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Youth Development

Reflections of my First Year in Office

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BY KATHY MCDONALD

December 1st marks one year since I was sworn into office. It seems like just yesterday I was pounding the pavement with my two year old in the stroller.  As cliché as this might sound; times really flies. The journey has been quite edifying and exhilarating to say the least. There is nothing like discovering a job that satisfies your passion, getting up every day to do it and feeling that you were born for it. When ashes cole dwag sleep in it; (When ashes are cold a dog/ person will sleep in it). Yes, I did make the best of my situation. It was baptism by fire.  Within the first year just about every federation participated in sanctions of some kind; I witnessed several parent strikes which made issues like bussing and boundary changes seem mundane and worked ardently to understand the nuances of my role.

The first order of business was visiting all my schools and introducing myself to the administration and staff. There were Trustee orientation training, Trustee information sessions, symposiums and on the job training. Several social events started popping up in my calendar daily. I remember the words of a wise seasoned Trustee that reminded me that “I will eventually need to be selective in the events I attend or I will burn out”. My second son kept saying “Where are you going again mom?” So juggle I did, with the support of my husband and the proverbial village.

Before I knew it, it was Black History Month and as a storyteller I went to most of my schools and did my best to share the Caribbean/ African culture to the students of the Peel District School Board (PDSB) in wards 3 and 4.  By March 1st I was hoarse. There were Open Houses, talk of labor unrest and more meetings. April did not provide the reprieve that I thought it would. With Education week (really weeks as it spans two weeks), Sikh Heritage Month and more labor unrest I was busy. Keep in mind that my day to day activities are not slowing down either. These included, answering emails and phone calls from anxious parents, committee meetings, discipline hearings, extremely long Board meetings as the number of delegations are increasing as the hype over the revised Health and Physical Education Curriculum reached its peak.

May arrived – the dreaded OSSTF strike was here. EFTO’s work to rule followed shortly after that. It seemed like the job sanctions kept coming and before long the only people that were not participating in jobs sanctions were the principals and the vice-principals. Summer, the dog days of summer, while void of committee meetings, was busy with keeping four children engaged and active. When we returned to school in September the labor situation was dire.  It was long, the Province and the Federations were trying to get a deal and locally we were trying to do the same. We weathered the storm, repaired most relationships and unified, forged ahead working for the betterment of students. At the PDBS within minutes of OPSEU ratifying their deal the hallways started to sparkle.

Upon reflecting on 2014 the highs; for example, listening to the valedictory speech at the Adult Education Graduation  and the lows: for example, holding a terrified mother’s hand as we are filing a missing child report with the police I am filled with a renewed sense of propose. Throughout the year there were; assemblies, awards ceremonies, ribbon cutting as I opened a new school and new businesses; honoring various milestones in the life of school communities; celebrating student successes  and employees milestones and my favorite, graduations. Graduations whether its elementary or secondary are always filled with such hope and optimism that one can’t help but be filled with the infectious sense of confidence.

The PDSB 2015 organizational meeting did not produce any changes in our leadership but many other Boards saw major changes. Despite all that we endured as School Boards I am sure that I can speak for most of my colleagues when I say that student success is at the forefront of all we do. Funny how time flies when you’re having fun. 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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