[Trina]

It’s been very interesting to read through everyone’s thoughts. There has been a lot of highlight on the structural and systemic embeddedness of racism – I’d like to contribute another thought that falls on a more individual and personal level. I think many of us, myself included, have had to reckon with the fact that accepting the truth of ABR in our society means accepting the fact that we participate in it. For myself, I think that I have been afraid that I might discover that I too hold prejudiced beliefs – some conscious and some unconscious. It’s one thing to call out racism in others/systems and it’s something much more uncomfortable to call it out in oneself. Doing genuine work of anti-racism means that I might bring into consciousness a racist belief that was unconscious in myself up until now. I might discover that I, too, participate in racism (even if I wish it were not true and even if it is painful to discover this truth). This is a scary prospect. And a necessary process. I need to come to terms with the history, the system, and the trends, and I also need to come to terms with my personal participation. I think this fear may play a role in why deep and pervasive change is still a work in progress.

Thanks.

[Cyril]

This is crucial…. thanks for sharing this.

As a Black man I am actively combatting anti-Black ideologies that have been so embedded in this culture. The institutional dehumanization of Black peoples is so entrenched that it impacts us all in some way – though Black people face the consequences twice over.

The desire to be seen as politically Correct sometimes overrides one’s openness to difficult self-reflection on how they could be Wrong – particularly in the Ontario/Canadian context.

Ironically, the desire to only be seen as benevolent makes the impact of harmful actions much worse, whereby the person who is called “racist” (by their intentional or unintentional action) may claim to be injured more than the person who felt assaulted by the misdeed.

We have much work to do in respecting how others (and sometimes ourselves) can be fully seen and appreciated for all their soul’s true worth.

[Kathe]

The Readiness Indicators Project is looking to engage youth, ages 18 to 33, with experience growing up in the child welfare system.

The Ministry of Children, Community & Social Services, Ontario Children’s Advancement Coalition, Youth in Care Canada, and Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada are leading youth engagement sessions on readiness indicators. The engagements will help the Ministry to establish a new framework to determine when young people are ready to leave the care of children’s aid societies and transition into the community. Readiness indicators are the ways we know we are ready to transition from care.

Twelve Brave Space Engagement sessions will be held in July as 90-minute moderated consultations with youth with lived experience. These youth will get an opportunity to share their advice on readiness indicators.

Youth who are interested in participating must complete an online application by June 23, 2021. You can access the application online, and you can also access a Communications Toolkit with more information to help you spread the word and engage the young people with whom you work.

[REX]

Share opportunities for meaningful youth engagement across Ontario.

[Kathe]

I’ll be joining Dr. Joseph Smith (Co Founder, Generation Chosen) and Jemmelia Morgan (Co-Founder, My Girls Night In) for an online workshop on June 21st: 5 Keys to Program Development. Register online to participate and learn about the tools necessary to increase program participation, intended program outcomes, and overall program sustainability. 😀

[Raven]

https://cinefam.ca/blog/five-questions-for-nadine-valcin/

I wanted to share a quick clip called “Whitewashed”. This clip sort of answers that question on how research findings can help highlight and challenge the impact of anti-Black racism on black people as a whole. Through this clip Nadina V used an accumulation of research findings to gather information on the topic of slavery in Canada. Nadina uses film as a form of activism which I find to be very inspiring and clever, especially during this era. The film highlights slavery in Canada using black women’s skin colour and texture as the focal point.

[Kathe]

Join YouthREX and Ontario Caregiver Organization for an engaging conversation with young caregivers about what they want YOU to know. Register online to join us on Zoom! 🙂

[REX]

Did you know that over half a million young people in Ontario are providing care for family members or friends with a physical or mental health challenge, all while balancing the demands of school, work, and life? Imagine the many ways that this pandemic has made the need, and the demands, for young caregivers even more challenging.

Earlier this year, Ontario Caregiver Organization launched an online hub for young caregivers: Young Caregivers Connect.

How can we support young caregivers and what are the opportunities for adult allyship?

[Kathe]

@kathleen and I connected right here on REX Virtual Café, and we’re so excited to partner for a conversation with young caregivers on June 24th. Register online to join us on Zoom!

[Kathe]

Join YouthREX and Ontario Caregiver Organization on Thursday, June 24th from 12PM to 1:30PM to learn about the experiences of young caregivers and what they want YOU to know. Register online to connect with us on Zoom!

[Katarina]

The Ontario Non-Profit Network (ONN) is hiring a Data Strategy Manager. The ideal candidate will bring policy skills, a collaborative style, project management experience, and a passion for leveraging data to support learning and decision-making.

The ONN looking for a leader with knowledge of the public policy process in Ontario, data policy, and/or data-sharing projects. The Data Strategy Manager will develop and lead the implementation of the Data, Evidence-use, and Learning (DEAL) Strategy, a (minimum) two-year project, in collaboration with a steering committee and our partners, Ajah/Powered By Data and the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

The successful candidate will engage with nonprofits and government on issues like data integration, privacy legislation, open data, methodically sharing program evaluation reports, and nonprofits’ secure access to administrative data to better understand the positive impact of the sector. The Data Strategy Manager will engage a range of nonprofits on questions related to the ethical use of disaggregated data (e.g., by race, gender, and disability), and data ownership and control.

Applicants will be reviewed on an ongoing basis with the expectation of the candidate beginning work by July 5, 2021.

You can find the full job posting here.

[Katarina]

Mindfulness-Based Wellbeing for Black Women is a 5-week virtual mindfulness program for young Black women in their 20s, facilitated by Planned Parenthood Toronto, Elizabeth Fry Toronto, and The Centre for Mindfulness Studies. The program will take place on Tuesdays, June 1 to 29, from 3-5pm. To sign up, email MindfulnessForYoungBlackWomen@gmail.com.

[Kathe]

Elizabeth, do you think you will continue to offer online engagement opportunities, using Google Meet or Zoom, for example, even after we begin to open up and return to in-person programming? It may be too soon to begin imagining, but I’m wondering if there are youth programs that may plan to continue using these online tools to facilitate access/inclusion.

[Kathe]

YouthREX recently participated in an online event hosted by the National Youth Council of Ireland, “Rethinking Impact: Legacy and Evaluation in a Global Youth Work Context”, during which we discussed how we can broaden definitions of ‘evaluation’ and move beyond ‘impact’ to thinking about ‘legacy’. You can learn the key takeaways and watch a recording of the presentations. 🙂

[Kathe]

Hi Erin! You’re right; so many of the resources that we’ve curated on the Knowledge Hub are specific to youth navigating transitions or youth aging out of care.

I know that others on this platform, including my colleague @katarina, may have ideas for sources or resources that speak to your search topic, but I can share one here: “They Always Come, and Never Say Goodbye:” Healthy Closure in Mentoring. Although this conversation was from a webinar series specific to mentoring, some of the considerations may apply. In addition to a recording of the webinar, there is also a resource packet. The Ontario Mentoring Coalition has an online toolkit on effective mentoring for youth facing barriers, and this includes resources on closure, too.

I hope this is a helpful start, and that others will share, too. 🙂

[Katarina]

So glad that you found the resources helpful, Erin!

I was not able to find much else, although I did discover that a resource by MENTOR, Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring, seems to be the source of the Ontario Mentoring Coalition benchmarks (see Standard 6: Closure on p. 70), and might provide some additional context. 😊

[Erin]

Thanks Katarina! I’ll take a look at that section =)

[Erin]

This is great! I’ll be sure to take a look at this resource, Kathe. Just glancing at the Ontario Mentoring Coalition link seems more along the lines of what I’ve been looking for.
Thanks so much =)

[Kathe]

Oh, great! 😄

[Erin]

Hi folks!
I’m trying to prepare for this fall when i’ll have a youth participant age-out of a community space I facilitate for the first time. I’ve been looking for resources or any best practices on how to navigate this but everything i’m finding seems to either address social factors that enhance youth wellbeing as they navigate new life-stages in general, or speak specifically to youth who are aging out of foster or housing care.

Any resources you know of or insights from experiences navigating this sort of thing are appreciated!

cheers, Erin (they/them)

[Katarina]

Brighter Days: An Indigenous Wellness Program by Kids Help Phone was developed by Indigenous experts to empower First Nations, Inuit and Métis youth with skills, tools and resources to support their well-being. The program is offered to any group of Indigenous youth from eight to 29 years old in both audio and video format.

You can find out more about the program here.

[Katarina]

Laidlaw Foundation is granting up to $30,000 to Indigenous youth-led groups that are based in remote and urban territories spanning Ontario. Through the Indigenous Youth & Community Futures Fund (IYCFF), the Foundation invests in opportunities for Indigenous youth to connect with their land, languages and cultures, and strengthen and deepen their relationships within and across Indigenous communities.

Application Deadline: May 20, 2021.

To learn more, click here or email abernard@laidlawfdn.org.

[Kristina]

I was wondering if anyone has seen resources for critical self-reflection. Based on one of the presentations in this certificate, I’ve been dedicating an hour each week to reflecting on my work with Black youth, mostly through journaling about what happened this week, what I should have done differently, etc – but I’m wondering if anyone has seen maybe a workbook that I could also integrate into that time. Thanks!

[Raven]

Well said Mercedes, everything you’ve stated needs to be better implemented and mentioned to our younger generations. Their mindset aren’t like other generations; the things we may think they don’t understand or know about, their very much aware of because their experiencing it more and more every day. Educationally, our roots need to be better taught within the school program because it’s very easy for Black people’s roots and heritage to be overlooked within society. Our culture is fantasized by other groups but our heritage and roots it uncared for. I also want to stress that we need to encourage and implement more unity internally (within our Black communities). Not only are we struggling in a battle with non-Black groups, but within our own groups/communities, which in a sense makes it 10x harder for us to achieve the things we want.

I also love your comment on becoming our own government. Unfortunately this government isn’t 100% for Black people so that only thing we can do is create our own, build together so we can better meet our needs.

[Kathe]

You can read our newest Evidence Brief, Three Strategies & Seven Practices for Delivering Effective Group Programming for Black Youth, on our Knowledge Hub.

[Raven]

You made such great points. From your opinion I really took in your third point on creating these safe spaces for black people to express themselves and open up more, but to also follow that up with action or it would have all been for nothing. It just seems like sometimes we allow youth and their families to open up but then not even a little bit of change happens and so we put them through that pain of having to retell their stories for nothing to come from it.

And YES! We need to “do it for the love and not do ti for the likes” 👍🏾

[Raven]

Yes simply put. If no one believes theres a problem to begin with then they will see no need to change their ways or the world around them.

[Raven]

I really like the way you put that; Growth, Education and Self work! Great reflections. These aspects should be a responsibility for the frontline and individual levels.

[Raven]

Definitely agree with you Jenny, redefining success would be a great start. Also I really like your point of having more conversations about the challenges black youth with disabilities face.

[Raven]

Great insight! I definitely believe that simply getting the opinion of black youth and their families around working with other races will demonstrate to them that you are aware of the daily struggles they may deal with through their interactions with other races.