A national project led by Black researchers designed to get more Black youth interested in post-secondary education has joined forces with Dalhousie University to offer three different summer programs.
A first-of-its-kind national database tracking the lived experiences and unique challenges of Black youth as they navigate the university world will be unveiled later this year, with far-reaching implications for researchers and students alike.
The system for granting federal research funding in Canada fails to give Black scientists the support they need to optimize their work, professors and researchers say. Not providing that stability for researchers may result in a brain drain to other countries, says Lawrence Goodridge, who has worked in the U.S. and Canada. He said one common criterion for determining who gets grant funding in Canada is if a candidate demonstrates leadership or has received grants before.
York University recently launched a new initiative with the aim of enhancing the representation of Black youth at universities across Canada. Professor Carl James, York’s Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora in the Faculty of Education; and Aliya Clarke, an undergraduate student at McMaster University, join The Agenda’s Steve Paikin to discuss the barriers faced by Black youth in high schools and how this initiative could address the inequities in the education system.
York University has strengthened its commitment to the work of the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora (JACECD) by matching community contributions up to $500,000.
York University is launching a three-year initiative to enhance the representation of Black youth at universities across Canada by supporting upper-year high-school students as they plan for their future, such as pursuing post-secondary education or work, and aiding in the transition and retention of those who pursue university.
Students who have fallen out of the education system due to the pandemic risk forming an underclass with diminished prospects, and the Ontario government needs a major outreach effort to bring missing students back to its classrooms, says the head of a global commission for education recovery.
Addressing racism in the classroom requires educators to ask hard questions of themselves, white discomfort, and the discarding of old traditions.
York University alumna Darcie Sutherland has been appointed to the role of Principal of Inclusive Schools and Community Services: Dismantling Anti-Black Racism Strategy at the York Region District School Board (YRDSB).
“Ideals and values like respect are not neutral,” says Vidya Shah, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education at York University in Toronto. “For families whose children are experiencing harm and violence in schools, the most respectful thing to do is to stand up,” she says. “To somebody else who doesn’t want to admit that families are experiencing racism, respect might be to stay quiet.