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Youth Development

Don’t Bungle Your Kids

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BY: KATHY MCDONALD 

It’s three o’clock. This article is late and I am totally revamping the entire message. You see, as is the tradition in my family we went to the largest retail mall in Brampton to get our Santa Family photo. This is something that my husband and I have been doing since the birth of our first child, some nineteen years ago. Today’s experience was different though. As I sat at our meeting point waiting for the various family members to congregate, I witnessed something that shook me to the core. A young well-groomed young black male was discreetly rummaging through the garbage. I watched him eat a minuscule piece of meat from a discarded chicken meal.

So many things went through my mind. Is Brampton, the “capital” of the hidden homeless and youth in poverty? I found myself wondering, how the heck such a well-groomed, well dressed young man ended up rifling through the garbage for food. I wanted to know more but I didn’t have the guts to ask. I went and bought a chicken meal for him and offered it to him. He thanked me, took it and immediately sat down to eat. I wondered about his mental health. I mused about his family and where and what they were doing at that very moment he was stripping the minute morsel of meat off the chicken leg. I speculated what levels of society, government and family failed this individual. I questioned the role the educational system played in this young man’s life. I then reaffirmed my commitment to making sure that all forms of discrimination, systemic biases, and racism are completely eradicated from the PDSB and all educational systems.

I must confess that I actually bought a lotto ticket with the hope of winning enough money to return to the mall hoping to find that young man so I could provide any resource needed to help him through this difficult period of his life. Quite frequently throughout the day, I found myself thinking about this young man, who could easily be my elder son’s age. He is supposed to be having the time of his life learning and laying the foundation for a productive life. While I have no idea what circumstances led him to the garbage can I do know that his story does not have to end there.

I would like to implore parents to pay attention to their children’s mental health and well-being. I would beseech all parents to get involved with all aspects of your child’s life, from the spiritual, mental, physical and educational. Each facet is equally important for the development of the whole child. We are living in an ever-changing, fast pace world that can be very stressful for many. As parents, we need to invest and nurture our most precious commodity, our children. As Jacqueline Kennedy said, “If you bungle your children, I don’t think whatever else you do matters very much”.

Reflecting on 2017 and the Christmas season I can’t help but be hopeful of things to come. With all my optimism comes a sense of duty. It is very important to me to keep hammering home with these articles the importance of parent involvement and parent engagement. These two undertakings are essential and critical to the wellbeing of all children. So please indulge me if sometimes they appear repetitive. Parents, you are essential players in your children’s accomplishments. Parents, guardians and community members, it’s important that you participate, speak up and hold school boards and the Ministry of Education accountable for the educational outcomes of your children.

You cannot be passive and simply leave the educational system to determine the pathways and endeavors that your children participate in. Partner with the school and work together to achieve the best possible educational experience for your child. Most teachers are caring, diligent and are fully invested in your child. However, don’t gamble with your child’s future. The time invested in their educational, mental health and physical wellbeing will be the best investment you could ever make.

2017 saw many strides being made in the educational sector both at the ministerial and board level. The Ministry of Education is proposing making the collection of disaggregated data mandatory for all boards, they are looking at anti-black racism as well as the effects of streaming on radicalized communities. Great work is being done for special education students as well as students in poverty. A lot of these issues cannot be tackled in isolation and there is a greater willingness for all the various branches of government to work together. But a word of caution to parents. Don’t be complacent and think all is hunky-dory. Get involved. If it’s one thing that was reaffirmed to me this past week, it’s usually the loudest voices that get heard and tended to.   

As a community, let’s work together to minimize the need for people to be rifling through the garbage for food. I know that the aforementioned scenario does not necessarily reflect on the educational system. However, I think that a sound educational system can all but eliminate such negative experiences. Parents, guardians and community members please journey with me in the upcoming year to make our children have the best educational experience of their academic career. Walk Good, Belle Marché

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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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