Community Services and Parental Guides

Anti-racism resources for parents/guardians: Upper Grand District School Board

Upper Grand District School board provides anti-racism resources for parents, guardians, and caregivers to facilitate discussions with children about racism, anti-Black racism, privilege, power, discrimination, bias, and oppression. The resources include links to guides for talking to young children about race, articles on prejudice and tolerance, and expert advice on addressing anti-Black racism and police brutality. Additionally, the UGDSB offers a list of recommended books covering various aspects of racism, racial justice, and history, along with podcasts, videos, and films related to anti-Black racism. Parents are encouraged to use these materials to engage in thoughtful conversations and contribute to dismantling racism in their communities.

https://www.ugdsb.ca/schools/safe-equitable-and-inclusive-schools/equity-and-inclusive-education/anti-racism-and-anti-oppression-work/anti-racism-resources-for-parents-guardians/


Across Boundaries 

Across Boundaries seeks to serve racialized communities with mental health services that integrate an “anti-racist, anti-Black, and anti-oppression framework.” The organization employs people in the community they serve in order to work with compassion and cultural understanding. Some of their services include case management for those with serious mental illnesses in Caribbean dialects and African and Asian languages; psychiatric consultation; addiction and wellness management; mental health justice; and support for youth with mental illness.

http://acrossboundaries.ca/


Ontario Curriculum and Resources

The Ontario Curriculum and Resources website provides in-depth information on a wide range of subjects, with a particular focus on the courses offered from kindergarten to grade 12. It serves as a valuable resource for parents seeking insights into how courses like Geography, Canadian history, Civics and Citizenship, and ASL address issues of equity and inclusion in contemporary society. Developed by the Ontario Ministry of Education, the site offers diverse parental resources to help them navigate subjects and courses, and provide guidance to support their children's learning.

https://www.dcp.edu.gov.on.ca/en/


Pathways Model

Pathways to Education is an education program offered to high school students across Canada that seeks to combat barriers associated with living in low-income communities. Through this program, students are provided with numerous supports to assist with advancement in the education system including tailored student plans, after-school tutoring and mentoring, financial support, career planning, and food vouchers.

https://www.pathwaystoeducation.ca/pathways-model/


Tropicana Community Services Organization

Tropicana Community Services Organization, founded in Scarborough, Ontario, has aimed to provide culturally appropriate and supportive programs that predominantly focus on the needs of the Black, African, and Caribbean communities within Toronto. Some of the services they offer include employment services, personal development, education, childcare, counselling, and settlement services.

https://tropicanacommunity.org/


Roots Community Services

Roots Community Services, located in the Region of Peel, provides programming and services from culturally-appropriate perspectives and anti-oppressive, and anti-racist frameworks geared towards families, children, adults, and seniors. These offerings, referred to as the Pathways to Wellness, aim to help support individuals and families toward leading healthy, well-balanced lives, as well as to encourage increased community engagement and involvement. Pathways to Wellness have been designed to serve children from the age of six to those identifying as seniors. 

https://rootscs.org/


African Community Services of Peel

African Community Services of Peel, established in 1993, provides newcomer settlement services to the Black and African community in Peel and its surrounding areas. Since its establishment, the organization has developed “effective, confidential, and culturally relevant programs” geared towards “the settlement and integration needs of newcomers, immigrants, refugees, women, youth, seniors, and children from the black/African community.” In particular, African Community Services of Peel offers support, information, and services, as well as facilitates opportunities for development through programs such as the Youth Program, Senior’s Program, Women and Families Program, and the Newcomer Settlement Program. The African Community Services of Peel operate with the overall aim of effectively facilitating a healthy and comfortable transition for newcomers within their new communities, as well as improving the quality of life of the newcomer community in and around the Region of Peel.

https://www.africancommunityservices.com/children-s-program


Black Youth Helpline

The Black Youth Helpline, established in Manitoba in 1992 and expanded to Ontario in 2003, originated from a community-based project in Winnipeg where Black youth distributed flyers to encourage out-of-school youth to return to school. A Jamaican Registered Nurse became a crucial resource on the flyer, providing support and intervention that positively impacted the lives of youth. The Helpline, now nationwide, offers services such as multicultural youth support, professional assessments, Stay-In-School initiatives, parent and family support, community development, and systems navigation assistance to address the complex challenges faced by Black youth in Canada. The program's development has been shaped by the voices and needs of its participants.

https://blackyouth.ca/


Woodgreen Org

A hub for the services that Woodgreen provides for newcomers, families with children, houseless people, and other marginalized groups.

https://www.woodgreen.org/all-services-page


edX

edX compiles a list of resources to support children and adolescents' understanding of racism at the various stages of cognitive development. At 6 months, infants are capable of grouping people by race. Therefore it is important for a caregiver to apply these resources to counteract societal stereotypes that children may learn at infancy and to build their sense of empathy. At later stages, edX’s resources allow for giving older children the tools to discuss their identity and their relation to others.

https://www.onlinemswprograms.com/resources/how-to-teach-kids-about-race/

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