September 2021 Newsletter

Neethan Shan, Executive Director

"We are repeatedly reminded of how critical it is for our communities to remain united in our fight against racism. Urban Alliance on Race Relations continues our efforts and initiatives that address racial injustice and discrimination across Canada. We also encourage all of our supporters to participate in any capacity to take action and advocate for the elimination of all forms of discrimination. Our upcoming Racial Justice Summit is an excellent opportunity to be heard and to hear from others on the frontlines fighting racism. We encourage you to read the pieces written by our Racial Justice Policy Hub volunteers to stay informed about various important issues around racial inequities. We continue to work on education systems change through our Coalition for Racial Equity in Education project, and we are expanding the Diversity Youth Fellowship.

Please read on to learn more about our current projects, job opportunities, and how to get involved in some of our initiatives."

AGM - October 13th

Please e-mail [email protected] or call (416) 703-6607 to RSVP and receive details on how to attend.

Racial Justice Summit 2021 - November 17th - 18th

The Racial Justice Summit 2021 will be hosted in partnership with the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) and will offer online sessions in hopes to create a forum where racial justice advocates from diverse backgrounds can engage in dialogue, learn from one another, and build relationships and collaborations to enhance their work in the field.

In this year’s summit, the themes that we will be focusing on include: racism in education, media, health, justice and government (municipal, provincial, federal). The summit will take place on November 17 & 18, 2021. 

If you and your organization are interested in sponsoring this year’s Summit, please e-mail [email protected] for an information package and proposal. We would greatly appreciate your support and be more than happy to answer any of your questions. 

Racial Justice Awards 2021 - December 10th

The Racial Justice Awards is an annual celebration hosted by UARR to honour and acknowledge the incredible work being done by racial justice advocates across Canada. More details coming soon!

Racial Justice Policy Hub:

The Racial Justice Policy Hub 2021 has kicked off this summer with volunteers researching issues and policies that pertain to health, justice, education and media!  

The volunteers have begun disseminating information—on our social media—about issues regarding access to healthcare, intersectionality, defunding the police, and misrepresentation in the media. Volunteers will also produce research summaries, short papers on pertinent policies, and personal essays, which will soon become available on our website. Be sure to check on urbanalliance.ca to read from our volunteers and access those resources as soon as they are up! 

Examining the looking glass: An exploration of identity through the lens of education policy on learning disabilities

In her paper, Kirandeep reflects on the impact of education policy on students with learning disabilities.

Click here to read the full paper.

Policing and Accountability in Law Enforcement

Haben Dawit takes a closer look at the "code of silence" among police officers, and discusses its implications on accountability and transparency within law enforcement.

Click here to read the full text.

Is Canada really a multicultural, tolerant, and diverse nation?

A report by Statistics Canada shows a legacy of racism and discrimination that prevails within Canada. Read Arunita Das' full summary of Statistics Canada's report on the increase of hate crimes in Canada.

Click here to read Arunita's paper.

Reallocating our Resources

An excerpt of Salvatore Loiero's article reads, "The movement to defund the police is sometimes misunderstood. It’s not only about diminishing police funding or abolishing the police. It’s about making smarter use of resources and appropriately responding to the situation."

Click here to read Salvatore's article on our website.

Muslim Youth Fellowship

The MYF committee has reviewed applications, conducted interviews, and selected the third cohort of Muslim Youth Fellows. We are now in the process of planning training sessions, which will cover a range of topics including anti-racism, communications, project management, self-care, and will begin with an introduction to City Hall. The Fellows will begin their placements on September 20th, and until then, will continue to attend training sessions. The committee has also started planning the fundraising for the program, aiming to support the Muslim Youth Fellows throughout their placements.

Filipino Youth Fellowship

Fellows in the Filipino Youth Fellowship have been paired up with their mentors, and have a great support system to back them up as they begin their fellowship. Fellows have been working diligently on their community projects, with projects ranging from promoting the other youth fellowships, to creating resource databases.
Fellows have also recently wrapped up their last training session, highlighting allyship and solidarity. The training involved looking over the TRC and how the Filipino community can come together to help demonstrate solidarity and support for the Indigenous community.

Black Youth Fellowship - Now Accepting Applications

Applications for next year's cohort of Black Youth Fellows are now open and we encourage you to apply or send your peers to apply if you think they would be interested. 

The Black Youth Fellowship (BYF) seeks to place highly motivated, passionate, and hard-working young people on a fast track to success. BYF is a professional and leadership development program focusing on building the next generation of Black public servants - providing training, mentorship, internship, and an opportunity to get involved in a community project. The BYF is a four-month program, with this year's cohort beginning January 2022. Three to four months of intensive training and mentoring are complemented by a 12-week placement in the office of a Member of Council. 

Deadline to apply: September 24, 2021 

Tamil Youth Fellowship

The Tamil Youth Fellows have completed 12 weeks of their placements with the City of Toronto! The placements have been providing them with excellent learning opportunities as they get to witness the chaos and buzz of elections in their respective councillor offices. Fellows are understanding what it means to be a part of the city on a municipal level and interacting with their communities through community centre openings, park events, and case work.  

We are very excited to be hosting the TYF graduation on September 27 to allow advisors, mentors, and steering committee members an opportunity to celebrate the fellows’ successful completion!

September 27, 2021 from 7:00pm-8:30pm

Follow @tamilyouthfellowship on Instagram to stay up to date on our work and events. 

For more information about our youth fellowships, please visit www.youthfellowship.ca.

Work at UARR

If you are interested in working with UARR or know someone who might be interested, browse our current employment opportunities here.

We are taking applications for the following:

• Project Coordinator, Racial Equity in Education
• Black Youth Fellowship