Calling all French-speaking student leaders and social justice advocates.
On Feb. 27, York University’s Glendon Campus will offer an intensive one-day virtual workshop, delivered in French, to French-speaking high school students (grades 9 to 12), during which they will learn to use art as a tool for social change.
Facilitators and students from Glendon’s African Network will provide a safe and welcoming environment for students to feel at ease engaging with each other, all while using French in a fun and immersive manner.
The contents of this empowering and innovative workshop are based on the doctoral research of Catherine Lamaison, assistant professor of French as a second language at the Language Training Centre for French Studies at Glendon. Lamaison received her PhD in the Department of Social Justice in Education at OISE, University of Toronto, in 2016. As part of Glendon’s commitment to experiential learning, she worked with one of her students to create this workshop, which offers a practical introduction to the use of music as a vehicle for social change. Participants will have the opportunity to create their own song to advocate for the social justice cause of their choosing and become actors of social change.
The following provides an overview of the day’s activities:
- 11 a.m.: Introduction
- 11:15 a.m.: Activity – An interactive exploration of the role of Black music in the civil rights movement in the United States
- 12 p.m.: Activity – Critical analysis of an emblematic song of the civil rights movement (A Change Is Gonna Come, Sam Cooke)
- 12:30 p.m.: Lunch break
- 1:30 p.m.: Review of morning activities and lyrical guessing game
- 1:40 p.m.: Socially engaged song writing workshop:
- Presentation of song writing techniques
- Brainstorming session: choice of social cause and music
- Group song writing session
- 2:55 p.m.: Break
- 3:10 p.m.: Workshop – Creating a socially engaged visual document (poster or infographic)
- 3:55 p.m.: Presentation of song and visual document
- 4:30 p.m.: Conclusion and additional resources
- 4:40 p.m.: End of workshop
To register, contact destination@glendon.yorku.ca or visit the event webpage. Registration is free, but space is limited.