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York’s Centre for Feminist Research presents ‘Spotlight on Islamophobia’ series

Children in a classroom

The Centre for Feminist Research at York University has organized a new series of presentations focused on Islamophobia. The first event in the series, “Disrupting Islamophobia and Intersecting Oppressions in K-12 Schooling,” will take place on March 18, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and will be presented using the Zoom Webinar platform.

Preregistration is required and can be completed at https://yorku.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEkduCtrzgvG9KaNA1481rU0HzaIQH72Q9l. Interested participants are encouraged to register early for this event as there are a limited number of seats. The event will be recorded.

Despite a diversity of histories and lived realities, this webinar explores Muslim students’ and families’ experiences of Islamophobia and intersecting oppressions including anti-Black racism in K to 12 schooling contexts and beyond. Islamophobia and gendered Islamophobia manifest in the absence of policies and structures that acknowledge its existence or respond to its presence in Ontario classrooms. Transformative education has the possibility to disrupt and dismantle these harmful discourses and enactments in service of justice. Join us for a conversation with educators and community partners as they speak to possibilities for humanizing the diverse experiences of Muslim students in Ontario schools.

Panelists participating in the event are:

  • Omar Zia, school administrator, Peel District School Board;
  • Gilary Massa, human rights and outreach officer, Toronto District School Board;
  • Amira Elghawaby, journalist and human rights advocate;
  • Samiya Ahmed, parent and community activist.

The panel will be moderated by Faculty of Education Assistant Professor Vidya Shah and Course Director Sayema Chowdhury. Contributing to the development of the Centre for Feminist Research’s Spotlight on Islamophobia, are

  • Ena Dua, associate professor, Department of Equity Studies and School of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS);
  • Zulfikar Hirji, associate professor, Department of Anthropology, LA&PS;
  • Vidya Shah, assistant professor, Faculty of Education;
  • Shirin Shahrokni, assistant professor, Department of Sociology, LA&PS;
  • Nadiya Ali, PhD candidate, Department of Sociology, LA&PS;
  • Sayema Chowdhury, course director, Faculty of Education.

The series is an attempt to further understand one of the most entrenched forms of racism. It focuses on key aspects of the social forces that shape and reinforce contemporary practices of Islamophobia. The Spotlight on Islamophobia event series aims at gaining a better understanding of the multiple forms of Islamophobia currently prevailing in multiple societies, grasping their historical origins in specific national contexts, and their intersections with other regimes of inequality and oppressive forces structuring contemporary human experiences.

Report outlines need for emergency planning to increase equity in access to education

online learning
online learning

One of the important lessons from the sudden shift to online learning for elementary and secondary students − at the beginning of the pandemic and again this January − is that emergency planning is needed to increase equity in access to education, says York University Professor Sarah Barrett.

Sarah Barrett
Sarah Barrett

It is almost one year since schools began to close in Ontario, with closures happening again in January of this year. Barrett, a professor in York’s Faculty of Education, surveyed 764 teachers in May and June of 2020, and did in-depth interviews with 50 of them. These interviews informed specific recommendations which are documented in a new report. 

A number of themes emerged in the teachers’ responses outlined in the report, titled “Emergency Distance Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Teachers’ Perspectives.” Many were concerned about the sudden disruption to relationships with students of all ages. Play-based learning for young children became next to impossible, they said. They also cited lack of student engagement, exacerbated in special education courses in particular when students learned their grades would not drop below where they were on March 13.

The following were key recommendations informed by the data from the report:

  • Emergency plans to ensure all students have equitable access to quality education should school buildings have to be shut down again.
  • Communication that is two-way and timely during a crisis between the Ministry of Education and school boards and teacher federations, between school boards and schools, and between schools and teachers. 
  • Flexibility as one size does not fit all student learning and teaching.
  • Professional development through coaching rather than courses.

Due to the suddenness of the change to online learning, some disruption was inevitable. However, the experiences with shutdowns this year have highlighted the need for emergency planning, so the logistics are in place to address the needs of vulnerable students, says Barrett.

Emergency planning will be especially important in ensuring equitable access to education for students with special needs, those living in poverty, racialized or Indigenous students, English-language learners and adult students, she said.

“We now have a very good idea of what students need when school buildings are shut down. Having emergency plans in place which reflect what we have learned would help school boards and teachers respond to them more quickly in any future lockdowns,” says Barrett.

Read the full report here.

March 10 virtual colloquium discusses impacts of COVID-19 for mobile populations across Africa

The next virtual colloquium in York University’s ‘Reciprocal Learning in Times of Crisis’ monthly series will feature a discussion from two international experts on the impacts of COVID-19 for mobile populations across Africa.

“COVID-19 and vulnerable migrants across Africa” takes place on March 10 at 9:30 a.m. EST/5:30 p.m. EAT via Zoom.

Mohammed Duale
Mohamed Duale

Moderated by York doctoral candidate Mohamed Duale, the event will feature Helidah Ogude and Tamuka Chekero from the World Bank, who will share their findings from a World Bank-led social analysis of the risks and impacts of COVID-19 for mobile populations across Africa.

Refiloe Ogude, a South African-Kenyan national, is a social development specialist at the World Bank. Her work focuses on the development dimensions of migration and forced displacement, social cohesion and violence prevention, and the political economy of reform. She holds a MSc in international relations from New York University and is a doctoral candidate in Public and Urban Policy at The New School.

Chekero a Zimbabwean national, is a PhD student in anthropology at the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa and part of the Africa Fellowship Program of the World Bank, in the Social Development Global Practice. His doctoral research, based in Cape Town, interrogates mobility and conviviality among migrants from African countries. He holds an MSc in social anthropology from UCT, and a BSc honors degree in social anthropology from Great Zimbabwe University, Zimbabwe.

York University’s Borderless Higher Education for Refugees (BHER) Project, Faculty of Education, and Centre for Refugee Studies present the ‘Reciprocal Learning in Times of Crisis’ colloquium series, which examines the intersections of refugee education, anti-Black racism, and COVID-19 in Canada and East Africa.

This colloquium is the first of its kind to feature experts from York University and from institutions that are comprised of or work with refugees in equal measure. Together, this series will: (1) deepen connections among refugee communities, educational leaders, and scholars within and across institutions; (2) foster a sense of reciprocity in learning; (3) recognize and validate the unique expertise that refugee communities bring to time- or resource-constrained situations; and (4) educate all attendees on a range of topics relevant to refugee education, COVID-19, and anti-Black racism.

York named founding partner of new global UNESCO network on education for sustainable development

image shows a plant growing in a lightbulb

York University is one of six founding partners of a new global UNESCO network on Education for Sustainable Development led by Leuphana University in Lüneburg, Germany.

Charles Hopkins
York’s UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education towards Sustainability, Professor Charles Hopkins

UNESCO has awarded Leuphana University the global university network with a UNITWIN/UNESCO designation that will comprise higher education institutions and internationally engaged organizations to foster worldwide collaboration and knowledge mobilization toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This new Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Societal Transformations (UNiEDS&ST) network will focus on ESD as a transformative force towards achieving the UN SDGs and a sustainable future for all.

The network will be a collaboration spanning 30 countries from Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania and the Americas. It will address teachers at all levels as key players to foster sustainable development and peace through education. It aims to strengthen the role of quality education through research, policy development and implementation of ESD with a focus on teacher education.

“It is an honour to be a founding partner of this global alliance. It is one out of only 40 UNITWIN Networks worldwide,” said York’s UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education towards Sustainability, Professor Charles Hopkins. “By collaborating globally, ESD knowledge, insight, research and experience can be more effectively and respectfully contextualized to enhance understanding in all UN regions simultaneously.”

UNiESD&ST will support UNESCO’s work with research designed to address the challenges of the ESD for 2030 Roadmap, a new framework that identifies ESD as a key enabler of all SDGs and an important measure of education quality.

York University was crucial in bringing this new network to life as the UNESCO Chair shepherded the application process that requires the support by National Commissions for UNESCO. York University’s  UNESCO Chair in Reorienting towards Sustainability was the first UNESCO Chair to be established related to ESD. Today, the Chair is active in more than 50 countries and coordinates two global networks, one focusing on teacher education and one researching how ESD initiatives may improve education outcomes for Indigenous children and youth. Since 2020, the UNESCO Chair was named focal point for the International Association of Universities to lead their efforts towards the UN SDG 4 on Quality Education in the Global Cluster of Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development.

The other founding partners in this new alliance are:

  • Canada: UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education towards Sustainability, York University
  • Costa Rica: UNESCO Chair on Education for Sustainable Development with the Earth Charter, The Earth Charter Center for Education for Sustainable Development and the University of Peace
  • Germany: UNESCO Chair on World Heritage and Biosphere Reserve Observation and Education, Heidelberg University of Education
  • Greece: UNESCO Chair in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Education for Sustainable Development, University of Crete
  • South Africa: DSI/NRF South African Research Chairs Initiatives (SARChI) Chair in Global Change and Social Learning Systems, Environmental Learning Research Centre, Rhodes University.

In the weeks to come, Leuphana University will host a series of virtual dialogues with all partners to further design activities for the research agenda and activate this new platform to create and share knowledge for a sustainable future.

York University receives $1.2M donation from RBC Foundation to support Black students

Black female student working on a laptop

York University has received a $1.2-million donation from the RBC Foundation as part of RBC Future Launch, directly supporting the work of the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora, held by education Professor Carl James.

Jean Augustine and Carl James

This donation will create and build on James’ education initiatives for Black youth in priority areas including student success, pathways to education, and support for Black scholars.

Established in 2008, the Jean Augustine Chair is an endowed Chair established by Jean Augustine, the first Black woman elected to the Parliament of Canada, and champion of the unanimous vote in 1995 that saw February designated as Black History Month. The Chair is one of only two endowed university chairs in Canada dedicated to research and knowledge mobilization endeavours on Black and African-descended communities.

“My research, academic and community work has long been guided by the urgent need to support Black youth as they strive for success in the face of longstanding systemic barriers in education, and in society,” said James. “RBC Future Launch, designed to support a variety of community-centred initiatives for young people, is a deeply appreciated contribution; and I’m pleased that the work of the Chair – particularly its programs that seek to support Black youth across Canada – will benefit significantly from this generous donation.”

RBC Foundation’s $1.2-million donation will provide direct support to the Chair’s programs in four key areas, including:

  1. Hosting the first ever National Conference for Black youth in Canada.
  2. Supporting student pipeline initiatives at York and up to four other universities across Canada that will bring high school students unto university campuses, thereby enabling them to imagine themselves participating in post-secondary education.
  3. Establishing a new Canadian data hub that will strengthen research and information capacity and inform better public policy.
  4. Creating new opportunities, supports and training for young Black scholars who as graduate students and post-doctoral fellows will engage in research, teaching and mentorship activities that will serve as resources to local Black communities.

It is anticipated that up to 900 high school and university students, and postdoctoral scholars could be served through the various initiatives and serve as a pipeline for many of these youth’s post-high school ambitions. The accompanying research will serve to inform feasibility and productivity.

RBC Future Launch is a 10-year, $500-million commitment to empower Canadian youth for the jobs of tomorrow. With a focus on networking, skills development, practical work experience and mental wellbeing supports and services, the initiative aims to help break down the barriers facing young people. In 2020, RBC announced a series of actions against systemic racism – including a commitment to invest $50 million by 2025 through RBC Future Launch to create meaningful and transformative pathways to prosperity for up to 25,000 BIPOC youth with investments in areas such as skills development and mentoring.

Building on previous work, and working with all university community partners, York has re-doubled efforts to advance specific initiatives and strategies to support Black scholars, and directly address anti-Black racism. Through innovative programs, including the research and scholarly work of James, the Jean Augustine Chair, York’s unique Black Canadian Studies Certificate, and the new Postdoctoral Program for Black and Indigenous Scholars, York University is putting this responsibility at the center of its teaching and research.

“York University is committed to offering a diverse student population access to a high-quality, research-intensive university committed to the social, economic, cultural and environmental well-being of society,” said Rhonda L. Lenton, York University president and vice-chancellor. “This generous donation, made possible by the RBC Foundation, will support Professor James’ trailblazing work to build pathways for Black youth to pursue their educational goals, and provide new opportunities for current and future Black scholars to drive positive change at York, across Canada, and beyond.”

Donations surpass goal to raise $25K in 25 Days for Jean Augustine Chair

Jean Augustine
Jean Augustine

A fundraising drive named “25K in 25 Days” that supports The Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora at York University has far exceeded its goal, and the endowment fund will benefit from donations of more than $200,000.

Jean Augustine
Jean Augustine

The initiative, launched by Jean Augustine and Bridge for Change on Feb. 1, aimed to highlight the 25th anniversary of Black History Month in Canada by raising $25,000 in 25 days from community sources to match a $25,000 donation by Accenture Canada.

Augustine is a former MP and the first Black Canadian woman elected to the House of Commons. She is an advocate for social justice. Bridge for Change is an initiative to raise the remaining $1.2 million to fully fund the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora endowment at York University. Since 2007, with York and community support, $1.8 million has been raised thus far towards the $3-million goal.

During the 25-day drive, $26,665 was donated, bringing the total to just over $50,000. An additional donation of $50,000 was made by the Wes and Christine Hall Family Foundation, bringing the community donations to $101,655. York University announced it will match the donations raised during Black History Month, raising the total funds through the 25K in 25 Days campaign to $203,330.

“This is a proud moment for me – especially because we did this in Black History Month,” said Augustine. “The community and our corporate allies stepped up and their investment in the Chair will improve the education and the lives of Black students and their families.”

York University President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton congratulated the Bridge for Change committee on their “extraordinary efforts” in the success of the campaign.

“The Jean Augustine Chair has been an incredibly important part of the York community, with its unique focus and dedication to advancing scholarly research, programs, partnerships, and new opportunities for Black communities in Toronto and beyond,” said Lenton.  

Wes Hall, the executive Chair and founder of Kingsdale Advisors, challenged others with the means to meet or better his $50,000 contribution.

“On behalf of my family, we are proud to be able to contribute to funding that supports the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora at York University. Dr. Augustine has been a true trailblazer and instrumental in creating positive change for Black Canadians,” said Hall, who is also Chair of the Black North Initiative. “It is an honour to be part of this initiative to further advance the education and the lives of Black students and the overall enrichment of our community.”

At the age of 83, Augustine has raised $1.8 million in community donations for the endowment of the Chair. A total of $3 million is needed for it to continue in perpetuity. Accenture Canada is the first corporation to join Augustine with a significant contribution, and she is hoping that other allies will help her reach the $3-million goal.

“Diversity makes us stronger, smarter and more innovative, and that’s why Accenture is honoured to support Dr. Augustine – an inspirational force who continues to make an immense impact on the lives and education of Black and other racialized Canadians through research, policies and programs,” said Jeffrey Russell, president of Accenture in Canada.

This month’s $25,000 challenge was impactful as this is the 25th anniversary of Black History Month becoming officially recognized by the Canadian government – a motion that was single-handedly pushed by Augustine and received unanimous consent in the House of Commons.

The Jean Augustine Chair is one of only two university endowed Canadian Chairs dedicated to research and knowledge mobilization efforts in Black and other racialized communities. In recent years it has become an important research hub accessible to community agencies to actively inform policies and programs across Canada. 

Carl E. James holds the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora in the Faculty of Education at York University. He is a professor in the Faculty of Education and holds cross-appointments in the Graduate Programs in Sociology, Social and Political Thought, and Social Work. He is also the University’s Affirmative Action, Equity and Inclusivity officer, and was the director of the York Centre on Education & Community (2008-16) which he founded and director of the Graduate Program in Sociology (2007-08). He was one of six advisors to the Ontario Minister of Education and Premier (2017-18).

To learn more or support the future of The Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora visit https://www.jacendowmentfund.ca.

Making the Shift virtual event discusses how data infrastructure can support homelessness prevention efforts

youth homelessness

Making the Shift (MtS), a youth homelessness social innovation lab co-led by the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness at York University, continues its “In Conversation With…” series on Feb. 19 at 11 a.m. with the third webinar, “Moving towards data for prevention in the homelessness sector.”

Michael Lenczner
Michael Lenczner

Matt Parker
Matt Parker

The event will feature guests Michael Lenczner, founding director of Powered by Data, Matt Parker, VP Innovation of HelpSeeker and Robyn Blackadar, president and CEO of PolicyWise who will discuss the importance of building and harmonizing data infrastructure in Canada to support homelessness prevention efforts and the immediate steps that can be taken to make this a reality.

Robyn Blackadar
Robyn Blackadar

Despite significant efforts and improvements in the advancement of data collection and integration, data infrastructure in the homelessness sector in Canada is not designed to support prevention efforts. Instead, it is built to respond to the immediate crisis of managing persons who are currently homeless. This webinar is an opportunity for researchers, service providers, advocates and policymakers to learn about the importance of moving towards data for prevention in the homelessness sector, and how we can leverage technology and data to better understand and prevent youth homelessness.

Audience members will also learn about the innovative research and knowledge mobilization work of Making the Shift at York U, a Youth Homelessness Social Innovation Lab with a mandate to make the shift from managing the crises of youth homelessness, to a focus on prevention and housing stabilization.

Register for the online event here.

Interested in learning more in advance of the webinar? Check out this Issue Brief on Administrative Data and the Making the Shift Research Agenda.

The Annual Dr. David V.J. Bell Lecture will consider climate change, education and COVID-19

Image shows a hand holding a pine cone against a lush backdrop of greenery

Photo by Singkham from PexelsA panel of experts will consider the role of education and the implications of COVID-19 on our understanding of climate change during the Annual Dr. David V.J. Bell Lecture on Feb. 23. The lecture is presented by Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF). The lecture was developed in memory of the late York Professor Emeritus David Bell and presented for the first time in 2018. Bell was Chair of the Board of Directors of LSF and an integral part of LSF for more than 22 years.

Due to the pandemic, the 2021 Dr. David V.J. Bell Lecture will be delivered online. This year’s event will take the form of a panel involving four community leaders, each with a unique perspective on the role of education in understanding climate change. Participating in this year’s event are Lakehead University Professor Ellen Field, Patricia Fuller, Canada’s Ambassador for Climate Change, Cedric Gray-Lehoux, co-Chair of the Assembly of First Nations National Youth Council, and Barbara Zvan, president and CEO of the University Pension Plan Ontario.

Each of the panelists will reflect on three central questions related to education and climate change that have been posed to them by LSF. The questions are: How is Canada responding to the gaps identified in the research for formal and public climate change education? What lessons can be taken from society’s response to COVID-19 to address climate change education? And, what examples have each of the panelists seen that offer hope around climate change and education?

Field, a leading researcher on the “Canada, Climate Change and Education Report” will present the findings in the report and reflect on the perspective of teachers and education faculty course directors. Fuller will address the three central questions from the perspective of the federal government. Gray-Lehoux will reflect on the questions from the perspective of Indigenous youth. Zvan, who is also a member of Canada’s Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance, will reflect on the questions below from the perspective of business.

To register visit for this event, visit https://lsf-lst.ca/en/projects/key-themes-in-sustainability-education/dvjbelllecture. The deadline to register is Friday, Feb. 19, at 5 p.m. EST.

About the Annual Dr. David V.J. Bell Lecture

Before his untimely death on Jan. 10, 2017, Professor Emeritus David Bell had a long and accomplished career in academia at York University. He was a professor of political science, dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, dean of the Faculty of Environmental Studies and a Fellow of McLaughlin College. His altruism was recognized with many awards over his lifetime. Most notably, Bell was the recipient of the 2014 Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication Award, the Green Toronto Award for Leadership in Sustainability, the 2016 Harry Jerome Award, the Clean50 Award and the Jackie Robinson Fortitude Award.

Bell also served as the Chair of Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF) from 2006 until his death. In that role, he became known as an international thought leader on the power of research to inform education for sustainable development at the provincial, national and international levels.

David V.J. Bell

David V.J. Bell

Following his death, the LSF board approved the establishment of the Annual Dr. David V.J. Bell Lecture to acknowledge his commitment to education for sustainable development and serve to link research to practice in educating for a sustainable future.

The Annual Dr. David V.J. Bell Lecture is intended to help bridge the gap between research and what is practised in educational institutions by identifying Canadian thought leaders and providing a forum for them to share their research and insights on education for sustainable development, specifically as it applies to education policy, teacher education and practice, and student empowerment to make change. Keynote papers and a video of each lecture will be posted and archived on the LSF website. Materials, including the videos and papers, will be circulated to thought leaders across the country.

Educators to discuss education of Black youth at Jean Augustine Chair event, Feb. 24

FESI BHM event image
FESI BHM event image

The annual Black History Month celebration presented by the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora in the Faculty of Education will feature a discussion on “The Education of Black Youth: A National Conversation with Educators” on Feb. 24, from 7 to 9 p.m. All are welcome to attend this free event.

Presented as part of the Faculty of Education’s Summer Institute (FESI 2020-21), the event features panelists who will discuss the similarities, relatedness and commonalities in the educational experiences, attainments, opportunities and possibilities of Black student in various regions in Canada.

Poster advertising Jean Augustine Chair Event on Feb. 24The panel of educators who currently work as teachers and administrators in school boards in six Canadian cities, will enlighten participants about issues and concerns of educators, students, parents and community members pertaining to what schooling and education has been like – and continues to be – for them. This presents an opportunity to learn about what has been happening across the country because of the social structures and systemic oppressions they face.

The panel includes:

  • Beth Applewhite, district vice-principal of equity, diversity and inclusion, Burnaby School District, B.C
  • Lethisha Andrews, educator, Pearson Adult and Career Centre, Quebec
  • Karen Hudson, prinicpal, Auburn Drive High School, Cole Harbour, N.S.
  • Gail-Ann Wilson, teacher, Edmonton Public School, Alta.
  • Ainsworth Morgan, principal, Toronto District School Board, Toronto, Ont., and co-founder, 100 Strong Foundation
  • Moderator: Camille Williams-Taylor, director of education, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, Ont.

This discussion takes place at a time when the world, and Canada in particular, is concerned with – and must address – the impact of the inequities in the economic, social, health, and educational situation of Black and other racialized students. While all educators – whether working directly in education, or parallel to education – have a responsibility to equitably serve the needs, interests and ambitions of Black students, in reality, much of the work falls on the shoulders of Black educators. All educators must address the realities of anti-Black racism that operates in school boards as barriers to the success of Black students.

Engaging in community-referenced discussions with practitioners who are at the forefront of addressing and dismantling barriers to Black students’ schooling engagement and educational achievement, some of the questions that will be raised include:

  1. What are the social and educational experiences of Black students, families, and communities in their respective local and regional contexts that are of concerns to educators? How are educators responding? What are the results of their efforts?
  2. How are educators and administrators disrupting or enabling anti-Black racism?
  3. How are members of Black communities resisting white supremacy and anti-Black racism in schooling?
  4. Are there school-community partnerships that are helping to enhance school- parents community relationship and therefore helping to enrich classroom engagement and learning?
  5. What practical steps must be employed by all involved in education to address barriers to Black student success?

This event is being presented by the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora (York University) and is co-sponsored by the Administrators’ Black Caucus of Ontario, FESI 2020-21 and the Faculty of Education at York University.

Register online at fesi.blog.yorku.ca. The webinar session URL will be sent once your registration has been received.

Virtual colloquium gathers education experts to discuss pandemic’s impact on girls’ education

Students in the Dadaab Refugee Camp work on an assignment for their studies with York University
Students in the Dadaab Refugee Camp work on an assignment for their studies with York University

On Wednesday, Feb. 10, a panel of education experts from Kenya, Canada and the U.S. will gather virtually to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on girls’ education in Kenya and beyond at the next talk in the Reciprocal Learning in Times of Crisis monthly colloquium series.

The session takes place at 9:30 a.m. EDT/5:30 p.m. EAT via Zoom.

Reciprocal Learning in Times of Crisis promo

Since March 2020, experts have decried the threat that COVID-19 poses to girls’ education around the globe. According to the Malala Fund, 20 million adolescent girls may never return to school after lockdowns, including up to half of refugee girls in secondary school (2020). The United Nations estimates that the pandemic could result in seven million unintended pregnancies (UN, 2020). These statements reflect anxiety that the coronavirus will exacerbate girls’ vulnerabilities and imperil decades of progress toward gender equitable education.

In this session, panellists will consider:

1) the gendered construction of risk in international and national discourses on COVID-19 and education;

2) the lived experiences of young women as they navigate schooling amidst a pandemic in Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camps; and

3) the possibilities for interventions to mitigate the full range of challenges facing girls who seek to return to – and stay in – school.

The panel, which will be moderated by York University PhD candidate Hanan Duri, includes:

  • Sharareh Kashi – PhD candidate, York University
  • Rachel Silver – assistant professor, Faculty of Education, York University
  • Alyssa Morley – postdoctoral research associate, Michigan State University
  • Priscilla Ndegwa – lecturer, Kenyatta University
  • Dahabo Ibrahim – MEd student, York University campus in Dadaab, Kenya
  • Joseph Mutua – Kenya Equity in Education Project

Reciprocal Learning in Times of Crisis is a monthly colloquium series on the intersections of refugee education, anti-Black racism, and COVID-19 in Canada and East Africa. The series is presented by York University’s Borderless Higher Education for Refugees (BHER) Project, Faculty of Education, and Centre for Refugee Studies.

Join the Zoom session at https://yorku.zoom.us/j/92694835883?pwd=T0w0cloyN1U1ZFVvZGplRjl4MWJ1Zz09.