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Jean Augustine S.S. Set to Open September 2016

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BY KATHY MCDONALD 

February is a busy month filled with many holidays and celebrations. There is Valentine’s Day, Family Day, Chinese New Year and Black History Month to name a few. This year, Black History holds special meaning to me as at the Peel District School Board (PDSB) we are getting ready to bestow a distinctive honor on a well deserving member of the Caribbean and Black community. Jean Augustine has accepted the PDSB’S request to name a secondary school after her. So if all goes according to plan the Jean Augustine Secondary School will open its doors this September at 500 Elbern Markell Drive in Brampton. In my opinion this is what is so spectacular about celebrating Black History. We get to celebrate the contributions of not only the historical figures of the civil rights movement, freedom fighters, famous community advocates but extraordinary immigrants that are forever changing the Canadian landscape.  

I would like to mention a few of Ms. Augustine’s accomplishments to date. In 1963 she obtained her teaching certificate and by 1982 she was appointed as the principal of St. Felix School. She was the first Black woman to be elected to the House of Commons where she served from 1993 until 2005. Augustine was later appointed to the Federal Cabinet making her the first Black female to hold such a position.  In 2007 she was appointed as the Fairness Commissioner of Canada. In 2009 Ms. Augustine received the Order of Canada, in 2012 the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and in 2014 the Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Ms. Augustine has an honorary degree from the University of Toronto, her alma mater. This remarkable champion of education and human rights has served on numerous organizations in various capacities including the National Black Coalition of Canada, the Board of Governors of York University, the Board of Trustees for The Hospital for Sick Children, the Board of Harbourfront, and Chair of the Metro Toronto Housing Authority.

It is very important to our children to celebrate and to educate them about their culture, history and the successes of members of the community. When I was talking to my seventeen year old son about Black History month and its relevance he commented that “Black Canadians, naturalized and natural-born, have helped define Canada’s diverse heritage and identity through a myriad of achievements and contributions to the broader society. These predate 1870 when the Black Moses became a conductor in the underground railway. A legacy of contribution was set into motion by the first Black credited to putting foot on this land, Mathieu Da Costa, who came to Canada in 1605 via an expedition that founded Port Royal in Nova Scotia. Ever since, Blacks have stamped into Canada’s diverse, fabulous and rich heritage a unique identity, despite social, political and climatic hurdles through a world of achievements and contribution over the last four centuries. A wall of contributions have been made in cultural, arts, sports, medicine, education, public service and human rights and politics.” He feels that possessing this knowledge and awareness is very important for him as this has helped to nurture his healthy self-concept.

I am especially excited as a member of the Congress of Black Women (Brampton Chapter) to witness my fellow Congress sister’s success on the world stage. Ms. Augustine served as the National President of this dynamic organization devoted to empowering Black women.  A little immigrant woman from the small Caribbean island of Grenada has demonstrated that with determination, hard work and an education anything is possible. Jean’s life story epitomizes the immigrant struggles and triumphs. Did you know that Ms. Augustine came to Canada under the West Indian Domestic Scheme and worked as a nanny? Augustine had goals and a vision. By educating herself and never losing sight of her goals she became the phenomenal woman that she is today. I would like to encourage everyone to take a page from Jean Augustine’s book and never give up on your dream. Dream big and remember if you can conceive it you can achieve it. Walk Good. Belle Marche!!

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Youth Development

Understanding the multiple layers involved in navigating education spaces Parents of Black Children launch Navigating the Education System

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BY PAUL JUNOR

The work of the advocacy group Parents of Black Children (PoBC) has made a significant and revolutionary difference by bringing issues to the forefront that help Black families at all levels.

For over two years now, it has organized events, workshops and initiatives that have provided important information to the Black community to bring empowerment, knowledge and deep understanding of the multiple layers of the complex dynamics involved in navigating education spaces.

There are five core principles that underlie PoBC understanding of racism:

  1. Racialization
  2. Racism is about power
  3. Critical racial theory
  4. Our stories matter
  5. Racism is founded on White supremacy

On Tuesday, November 23rd, 2021, they launched the document Navigating the Education System,” which was a very empowering, enriching and inspiring tool for diverse Black families. Kearie Daniels, one of the cofounders of PoBC and author of the document, moderated the launch. Furthermore, Claudette Rutherford, one of the cofounders of PoBC and author gave an extensive presentation of the details of the document, sharing useful insights, practical knowledge and interesting information.

PoBC shared a pdf document subsequent to the launch, which provided additional details in a fifty-three-page package. It contained relevant, contextual and vital resources. PoBC’s Advocacy Team supported the document, which includes Charline Grant and Xavier McLaughin.

In the introduction to the document the mission of PoBC is to “Provide support to parents of Black children across Canada and the United States. We advocate and work towards change and concrete action in our education system and adjacent systems such child welfare and the justice system.”

The launch of this vital document is a culmination of all the advocacy and activist work that PoBC has been extensively involved in. It serves to remind members of the Black community that there are resources, tools and supports available to ensure that Black children are able to thrive academically, excel mentally and flourish intellectually in spaces that may not be welcoming to their presence.

The document states that the navigate guide is “Geared towards families in Ontario, but the information can be applied to any jurisdiction where there are Black children and families.”

The document “Table of Contents” is useful and helpful. There is vital information on:

  • School board terms you need to know
  • Education organization you need to know in Ontario
  • Black families and the Child Welfare System
  • Black families and the education system
  • Black students and Individual Education Plans (IEPs)
  • Black students in High School.
  • Developmental delays in learning exceptionalities
  • Supporting students with learning exceptionalities
  • Selecting a school system
  • System abuse

PoBC presented a webinar on “System Abuse”. The document states,

“The system is not neutral. These systems were designed as part of a colonial framework that must be dismantled.” Furthermore, the document “Serves as a means to demystify the pitfalls within the education system and light a path towards a decolonized education system.”

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Youth Development

Toronto prepares families for COVID-19 vaccination of children

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Photo by Charles Deluvio Library on Unsplash

BY PAUL JUNOR

There have been concerns, fears and anxieties as parents, caregivers and guardians anticipate the possibility of having their children under twelve vaccinated.

The Boston Globe reported on Friday, October 29th, 2021, that the FDA approved the administration of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to children between the ages of five to eleven. These children will receive one-third of the dose administered to teens and adults.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention met on Tuesday, November 2nd, 2021, in order to finalize details with respect to which children should be vaccinated first. In anticipation of these developments, Team Toronto has initiated a series of outreach and education sessions, as well as town halls in order to inform the Toronto community.

Parents of children between the ages of five to eleven who attend public schools will be receiving an email and an invitation to respond to a survey to “Support vaccine planning.”  This invitation will also be extended to parents whose children attend private independent schools as well. The survey will be administered by Toronto Public Health (TPH) and the City of Toronto VaxTO in order to “Better understand parents’ intent to vaccinate their children, how they would prefer to have their children receive their COVID-19 vaccine, and to obtain critical information on socio-demographic factors such as race and income.”

John Tory, Mayor of Toronto, is optimistic and positive about this development. He states in the press release, “While our work to get 90% of eligible residents vaccinated is continuing, we are also readying for when the vaccine will be available to protect kids five to eleven. We want to hear from parents, so we made sure we designed a vaccination program that works for kids and their families. This is just one more example of the outreach we are doing to prepare for this effort. This work is so important and will help us get kids vaccinated so they have the best protection against COVID-19 and so our schools can be as safe and as open as possible.”

Councillor Joe Cressy, Chair of Toronto’s Board of Health who has been at the forefront of advocating for the vaccination of margnizalied and at-risk communities is supportive of this campaign. He states, “At every stage of our immunization campaign, connecting with people on the ground has been critical to our success. Now, as we prepare for the rollout of vaccines to children aged five to eleven, we’re committed to engaging directly with parents, families, and community leaders to have active conversations about vaccinations for kids.”

In addition, Dr Eileen De Villa, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health is a strong proponent of this campaign. She states,” When vaccines are approved for use and when we have supply we will ensure that we bring every resource to bear on this critical component of the vaccination campaign.”

The survey will be available as of Sunday, November 7th, 2021. It consists of fifteen questions that will be available online at s.tphsurvey.chkmkt.com in multiple languages. Parents and guardians will receive them from their children’s public school boards. In addition, there will be town halls for specified multilingual communities as well as neighbourhood-based telephone halls to ensure that the public has access to timely, necessary and relevant information for informed decision-making.

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Youth Development

Act as if what you do makes a difference. IT DOES

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BY SABRINA S. – 12 YEARS OLD

The school year is coming to an end, I’m sure that this year was hectic for everyone. Last year, we had a pandemic strike in the middle of the year and the world was sent into lockdown.

We didn’t get to go to school for the rest of the year.

Many students got to choose if they wanted to do school in-person or online, I chose online since I didn’t feel safe.

First day of school was very weird, most people don’t turn their cameras on, don’t even get me started on the wifi issues. I would lag out of the google meet many times and miss most of the instructions on the assignment. That is when friends come in handy, though I don’t get to see my friends that often, we still connect with some online games and phone calls through snap chat.

I don’t know where the time went, it just flew by. Last month was September and suddenly, I feel like we skipped eight months. I only have a week of school left! Because it is the last week of school, I have a lot of homework and final assignments to do but I know I’ll get through them and finish the school year.

I haven’t had time to go outside as well, I’ve been too busy with my assignments.

If my school year was this hectic, imagine the teacher’s year. I’m very grateful for everything my teachers have done for me and my classmates this year, they definitely deserve the three-month summer break. I’m sure my teachers doubted teaching online, but everything went okay and I learned lots.

“No matter how hard it is, or how hard it gets. I’m going to make it!”

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