depth social change
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Dismantling Anti-Black Racism requires multifaceted efforts, however at its core is the importance of political organization and lobbying in order to change the laws, the policies, the educational system, the prison reform, the housing disparities, etc… Real change is not possible without leverage and political power, without it, anti-black racism initiatives are mostly performative.
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Anti-Black Racism is still a problem in Ontario due to the denial of different systems to acknowledge its presence and consequences and the refusal to take action and provide the necessary resources to counter it.
Although it has been a hot topic in the last 3 years, it is not considered by politicians, policymakers, and the overall population as an emergency issue.
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Anti-Black racism in Ontario has consistently failed to be addressed by politicians and policy-makers, and even when changes are made to recognize and change this they are often repealed when new conservative governments come into power. The 1992 Stephen Lewis report identified anti-Black racism as being a major issue in Ontario, and although recommendations were made, there was little lasting or effective change that came from this report due to the election of the Harris government 3 years after it was published. After the “summer of the gun” in 2005, the school resource officer (SRO) program was introduced and police officers were put into schools. The SRO program has since ceased due to the harm it caused racialized youth, specifically Black youth. Anti-Black racism in Ontario is a direct reflection of the widespread anti-Black racism in Canada.
Canada has always been seen as a polite and caring nation, so much so that many Canadians tend to joke about our overuse of the word “sorry”. Although interestingly enough this penchant for being overly apologetic cannot absolve Canada for its participation in the colonial project, anti-Black racist policies, and the systemic injustices that continue to be perpetuated by White supremacy. White supremacy has always been a key part of Canada’s nation-building and the erasure of Black contributions, histories and the communities themselves are no accident. The history of enslavement in Canada has been sanitized and re-packaged to a point where I have heard young children confidently proclaim that enslavement did not exist in Canada. This, of course, indicates a failure of our historical recollection and dissemination, but one that is as purposeful as it is harmful. The historical tradition of erasing Black voices is an attempt to silence those speaking today. The myth of racial tolerance has been weaved into our history books and it continues to shroud the existence of deeply systemic anti-Black racism in Canada and in our most populated province of Ontario. This exclusionary and inaccurate portrayal of Canadian history is easier for White Canadians digest because it means we don’t have to change, we don’t have to give up power and platform, and we don’t have to actively work to identify how we have benefitted from White supremacy. It is easier for us to utter a platitude that has become almost meaningless, but what is being sorry without working to change?
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Spread awareness, run campaigns to make public more aware of the issue of racism in Canada. We must not forget to check our own biases first.
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Anti-Black racism is still a problem in Ontario because it is not a one time fix thing. Continuous work needs to be done. There has to be policies, programs, training, etc. for everybody including authorities such as school authorities, police etc. to learn anti-racism practices and develop policies that would be more inclusive of black youth. Though, much have improved from past, but we still have a lot of racism issues going on in everyday lives of our black youth.
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There is immense research encompassing the negative effects of racism not only on the individual but also on their families. In schools when black students are disproportionately represented in suspension records, given harsher punishments than their white counterparts, are expelled from school often, criminally charged more than their white counterparts, it doesn’t only take an emotional, psychological toll on the individual but on their families too.
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As discussed in the lecture videos, ability criteria, hiring processes for youth jobs, etc. should not be based according to the white eligibility criterion. Black youth lived experiences and their challenges should be kept in mind and more inclusive approaches should be developed.
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I will try to keep my own biases under check because I believe this is the first thing I would need to be able to listen and understand the perspectives of black youth and to hear their stories/ lived experiences without judging them.
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One thing I can do is always remember that Black youth know what they need. Creating opportunities for them to have a voice and amplify that voice in spaces that they may not have access is something I start to work on immediately.
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Designing, creating, and offering spaces, services, programs for Black youth by Black youth. This can be done by actively engaging Black youth and their voices in the creation and implementation of services and programs, advocating for the resources needed to effectively do this work, and holding ourselves accountable to avoid “lip service” and the “tokenization” of Black youth, but also holding Black youth accountable to their full potential and power so they actively engage in challenging the sector to create pathways for their full inclusion and participation. The work is done as much for Black youth as it is by Black youth, and that’s the piece around empowerment, raising critical consciousness, and providing the pathway for Black youth to be active change agents in their lives, their communities, and society as whole.
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Canadian Friends Service Committee is looking for youth with experience growing up with incarcerated parents to join their Youth Advisory Group.
Youth participants will meet other young people with similar lived experiences, and work with others to improve conditions for children and youth with incarcerated parents in Canada.
Youth knowledge and participation will create informed conversations, help to raise awareness, and may influence policy and law, stopping the stigma and silence around children and families of incarcerated people by promoting:
- alternatives to prison
- family and community-based sentencing
- education and public awareness about children of incarcerated parents: keeping families together, children’s rights, impact, and trauma
- the need for a National Child Rights Commissioner
This opportunity is open to youth living in Canada, ages 14-18 and emerging adults (over 18). Honoraria will be provided. A trauma-informed approach (Safety, Trust, and Choice) will be used, and professional mental health support will be available for participants.
Contact Nancy at nancy@quakerservice.ca or at the CFSC office (416-920 5213).
Note that this group is only being offered to English-speaking participants.
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First, it is important that we engage with the available research on ABR and its effects on youth and their families with intention, setting aside time in our workday to engage with the literature, research findings, community voices and resources on ABR to increase our knowledge base so we can effectively challenge ABR, within our own individual work/lives, in our organization, the sector, and society in general. There are so many resources shared in the certificate modules, and YouthREX’s website and it’s important for me to continue learning and reflecting on my work with Black youth. I also got to reflect on not undermining anecdotal evidence in Module 4. Although we are a very scientific society now, and put a huge emphasis on data and research, there is still so much to learn from anecdotal evidence and the lived experiences of each Black youth we work with, especially when the data and research on this population is lacking, specifically in a Canadian context. It also got me reflecting on valuing intuitive understanding of the work, even when the data and research is lacking, especially from our own lived experiences and wisdom that comes from working in the sector over the years, and how one can implement that in their work without “comparing youth’s experience with yours,” and understanding every Black youth is a unique individual.
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I think the issue is media brainwashing. Anti black racism seems to be a large scale global mentality. It caters to peoples ability to not hold themselves accountable. By creating a narrative that someone is bad based on something as superficial as skin colour makes it easier for people to not look within and confront their subconscious biases. Internalized racism is a even bigger issue because believing in racist ideology as a black person will only make it a self fulfilling prophecy and make you a ally to bigotry. In modern day society with the growing number of people on social media and adhering to propaganda refusing to educate themselves and the increasing lack of self awareness is the problem as most people do not want to hold space for “uncomfortable” conversations the discomfort simply coming from acknowledging that there’s injustice still at play and that they are catering or even a part of the problem. Nobody wants to see themselves as the villain so they just lie to themselves but they know it’s a lie and then they find comfort in the fact that everyone else is doing it. Recently I learned about a psychological term call poisoning the well and it’s basically when you try to tell people what their doing is wrong and they look for character flaws in you and point that out instead of looking into the validity of what your saying. Nobody is perfect but just because someone isn’t perfect doesn’t justify treating them like their subhuman. Overall anti black racism needs to be more openly addressed and we need to equip our youth and elders with the language to combat it because only with our words can we incite change, and through education we can make better tv shows that aren’t racist, education will lead to more black people in businesses and lastly we need to confront racism outside and inside the community.
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ABR is still a problem in Ontario because Canadian society has adopted convenient amnesia- a discourse of denial- and ignores the historical realities of Black Canadians and Blackness in our society. It pretends that it happened over there, in the U.S., and denies ABR, its historical roots, and its very real and on-going consequences for Black people in Canada. You cannot fix a problem if you don’t acknowledge that it is a problem. Also, language used matters and the quote shared in module 4 about “visible minority” still being used in the context of Toronto although “minorities” make up more than 50% of the population in the city really resonated with me. What realities do we get to ignore, hide, and pretend they don’t exist, or matter, when using certain language to minimize, diminish, and undermine certain groups, identities, and their very real existence?
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The One Simple Thing I could do to center Black youth wellbeing in my work is to listen, listen, and listen! Actively and with empathy so Black youth feel safe to share their stories, lived experiences and challenges, and build mutual trust to work together towards positive and sustainable changes in their lives.
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I think one thing I can do is review and restructure policy and procedures to be anti-racist. Updating policy is something I have wanted to do for a while, they are out of date but I wasn’t sure where to start when it came to youth. This gives me a framework and resources to learn from.
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I believe it starts with building a safer community and providing Black youth with tools to improve their lives, their environments. In my work, I will continue to create/provide more opportunities for Black youth to have access to employment, paid internships, mentorship, scholarships, outings, activities, workshops, learning spaces, etc.
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As I was going through the courses, I kept looking up the songs and wishing that there was a playlist available! This is great!
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I completely agree! As Black people (and especially the youth) we can see all the ways in which we do not “fit” in Canadian society. This is further solidified by the apparent lack of us in historical accounts. Learning about these details to Black history and the ways that we are integral to the fabric of Canadian history is validating and is information that must be taught. This reminds me of a conversation I had with a peer about Robert Sutherland, the first Black student and graduate of Queen’s University in Kingston, ON. Prior to his death, he donated his entire estate to the institution which (if I’m not mistaken) were funds that were instrumental in keeping Queen’s University open and in operation at the time. I only recently learned of this gentleman because this is a history that wasn’t widely spoken about. It is important to know the contributions Black people have made to spaces and places that are broadly identified as predominantly white. This example is just to further the point made in the course that at every turn in history, we have been here and we will continue to be here and contribute in positive and impactful ways.
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I believe that the term “power” is frequently dismissed in discussions like these. In traditional bureaucratic organizations, where power frequently has greater influence, it is extremely difficult to support Black youth or people of color. Although it is evident that power always prevails when it comes to making decisions, it is difficult to discuss oppression or discrimination. However, collaboration and teamwork absolutely need to be at the forefront. I believe that we ought to take into account our place in society as well as the ways in which our power, status, age, or color have an impact on those around us.
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Thank you to Natalee for starting this thread, and for all the sharing that other folks have done. I learned a lot by reading your responses. As the previous posters have noted, there are so many steps we need to take, and they are all important. At the individual level, for me as a white cis-woman (as another poster mentioned – sorry I can’t see the name with the reply screen up!), it is critical for me to sit back and listen to what the Black folks in the room (and particularly Black women and other marginalized genders) want and need, and to then see in what ways I can be helpful (or not) in reaching those goals. The history of (white) feminism is to erase the voices of Black women, and I don’t want to reify that history – it is critical to de-center and de-stabilize the primacy of whiteness in these spaces. This is also the importance of critical reflection as discussed in the last module. I also really appreciate what Marcella wrote about including the full and accurate history of Black people in Canada, as presented in Module 1. This needs to happen at all levels of education, but as a post-secondary instructor, one thing I can do is to center this history in the courses I teach to undergraduate and graduate psychology students. Finally, as others have mentioned, specifically naming Anti-Black Racism, and not lumping it in with discrimination experienced by ‘BIPOC’ communities is also really important I think. The discrimination faced by the diverse communities that make up the group called ‘BIPOC’ is based in unique histories, and this needs to be reflected in our attention to these issues, including by specifically naming Anti-Black racism.
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Yes! Agree with both of you that this was a very powerful part of the certificate for me. I knew about Black Loyalists and about Black folks from Oklahoma in Alberta, but a lot of the other history was new for me. This course was also the most thorough accounting I have seen of the history of Black slavery in Canada. This is information I will absolutely be better integrating into the courses I teach. In light of the horrific police killing of Tyre Nichols, and ongoing murders of Black Canadians by police, including Regis Korchinski-Paquet and D’Andre Campbell and so many others, it is so important to ground these events in this history, which I think still is so unknown by many (especially White) Canadians, as it is not in any curriculum that I am aware of, but critical to addressing the root causes of ongoing state violence against Black communities.
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I think community connection and care is also very important. I, too, grew up in predominantly white spaces and know the impacts that this can have on identity formation. I agree that being taught about personal and collective histories is crucial. Cultivating community care through social groups (even if they are small) can supplement this well. And I also think that having a general curiosity about what it means to be Black can be a valuable endeavour in the journey that is identity formation/healing. I believe that taking in different forms of media and literature and art can all be ways to center and explore Black identity in its many iterations.
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I agree! I also think that organizations need to be more innovative when approaching evaluation and feedback. Focus groups and surveys are great tools but they may not be capturing the true impact of certain programing. There may be value in exploring arts-based forms of data collection and research like the use of photovoice to capture youth needs, frustrations, satisfactions, etc. This may be a way to gather information while still engaging in dialogue that centers the youth themselves and values their authentic expression.
