Descriptions by Section
Click on the links below for full workshop descriptions.
Pre-Conference Workshop: Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Wednesday, August 20, 2014 - Pre-Conference Workshop Description
Black Creek Community Health Centre and The Spot invites you to an evening with youth engaged organizations and leaders of youth engagement with Reggie Moore. Too often as youth workers we assume that "engagement" is a synonym for relinquishing all guidance, control, and responsibility for a project to the young people with whom we work. Typically, this approach has been met with failure on the part of the youth, frustration on the part of the worker, and more evidence that the notion of "engagement" is a concept that looks good on paper but does not work in the real world of youth work. This event is an attempt to initiate and inspire dialogue, thought, and change of actions in working with the youth that we serve.
Location: Black Creek Community Health Centre—Yorkgate Mall Location: 1 Yorkgate Blvd, suite #202 (beside the Dollarama)
Time and Event Agenda:
- 5:30 pm -- Dinner and Networking (Black Creek CHC)
- 6:30 pm -- Facilitated Discussion (The Spot)
This event will provide an opportunity for youth organizations to connect and network with other youth serving agencies across the GTA to share best practices of youth engagement. Please identify the appropriate person at your organization to attend this event, and confirm their availability to joesi.nelson@bcchc.com.
Thursday, August 21, 2014 – Morning Workshop Descriptions
Workshop A
| Date: | Thursday, August 21, 2014 |
| Time: | 10:45 – 12:15 |
| Room: | 0004 TEL |
| Presenters: | Tamar Meyer (CAMH), Jason Guriel (CAMH), and Cheryl Jackson (Portico) |
| Title: | Mental Health and Mental Illness in Schools, Communities and Families - Finding a Shared Language, Resources and Support |
| Description: | This workshop will build capacity to promote mental health and improve dialogue by exploring the language of mental health, mental illness, the social determinants of mental health and how mental health and mental illness overlap in unexpected ways. We’ll share findings from the Drug Use Among Ontario Students survey and talk about School Mental Health Assist. We’ll also tell you about CAMH resources. These include Portico – a new online national network connecting people around mental health and addiction and EENet Connect – the Evidence Exchange Network online community. |
| Presenter Bio: | Tamar Meyer is Manager (A), Health Promotion Resource Centre in the Provincial System Support Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Tamar works with and supports health promotion and public health audiences in Ontario to build capacity in the area of mental health and substance misuse. She has a commitment to building strong and meaningful partnerships and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders. Tamar holds a Master of Arts in Sociology from York University.
Jason Guriel, Ph.D., is a Communications and Social Media Coordinator at CAMH, where he co-manages EENet Connect (www.eenetconnect.ca). He is also a freelance writer whose work has appeared in The National Post, Reader’s Digest, and Slate. Cheryl Jackson is a Communications Coordinator at CAMH, where she produces content and builds community and engagement on Portico. (www.porticonetwork.ca) Cheryl is also a freelance journalist and former producer and host at CBC and TVO. In the community, she chairs the YCEC Advisory Committee and is a member of the Advisory Board for 3rd Street Foundation, a leadership and cognitive development training program for young adults |
Workshop B |
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| Date: | Thursday, August 21, 2014 |
| Time: | 10:45 – 12:15 |
| Room: | 0005 TEL |
| Presenters: | Yvonne Kelly (YRDSB) and Kristine Carbis (YRDSB) |
| Title: | Putting Classism in Its Place and Engaging Parents in Truly Authentic Ways |
| Description: | This workshop will explore how class bias and judgment serve as deterrents to parent engagement and actually reinforce the divide between parents and the education system. We will highlight unique relationship and community building strategies for meeting parents where they are at and talking to them about issues of importance to them. The Acorn Canada campaign to access affordable internet access for low-income families is a good example of the type of engagement that can serve to build strong peer-peer relationships in our school communities. |
| Presenter Bio: | Yvonne Kelly has been working in the field of community development for 25 years. She earned a Bachelor in Social Work at Ryerson and Masters of Social Work at University of Toronto and graduated with a focus on community development with a special interest in health promotion particularly in low-income neighborhoods and schools. A passionate social justice advocate, Yvonne enjoys her involvement in a number of grassroots initiatives such as the Minimum Wage Campaign, Put Food in the Budget, Freedom 90 and as a board member on the Social Planning Committee of York Region and a steering committee member on the Ontario Common Front. Working as a Community Resource Facilitator with the YRDSB this past 3 years has opened up a lot of new opportunities for Yvonne to advance her own learning and work in the arena of equity and inclusivity, in a large system as well as in the schools and communities she serves in Aurora, Richmond Hill and King Township.
Kristine Carbis is an extremely passionate community advocate and has been working in her own community in Newmarket, as well as the broader York Region community for the past 10 years. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to issues and action on anti-poverty, housing and homelessness as well as abilities particularly in relation to issues of access and transportation. She has been a parent in the York Region District School Board for the duration of her son’s school years up until this June when Gregory graduated from grade 12 at Huron Heights. She is proud to send him on to his post secondary studies at Georgian College in Orillia this September. Kristine was a critical player in the first York Region Social Audit in 2010 bringing voice to marginalized individuals living in poverty across the region to the provincial stage. She is a current steering member of the Freedom 90 Advocacy Group, is a member of the provincial network for Put Food in the Budget. She is also joining the Social Planning Council of York Region this fall. Currently Kristine also sits in an advisory capacity on the York Region Mobility Transit Committee and is in her second term as a Member of the Equity and Inclusivity Advisory Committee for the YRDSB. |
Workshop C
| Date: | Thursday, August 21, 2014 |
| Time: | 10:45 – 12:15 |
| Room: | 0007 TEL |
| Presenters: | Linda Aihoshi (YRDSB), Sharon Moss (YRDSB), Camille Logan (YRDSB), and Herleen Sayal (YRDSB) |
| Title: | Beyond Deficits: Engaging Marginalized Families Through Assets |
| Description: | How do educators ‘see’ students who are struggling at school? As educators, what roles do we believe communities and families play in the school-based life of so-called ‘at-risk’ students? Research on risk and resiliency in one school board suggests that, when schools and school boards can see only deficits in a child, family or community, the interventions intended to support them usually only further stigmatize them, marginalize them, and validate traditional, risk-based practices. On the other hand, when marginalized students and their families are engaged through their strengths (i.e. unique experiences, passions, interests and skill sets) the results can generate true agency and, thus, be transformative in school and beyond. In this workshop, members of York Region District School Board’s Inclusive Schools and Community Services Department will discuss the aims and experiences of the Assets Coach Parent Engagement Project; highlight the school engagement and assets mapping tools developed for the project; and facilitate a ‘townhall’ discussion on the value and challenges of infusing ‘assets data’ into school-based planning. |
| Presenter Bio: | Camille Logan is Principal, Inclusive School and Community Services in the York Region District School Board. |
Workshop D
| Date: | Thursday, August 21, 2014 |
| Time: | 10:45 – 12:15 |
| Room: | 0009 TEL |
| Presenter: | Rachel Ryerson (Ministry of Education) |
| Title: | What Can We Learn From Schools in Challenging Circumstances? Schools Creating Capability in Students, Schools and Their Communities |
| Description: | How can schools in challenging demographic circumstances re-position challenges as opportunities for learning and improvement rather than as excuses for low student performance? This workshop invites dialogue on the findings arising from a Ministry of Education (EDU) case study of 92 schools in the Ontario Focused Intervention Partnership Initiative (OFIP) initiative, that have a high proportion of students in challenging circumstances. This session will focus in particular on the insights from an in-depth analysis of the holistic, whole-school, community-engaged improvement approaches that four former OFIP schools with sustained improvement in student achievement took to provide equity of educational opportunity. Emerging themes provide a road map of strategic choices to inform how educators and community members can engage in practices that lead to greater equity of opportunity and outcome for all learners. The purpose of this session is to elicit feedback from workshop participants on a categorization framework of school actions for addressing non-academic challenges in individual and family, school, and community contexts. |
| Presenter Bio: | Rachel Ryerson is a Student Achievement Officer in the Research, Evaluation and Data Management (RED) team of the Student Achievement Division of the Ministry of Education. As a former elementary teacher who places value on student and educator voice in educational inquiries, she brings a pedagogical understanding to her role as a researcher. She thanks her EDU colleagues Hana Saab, Ben Shannon, David Hagen Cameron and Judi Kokis for co-leading this study with her, and especially wishes to acknowledge the rich learnings shared by the principals of the four case study schools. |
Workshop E
| Date: | Thursday, August 21, 2014 |
| Time: | 10:45 – 12:15 |
| Room: | 0011 TEL |
| Presenters: | Louise Brown (Toronto Star) and Kate Hammer (The Globe and Mail) |
| Facilitator: | Carl James (York Centre for Education and Community) |
| Title: | Observations and Insights in Schooling and Education in Toronto: Conversation with Two Education Reporters |
| Description: | Education reporters play a significant role in informing us about issues, concerns and experiences in schooling and education, and in doing so, not only help to influence how we come to understand related issues, but also through their reports (particularly in terms of how and what is reported) help to inform actions that are taken in response to schooling and educational issues. This workshop will be an opportunity to engage in conversation with two of Canada’s major newspapers’ education reporters, Louise Brown of the Toronto Star and Kate Hammer of the Globe and Mail, about their work, observations and insights about current issues in education and schooling in Toronto. |
| Presenter Bio: | Louise Brown has covered education for the Star for many years and has never lost interest because the field is so broad and dynamic. From kindergarten to grad school the issues are important and fascinating and always changing. She is in particular interested in the demographics of learning; how students' background sometimes affects their achievement and enjoyment of school, and fascinated by how some school boards attempt to address it. Louise grew up in Toronto and graduated from Jarvis Collegiate, the U of T (BA) and Western University (MA.)
Kate Hammer has been an education reporter for The Globe and Mail for nearly five years and loves it. It's an issue that it is easy to become passionate about, and one that encompasses everything from politics, to demographics to sport. Before coming to the Globe, Kate wrote about crime and city news for the New York Times. She is the product of multiple school systems. |
| Facilitator Bio: | Carl James is the Director of the York Centre for Education and Community (YCEC) at York University for the Faculty of Education. He is also cross-appointed to the Graduate Program in Sociology and Social Work. James is recognized nationally and internationally for his work in equity in relation to race, class, gender, racialization, immigration and citizenship. His research interests include: Educational and occupational access and equity for marginalized youth; the implications of suburban “urbanization” for young people; the complementary and contradictory nature of sports in the schooling and educational attainments of racialized students; community-centered approaches to learning, identification/identity pertaining to race, ethnicity, gender, class, and immigrant status. |
Thursday, August 21, 2014 – Afternoon Workshops Descriptions
Workshop G
| Date: | Thursday, August 21, 2014 |
| Time: | 2:30 – 4:00 |
| Room: | 0004 TEL |
| Presenters: | The Hip Hop Curriculum Writer's Collective: Ramon San Vicente, Joseph Galiwango, Spin El Poeta, and Roderick Brereton |
| Title: | The Cypher: Hip Hop Pedagogy as Community Engagement |
| Description: | What is Hip Hop as Critical Pedagogy (HHCP) and what is its potential for impacting teacher perception and practice, as well as student learning and well-being? How can HHCP and hip hop ways of knowing be mobilized to facilitate effective community partnerships in education and challenge inequitable institutional practices? In this presentation members of the Hip Hop Curriculum Writers’ Collective (youth, community educators, hip hop practitioners, classroom teachers, central school board staff) will explore these questions and more. Participants will learn about the process, opportunities, successes and challenges that were experienced during the journey to create and provide professional learning for Rhymes to Re-Education, a hip hop curriculum that provides lessons and teaching strategies that explore various social justice themes. |
| Presenter Bio: | All members of the Hip Hop Curriculum Writers Collective who are present for this workshop will introduce themselves during the panel discussion. |
Workshop H
| Date: | Thursday, August 21, 2014 |
| Time: | 2:30 – 4:00 |
| Room: | 0005 TEL |
| Presenters: | Susan Warren, Amita Patel, Leena Nayar, and Verity Stroud (Families and Schools Together) |
| Title: | Authentic Parent and Family Engagement - Highlighting the Families and Schools Together (FAST) and Parent Ambassador Volunteer Training Program |
| Description: | Our workshop will speak to the experience of running two unique and complementary parent engagement initiatives in schools in York Region. We will share the goals of each program, explain the recruitment strategies, and outcomes and engage in a dialogue about how we connect with and enhance the lives of families who participate.
Parent Ambassador Training The Parent Ambassador Training initiative develops a network of parents who take on leadership roles in their community, bridging families and schools together. They also support one another in their roles within the network. Ambassadors are equipped to engage other parents in the community, in respectful and authentic ways and to encourage them to participate in their schools and community events.Specific Programming components of the training experience include the following: Healthy relationships, Healthy Communities, Positive Parenting, Learning about the school system, Inclusivity and Equity, the Rights and Responsibilities of children, parents and teachers. Ambassadors are well informed about community resources and agencies so that they can support families with accessing these resources and also problem solving depending on the uniqueness of their circumstances. Families and Schools Together The second portion of the presentation will focus on the Families and Schools Together program (FAST) is an evidenced based program which is recognized by the United Nations as one of the top 10 Family Engagement, enhancement and support programs in the world. FAST is led by FSYR (Family Services York Region), partners with local schools and collaborates with other agencies along with Police, Recreation and Cultural Services, Addiction Services, Public Health, local parents and volunteers who work together to run an 8 week program. |
| Presenter Bio: | Susan Warren is from FSYR (Family Services York Region) and is the Program Manager for several programs at the agency which includes: The Families and Schools Together Program (F&ST), Group Services & Cultural Outreach Support... as well as the Triple P programs at the agency. Susan is the certified FAST trainer for York Region and has had over 20 years of experience in counselling families, running groups and is committed to working with other agencies, school boards and service providers on various community development projects in York region. Susan’s passion is parent engagement in their child’s lives and in their school communities.
Amita Patel: Arrived in Toronto 32 years ago from the UK with a job, newly married, knew no one here; today I call Canada (Markham) home, it's where I've lived the longest! Came to FSYR quite by accident as a participant of a Women's Outreach group, trained as a facilitator. Today we have successfully completed 2 Parent Ambassador training sessions in York Region. I started as a volunteer with FSYR over 7 years ago, accepted a seat on their Board of Directors', and due to funding from City of York, have worked in the capacity of Project Coordinator/Co-Facilitator this year. My name is Leena Nayyar, I am from India. I came to Canada 11 years ago with my family including two teenagers. I have a Master's degree in Social Work from India, I have worked for over 20 years in the social work field in India as well as Canada. It has been an exciting journey, new country, new experiences, in fact this was my first travel out of India. I am with Family Services York Region for the past 8 years, I was hired to run a new program- South Asian Outreach program. I coordinated the Volunteer Training Program for South Asian Women in 2008. We continued and have successfully completed 2 Parent Ambassador training sessions in York Region. It is wonderful to work with lots of amazing women, I learn something new every day. Verity Stroud has two children at Crosby Heights. She trained as a Parent Ambassador in the fall of 2013. She has volunteered at the school for the last couple years. She also volunteered to be the parent representative for the FAST family program in the spring this year. |
Workshop I
| Date: | Thursday, August 21, 2014 |
| Time: | 2:30 – 4:00 |
| Room: | 0007 TEL |
| Presenters: | Scott Milne (YRDSB), John Ippolito (York University), Jay Walkoff, Jill Maar |
| Title: | Outside-In Planning: A Sustainable Approach to Community-School Collaborative Planning |
| Description: | Is there any value in engaging parents, community members and service agencies in sustained, school-based planning? In fast changing, linguistically diverse communities, how can schools hear from parents, families and communities in ways that improve the learning environment for children, and the working environment for school staff? While many schools scramble to engage different parts of their community during times of crisis, some are seeking ways to enter into true collaborative relationships with parents and other members of the community in a proactive, sustainable way. These schools believe that parent voice in planning can help bring innovative ideas, resources and accountability to the school; increase community awareness of the challenges and opportunities the school works with on a daily basis; and increase the community’s capacity to ‘tell its own story’ to the school and other planning bodies (e.g. local government). In this workshop, participants will learn about the ‘Gathering Under One Tree’ parent engagement project, a project that began in 2006 through a partnership between York University’s Faculty of Education and the York Region District School Board. |
| Presenter Bio: | Scott Milne is a field researcher and trainer with the York Region District School Board’s Inclusive Schools and Community Services Unit. His research has helped identify ways for schools and communities to work together more effectively for the benefit of students. He has designed and mobilized community asset mapping tools that identify resources that can be used to build resiliency in communities, families, students and school staff. He also has advocated for more input from marginalized stakeholders in school and school board planning processes. |
Workshop J
| Date: | Thursday, August 21, 2014 |
| Time: | 2:30 – 4:00 |
| Room: | 0009 TEL |
| Presenters: | Naomi Nichols (York University), Andy Dang (George Brown College), Chantel Nairne (University of Toronto), Alex Roberts (TDSB/PEACH), Taja Tomlinson (TDSB/PEACH), Malik Christie (TDSB/PEACH), Kelvin Beggs (TDSB/PEACH), Ali Kamara (TDSB/PEACH), and Stephanie Mazerolle (York University) |
| Title: | Mobilizing Youth, Communities and Schools to Address the Systemic Barriers to Inclusion and Academic Achievement for Urban Youth in Racialized Communities |
| Description: | In this youth-led workshop, we will describe and reflect on a school-community-university partnership model for engaging youth in employment and secondary school participation over the summer. The model represents a partnership between the TDSB, PEACH, and York University. We will describe our research findings and then engage workshop participants in a facilitated discussion about solutions to the problems our research reveals. |
| Presenter Bio: | As a group, we are Jane and Finch, Research in Motion – a small youth-led summer research project within a larger SSHRC-funded project called, Schools, Safety, and the Urban Neighbourhood. Presenters are secondary school students in T(C)DSB schools in Jane and Finch, post-secondary students/new graduates from the Jane and Finch Community, graduate students from York University and a Post-doctoral fellow, also from York University. |
Workshop K
| Date: | Thursday, August 21, 2014 |
| Time: | 2:30 – 4:00 |
| Room: | 00011 TEL |
| Presenter: | Antonino Giambrone (York University) |
| Title: | Queering Spaces: Possibilities for Disrupting Heteronormativity |
| Description: | This session is an opportunity for participants to explore possibilities for queering education in schools and community contexts. Examples of anti-homophobia and anti-transphobia education will be shared as starting points for further discussion of what it might mean to queer various spaces. How teachers and community workers might effectively promote an understanding of oppressions as multiple, intersecting, and fluid will also be explored with the goal of considering possibilities for practice. |
| Presenter Bio: | Antonino Giambrone is a Course Director and Site Lead at York University’s Faculty of Education, Regent Park Site. Previous to this year, he was a Course Director with York University’s Urban Diversity Program and an Instructional Leader with the Toronto District School Board’s Equitable and Inclusive Schools department. He has been a teacher with the TDSB for 14 years, and is currently completing a PhD in critical social justice education in classroom contexts. |
Friday, August 22, 2014 – Morning Workshops Descriptions
Workshop A
| Date: | Friday, August 22, 2014 |
| Time: | 10:45 – 12:15 |
| Room: | 0004 TEL |
| Presenters: | Lorna Schwartzentruber (TD-CEC), Chris Penrose (Success Beyond Limits), and Yvette Munro (York University) |
| Title: | Community-University-School Collaboration: Applying What We've Learned to a Jane/Finch context |
| Description: | Workshop will be a panel discussion followed by interactive discussion that leads to generating new ideas for community-university-school collaborations with the Jane-Finch community in mind.The workshop will include a presentation of academic literature on effective models of community-university-school collaborations from other jurisdictions. It will be followed by a presentation by Success Beyond Limits and over 7 years of community-university-school collaboration experience aimed at supporting youth educational attainment in Jane Finch. York U-TD Community Engagement Centre will provide an overview of its revised mandate, core functional areas and activities. The workshop will then move into an interactive discussion intended to generate dialogue and new ideas moving forward with a focus on York/Jane-Finch community partners and local school boards. |
| Presenter Bio: | Described as a “big-picture thinker with his feet (and heart) on the ground,” Chris Penrose has been working with youth in the Jane-Finch community for over a decade. As the Executive Director of Success Beyond Limits, this work has been focused on community-based, youth-focused education programming that incorporates mentorship, employment and exposure as pillars for student success. Committed to meaningful collaboration and impact on a system level, Chris contributes to a number of committees and collectives focused on youth opportunities. Chris recently completed a Masters Diploma in Social Innovation at the University of Waterloo through a program that included the McConnell Foundation and Social Innovation Generation (SiG). A regular invited guest on CBC Metro Morning, Chris has become an important voice in Toronto on violence, education and community issues as they affect youth.
Lorna Schwartzentruber is the Manager of the York University-TD Community Engagement Centre, supporting York’s commitment to build a more engaged university in the Black Creek community. She brings over 20 years of leadership experience working in the community benefit sector, broadly in the areas of organizational management, community development, and coalition/partnership building. She is interested in work that at its core is about social justice and inclusion. Along with rich learning from living and working in many communities, she holds a B.A. from the University of Waterloo and a B.Ed. from the University of Toronto. Yvette Munro's current responsibilities at York include planning and project management in the areas of community engagement, new academic programs/initiatives for non-traditional students and inter-institutional partnerships. From 2008 – 2010, she was the Manager Community Relations at the University and also served as Secretary to the President’s Task Force on Community Engagement. She has also held contract faculty positions at Humber, Sheridan, Ryerson and York. Prior to her position at York, Yvette held various positions within the not-for-profit and government sectors with a focus on community development, children/youth services, equity/access and policy development. A former member of the Ontario Public Service, Yvette received a Discovery Award for her policy work in the development of the Community Use of Schools Policy and implementation of a multi-million dollar provincial funding program to improve access to school facilities by community groups. Yvette is also pursuing her PhD in Education at York University continues to volunteer with Success Beyond Limits (Chair) and Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre (Chair). |
Workshop B
| Date: | Friday, August 22, 2014 |
| Time: | 10:45 – 12:15 |
| Room: | 0005 TEL |
| Presenters: | Gillian Parekh (TDSB) and Rob Brown (TDSB) |
| Title: | Students’ Experience of Belonging and Exclusion as an Indicator of Equity in Education: A Case Study from the Toronto District School Board |
| Description: | Many areas of education scholarship use the ‘Achievement Gap’ in education as an indicator for equity in education policy and praxis. The main objectives of this workshop are to challenge this notion and suggest that the achievement gap may be a secondary outcome to students’ experiences of belonging and exclusion in school. Entrenched biases in school structures, curriculum, and pedagogical praxis lead to contrasting student experiences and this stratification is often reflective of historical privilege and disadvantage. Not only has higher achievement been linked to students’ experiences of belonging in school, but literature states that there is also close relationship between the experience of social citizenship and belonging to future actualization of rights and protections (Arnold, 2005; Somers, 2008; Yuval-Davis, 2011). Therefore, the aim of this workshop is to consider the measure of belonging and exclusion as an important indicator of equity both in education and broader society. |
| Presenter Bio: | Gillian Parekh is a Research Coordinator for the Toronto District School Board and has a doctorate in Critical Disability Studies from York University. Her areas of research include structural analyses of education institutions, their relationship to students’ experiences of belonging and exclusion in school, demographic trends, and the mechanistic function of education in the reproduction of poverty and privilege in broader society.
Robert S Brown has worked in applied research for thirty years, in media research, market research, and education research. After a master’s in Communication Studies at the University of Windsor, he completed his doctorate in education at the University of Toronto. He is a Research Co-ordinator in the Toronto Board of Education and Adjunct Professor at York University, in the Faculty of Education and in Critical Disability Studies. His areas of study include the time structures of schools, including absenteeism; secondary achievement; special education needs; post-secondary student pathways; longitudinal tracking studies; and socio-economic and demographic patterns. |
Workshop C
| Date: | Friday, August 22, 2014 |
| Time: | 10:45 – 12:15 |
| Room: | 0007 TEL |
| Presenter: | Tanya Senk (TDSB Aboriginal Education Centre) |
| Title: | Promising Practices in Urban Aboriginal Education |
| Description: | This presentation will highlight some innovative approaches in Urban Aboriginal Education through community-school partnerships which serve to increase capacity in delivery and establish exciting learning opportunities for all students. |
| Presenter Bio: | Tanya Senk is an Indigenous educator and artist (Métis/Cree/Saulteaux) who has been working in the TDSB for 17 years. She has been a classroom teacher, a course director at York University, in the Faculty of Education, both at the Urban Diversity and Regent Park program sites. She is currently the Program Coordinator for Aboriginal Education. She also worked on a collaborative three year research project with SCEE (School and Community Engaged Education Project), a partnership between York’s Faculty of Education through YCEC, the Toronto District School Board and the Aboriginal Education Centre. As a PhD candidate (working with Dr. Susan Dion), her research interests include Urban Aboriginal Education, Aboriginal Student Success and Well-Being, Decolonizing and Indigenizing Education. |
Workshop D
| Date: | Friday, August 22, 2014 |
| Time: | 10:45 – 12:15 |
| Room: | 0009 TEL |
| Presenter: | Alexis Kane Speer and Anjuli Solanki (Sustainable Thinking and Expression on Public Space Initiative - STEPS - Initiative) |
| Title: | Building the Capacity of Emerging ARTivists |
| Description: | This workshop will highlight the importance of a community- based health care model for students and families. This workshop will explore the roles of Community Health worker, Teachers, Doctors, Nurse and Allied Health professionals in providing accessible health care services to students and families utilizing a social determinants, person centered, and collaborative framework. |
| Presenter Bio: | In collaboration with schools and community agencies, STEPS has built the the capacity of Toronto youth to address social and environmental issues facing their community through youth-led public art projects (including the World’s Tallest Mural). Learn our approach to community-engaged projects, and how they can be implemented in school settings. |
Workshop E
| Date: | Friday, August 22, 2014 |
| Time: | 10:45 – 12:15 |
| Room: | 0011 TEL |
| Presenter: | Denyse Stewart and Kemi Jacobs (Transformative Community Education Network) |
| Title: | From Self Hate to Self Love – Laying the Foundation for a Growth Mindset |
| Description: | This interactive, reflective workshop will explore how self hate is manifested in our lives, how we go about developing self love – with the goal of creating a foundation for a growth mindset.This co-facilitated workshop recognizes that barriers prevent many racialized youth from attaining a growth mindset and relates to the theme ‘Re-thinking the Achievement Gap in Education’. |
| Presenter Bio: | Kemi Jacobs is passionate about identity and authenticity. The principal associate at Change Strategies by Sankofa, Kemi is a skilled mediator, facilitator and manager, working with Yensomu to deliver the first city-wide Rites of Passage processes in the City of Toronto.
Denyse Stewart is an educator who started her career doing literacy work with adults in the community sector. A seasoned facilitator who thrives on introducing diverse approaches to learning in the classroom, Denyse currently is a teacher in the TDSB. |
Workshop F (closed)
| Date: | Friday, August 22, 2014 |
| Time: | 10:00 - 2:30 |
| Room: | Education Resource Centre, 3144 TEL Building |
| Presenter: | Africentric Alternative School Research Project |
| Title: | Transforming a Community: The Africentric School |
| Description: | This closed workshop is a gathering of invited members of The TDSB Africentric School to discuss the research and data pertaining to the school community. |
