Better Together

Better Together

Realizing York University’s commitment to living well together. This page provides information and resources to promote open and respectful dialogue so that all of York University’s diverse community members can thrive.

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Supporting Grief, Compassion and Community on Campus

In order to honour community members’ experiences over the last year related to the escalation of violence and suffering in Israel and Palestine, the University invites students, faculty and staff to attend events between Oct. 7 – 10, 2024, providing opportunities to express grief and compassion and cultivate community at York.​ Grief and trauma counseling will be available each day. 

Events are designed to support York community members who may be affected by the violence in Israel, Palestine and beyond. These events may be distressing for some participants. Please ensure you take care of yourself and others, seek assistance if needed. You can find resources on the well-being website.  

It is especially important that all participants demonstrate compassion and respect for each other, including amid disagreement. You may wish to review the principles set out in the President’s Initiative on Open & Respectful Dialogue, which guide our engagement with each other and difficult topics. By adhering to these principles, we are helping make sure York University is a place diverse people and ideas thrive. 

Please check back regularly, more events are being added. 

For anyone grieving losses experienced by Israelis and the wider Israeli and/or Jewish diaspora

  • All Day: Grief/trauma counseling available
  • Community gatherings
    Join other York community members for facilitated reflection regarding the losses and fears experienced by Israelis and the wider Israeli and/or Jewish diaspora. Light refreshments will be served.

Common ground

  • All Day: Grief/trauma counseling available
  • Dialogue Across Difference Workshop by the Centre for Human Rights, Equity & Inclusion 
    Through a series of engaging activities and reflection exercises participants who take part in this workshop will be able to:
    1) Identify personal limitations to engagement in dialogue across differences.  
    2) Identify what they need to engage in meaningful conversation through respectful dialogue without the intention of persuasion. 
    3) develop personal strategies to manage emotions in order to look past individual differences and hear the humanity of someone’s lived experiences. 
  • Bridging the Gap: Panel Discussion about the Challenges & Hopes of Intergroup Dialogue at York  
    Listen to Jewish, Israeli, Palestinian, and/or Muslim students discuss their motivation for participating in Bridging the Gap, an intergroup dialogue initiative at York. 
  • Open Office Hour with Professors Thabit Abdullah & David Koffman (Department of History) 
    York faculty members draw on their substantive and pedagogical expertise in thoughtful discussions and respond to questions regarding the conflict between Israel and Palestine, including its reverberations in Canada and at York. 
  • Community gatherings
    Join other York community members for facilitated reflection regarding the proliferation of suffering, fear, and division since October 7, both abroad and on campuses. Light refreshments will be served.

For anyone grieving losses experienced by Palestinians and the wider Palestinian diaspora

  • All Day: Grief/trauma counseling available 
  • Community gatherings
    Join other York community members for facilitated reflection regarding the losses and fears experienced by Palestinians and the wider Palestinian and/or Arab diaspora. Light refreshments will be served.

Common ground

  • All Day: Grief/trauma counseling available 
  • Free Expression, Protest, and Peaceful Assembly on Campus Spaces; panel with Professors Ben Berger, Jamie Cameron & Bruce Ryder (Osgoode Hall Law School)
    Protest encampments on university campuses have recently attracted a great deal of attention and controversy. University administrations responded in a variety of ways before dismantling encampments: some quickly invited police to remove protesters. some sought court orders, and others negotiated settlements. These events and debates revealed uncertainty about the scope of freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly on campus. The July ruling of the Ontario Superior Court in the U of T encampment case did much to clarify the issues, but many important questions remain. Join this panel of legal experts from Osgoode Hall Law School as they discuss the scope of civil liberties on Canadian campuses in the wake of the court’s decision.
  • Open Office Hour with Professors Amila Buturović & Randal Schnoor (Religious Studies Program, Department of Humanities) 
    York faculty members draw on their substantive and pedagogical expertise in thoughtful discussions and respond to questions regarding the conflict between Israel and Palestine, including its reverberations in Canada and at York. 
  • Dialogue Across Difference Workshop by the Centre for Human Rights, Equity & Inclusion
    Through a series of engaging activities and reflection exercises participants who take part in this workshop will be able to:  
    1) Identify personal limitations to engagement in dialogue across differences.  
    2) Identify what they need to engage in meaningful conversation through respectful dialogue without the intention of persuasion. 
    3) develop personal strategies to manage emotions in order to look past individual differences and hear the humanity of someone’s lived experiences. 
  • Community Gathering 
    Join other York community members for facilitated reflection regarding the proliferation of suffering, fear, and division since October 7, both abroad and on campuses. Light refreshments will be served.

Updates

Supporting grief, compassion and community on campus – September 18, 2024
Dear students and colleagues, as we look to the year ahead, we also need to reflect on the one just past. While the 2023-24 academic year had high and happy points, its memory is also marked by the devastating escalation of violence and suffering in Israel and Palestine…

Keeping University spaces safe, inclusive and welcoming for all members of the community – September 17, 2024
Dear York community, we recognize that conflicts and crises occurring locally and globally continue to impact many community members and in different ways. The past year has been particularly challenging for those who have community and familial ties to Israel and Palestine, and who continue to be deeply impacted…