Hello and bonjour,
Happy spring to all youth leaders, adult allies, and supporters!
Thank you for being a part of the Re:Action4Inclusion movement. Your participation and contributions continue to inspire and strengthen youth leadership!
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The Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) is currently recruiting members for the 2023 – 2024 term. We need youth advocates to lead our movement and help us empower young people.
Are you an individual who has a passion for empowering and representing youth voices across Ontario?
Are you between the ages of 14 – 29?
Be part of a purposeful organization aligned with your values and mission. Have the opportunity to work with like-minded youth across Ontario to break down barriers to inclusion.
DISRUPT! Social Justice Series – Classroom workshops!
The DISRUPT! Social Justice Series is a series of educational workshops for students, youth, and passionate community-builders. The themes of the workshops are designed for like-minded youth to come together to exchange ideas, share powerful stories and learn more about creative ways to promote an inclusive Canada.
The Youth Advisory Committee has selected five topics for the DISRUPT! Social Justice Series. The topics are Mental Health, Inclusive Education, Truths of Institutionalization, Art & Culture from Indigenous artists, and Employment Equity. The series will be hosted in a hybrid form through a mix of online and in-person events, making sure to accommodate different communities in Ontario.
These past few months Re:Action4Inclusion has been connecting special education classrooms from York Region and Toronto with a local Indigenous artist named Virginia Barter. Virginia Barter is a Toronto-based historical writer/storyteller/musician and filmmaker. As a multi-disciplinary artist, Virginia is known for her unique style of storytelling using visual art, film and Aboriginal music and language. Virginia is a passionate advocate of Métis culture and history.
DISRUPT! Truths of Institutionalization
As part of the DISRUPT! Social justice series, our Youth Advisory Committee, in collaboration with the Council of Community Living Ontario, is presenting on the Truths of Institutionalization in classrooms across Ontario! The presentation spreads awareness of the curriculum developed by Community Living Ontario, Inclusion Canada, and People First of Canada by providing visual content of how the project was developed, stories from survivors, and the historical significance of institutions.
On Thursday, March 23rd, 2023, our council members Nicole Flynn and Niko Pupella gave our first presentation at St. John Henry Newman Catholic Secondary School in the Toronto District School Board in Scarborough. The presentation was given to a Grade 10 Religion class and was attended by 23 students along with their class teacher, Ms. Nicole O’Connor. Niko and Nicole helped the students understand the impact of “othering” people for reasons beyond their control and how having this attitude has caused many tragedies in history.
Through our in-person visits at schools, all over Ontario, we would like to create awareness, promote respect, and encourage reflection on the human rights of people who have an intellectual disability in Canada.
Classroom Outreach – Connect us with your students!
Our Youth and Community engagement worker has been presenting to classrooms in person and virtually about the youth initiatives Community Living Ontario offers. These presentations can be for special education classrooms, mainstream classrooms, or inclusive peer support clubs. The presentation can run for up to a full class period and will inform students about the importance of self-advocating, volunteering, and creating a personal network for themselves during these transitional years.
