May 2021 Newsletter

Neethan Shan, Executive Director

"We have been working hard to plan and organize a series of workshops and educational sessions over the next couple of months and we are very excited to share with you the details on what is to come. This month, UARR will also focus on collaborations and building partnerships with other organizations that align with our values and mission in advocating for racial justice. UARR will also be facilitating more anti-racism and anti-oppression training sessions, as we continue to build our capacity to meet the growing need.

We’re now preparing for our academic conference which aims to raise and tackle issues surrounding racial equity within education systems. We continue to support high school and post secondary students as part of our fellowship programs and youth spaces, providing them with exposure to the resources, opportunities and skills they need to succeed. We are also working to ensure that new and existing organizations serving marginalized communities across Toronto are being given the support and tools needed to continue to function during the Pandemic. Please continue reading this e-newsletter to learn more about our updates for this month."

Congratulations Gary Pieters!

Congratulations Naseem Mithoowani!

Naseem has been appointed by the Federal Government to serve on the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal for a 5 year term.

Congratulations Reshma Dhrodia!

Reshma has received the Jill Matus Excellence in Student Services Award for her positive impact on the student experience as the On Location Accessibility Team Lead at the St. George campus of the University of Toronto.

Black Youth Fellowship: Working and Networking

Our Black Youth Fellows have had great success at their respective offices. On our joint training session last month with CABR, we were able to support the fellows in their search for opportunities and learning about different career options as potential policy makers. We are incredibly proud of our fellows as they are making great progress in developing their individual community projects in their respective wards.

We have launched a Black Youth Fellowship Instagram page where those interested in black community development initiatives can connect with professionals, monitor the initiatives and check out our fellows. Follow @blackyouthfellowship on Instagram for updates.

Advocating for Equity in the Education System

In April, the Coalition for Racial Equity in Education began its organizing in earnest. Each community has chosen the issues they are most passionate about. They have narrowed down the boards & geographic areas to concentrate efforts on, as well as drafted a plan of advocacy activities to take on until the end of the school year. By the end of June, we hope to have allied with specific trustees and tabled motions advancing our goals.

CREE's next public education initiative is an academic conference titled 'Back to Basics: Addressing Racism in Ontario's Secondary School Systems'. This will be a space to disseminate, analyze and present the learnings we have encountered thus far, related to racial equity in education. We hope to provide tools for parents and students to navigate equity-related issues within Ontario school boards. Sessions will include information on issues such as diverse hiring, impacts of COVID, legal rights within the school system, and policy writing workshops.

The conference will be held from Monday, June 14th to Friday, June 18th, 2021, with two sessions daily. Eventbrite registration will begin in the coming days, please check out our website to stay informed: cree-uarr.nationbuilder.com

We are also looking to recruit additional Tamil and/or Muslim parent volunteers! If you have an interest in racial justice, community organizing, or education policy, visit our website for more information and apply through the links below!

CASSA Parent Link

TCCCA Parent Link

Enhancing Durham's Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

The Diversity and Inclusion Training Sessions aim to increase an awareness of the responsibilities held by Durham region’s professionals and staff relating to advancing racial equity, diversity and inclusion for the Tamil and Pakistani members of the community. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, this demographic has repeatedly been the victim of systematic challenges and structural disadvantages.

This month, we will be coordinating and scheduling 4 one-on-one Diversity and Inclusion training workshops with Durham organizations, 2 of which will be held in May. Our team is also putting together a Durham Project Report, which will summarize the goals of the initiative and how perceived results compare to the intent. We are also currently in the process of developing a Durham Project Website Portal for more easily accessible information and updates on this ongoing initiative.

Connecting the Dots: Highlighting Services for the South Asian Community

In order to better connect South Asian communities with COVID recovery programs and services, we have reached out to organizations that received ECSF funding through red cross and are using this opportunity to shed light on the services that are often under-acknowledged or difficult to access for the South Asian demographic.

We are in the process of developing creative content and modules from the information provided, and we are consolidating them on an online web portal that will soon be made publicly accessible.