Tag: Equity Diversity Inclusion (EDI)

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Advancing YU empowers Black, women students

black women laptop

Advancing YU is a mentorship and scholarship program in York University’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) that links Black and/or women third- and fourth-year students with experienced alumni mentors, and provides professional and personal development opportunities.

A critical component of the Advancing YU program is matching student mentees with alumni mentors who share identities and experiences, and who have faced similar barriers.

“By connecting them with alumni mentors who share aspects of their identities, and many of whom have navigated similar challenges, we provide contexts within which our participants can excel and where they receive supports to encourage success in their academic and professional pursuits,” says Michele Johnson, interim dean of LA&PS.

Advancing YU consists of two streams – Advancing Black Students and Advancing Women – and offers a $1,000 scholarship upon completion of the program requirements. The program has benefited over 300 LA&PS students since 2020.

“Advancing YU has been a game changer for our Black and women students, offering targeted mentorship and resources that are meant to address some of their specific needs and aspirations,” says Johnson.

Within the program, students are organized into “quartets” consisting of one mentor and three students. They are required to invest 40 hours total (10 hours per month) into meeting with their mentor, joining workshops and personal reflection.

The program has engaged over 70 mentors in the past three years and continues to provide accomplished Black and/or women mentors a platform to give back to the York U community.

Alumni mentor Anika Holder, vice-president of human resources at Penguin Random House Canada, had this to say about the program: “One of the reasons I wanted to participate in the Advancing YU program is because, at this point in my career, I felt it was time to reach back and lift up. It’s helpful [for students] to have a real-life example who can offer their thoughts and help them to uncover and shape their vision.”

Keisha Porter
Keisha Porter
Lynette Furtado
Lynette Furtado

Lynette Furtado, a past participant in Advancing YU who now works as a policy consultant and mental health advocate, calls the program transformative in helping her navigate post-graduation life.

“[It was] vital in allowing me to network and develop strong connections, while providing resources tailored to my needs,” Furtado says. “My mentor guided me in the complexities of the legal field and helped me explore paths available to me.”

Keisha Porter, a recent mentee in the Advancing Black Students stream, echoes that being accepted into the program was life changing, both professionally and personally.

“Aside from building great contacts and networks, this program has taught me how to show up and advocate for myself in a variety of situations and environments. As a result, I am empowered and prepared to face both future obstacles and victories.”

“This program exemplifies our commitment to supporting diverse groups within our community and creating pathways for the advancement of Black and women scholars,” says Johnson.

Advancing YU student applications are open now until Oct. 4. Students must be in their third or fourth year of study in an LA&PS program, with a minimum of 54 credits completed. To learn more and apply for the 2024-25 Advancing YU program, students can visit the Student Information page.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to share Advancing YU program information and the application deadline with students.

AGYU launches podcast exploring the future of museums, galleries

illustration of diverse people in a museum

The Art Gallery of York University (AGYU) has launched a limited-series podcast, “Uncontainable Collections: Speculative Futures of Objects,” which explores the future of museum collections and contemporary art.  

Museums often have entrenched protocols. In the contemporary art field, some artists, curators and cultural workers across the world are embracing self-reflection. They are challenging long-standing approaches to move forward with practices that question accepted histories, invite diverse critical perspectives, and re-consider what equity, access, inclusion and engagement can look like now and the future.

agyu_uncontainable2024_akimbo

The AGYU podcast takes part in those conversations by exploring the diverse ways communities are envisioning the futures of museum collections, and Indigenous-, African-, Afro-American-, and Adivasi- Futurisms.

The series is hosted by Professor Zulfikar Hirji, an anthropologist and social historian, AGYU Curator of Collections and Contemporary Art Engagement Lillian O’Brien Davis, and AGYU Assistant Curator Clara Halpern and will include discussions with guests that look to bring new perspectives to artistic and curatorial practices as they relate to the future of public museum collections.

Among the subjects discussed will be: Afro- and African American futurist approaches to colonial archives from the point of view of a liberated future; how museum collections can create space for untold stories, for example through the recontextualization of objects through new research; and ways the lenses of curatorial and artistic practices can be reoriented towards Indigenous perspectives.

Episodes are available at the AGYU website or follow and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Study examines impact of Quebec’s Bill 21

The senior southeast Asian woman with hijab standing on the blue background

York University Professor Nadia Hasan, in collaboration with the National Council of Canadian Muslims, has published a new study called “Social Discord and Second-class Citizenship” that examines how legislation passed in Quebec has negatively impacted the lives and careers of Muslim women.

Nadia Hasan
Nadia Hasan

Bill 21, a legislation enacted in 2019, prohibits Quebec public servants – teachers, law enforcement officers, prosecutors and others – from wearing religious symbols like the hijab, turban or kippah while at work.

Given the implications of the bill, Hasan, who joined York U’s School of Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies last year, sought to better understand the impact the bill has had on the lives of Muslims and other religious minorities in Quebec since its inception.

After conducting in-depth interviews with 10 Muslim women, surveying 411 Quebec Muslim women and 750 other individuals in the general Quebec population, and drawing on information from Canadian market research company Abacus Data, a clear conclusion – shared in the published study – emerged: “Bill 21 systematically corners Muslim women into vulnerable positions as second-class citizens,” says Hasan. “This study is one of the largest of its kind and it contributes to a mounting body of evidence that illustrates the clearly damaging and harmful impacts of Bill 21.”

Per the findings in the report, Muslim women are experiencing heightened levels of stress and discriminatory treatment from colleagues due to the legislation, in ways that leave many facing a difficult decision between their religious beliefs and their professional careers.

“This important study provides compelling evidence for the real and negative impact of Law 21 on Muslim women living in Quebec, especially regarding access to the job market and career advancement opportunities, mental health, rise in verbal and physical aggressions, and gender equality,” says Professor Amelie Barras from the Department of Social Science, who was an external advisory committee member on the study.

“When you take away people’s rights, when you legislate and legitimize discrimination against them, it is not surprising to find that their lives have deteriorated in multiple ways,” says Hasan 

The negative impact of the bill isn’t limited to individuals, either, the study finds. As many Muslim women are contemplating relocating from the province to seek better opportunities elsewhere, this potential exodus could result in billions of dollars of income loss for Quebec.

“The study shows that these negative consequences are far from being limited to women working in public services affected by the law, but extend to Quebec society at large, affecting both public and private sectors,” says Barras.

The study ends with 11 recommendations to help mitigate the impact of Bill 21, but for Hasan, the hope is the report will help advance what she believes is the most important outcome. “The only real solution is to repeal it,” she says.

York U initiative amplifies voices of refugee youth

A hand holds a microphone. Collage element in halftone effect. P

York University’s Singing Our Stories project, led by Professor Andrea Emberly, aims to amplify the voices of refugee and newcomer children and youth through music and collaborative arts creation.

andrea emberly
Andrea Emberly

Partnering with refugee settlement agencies COSTI and CultureLink, as well as international research leaders in applied community music, Singing Our Stories mobilizes arts- and music-based programs to support the well-being goals of refugee children and youth.

Supported by a $447,000 grant from Canada’s Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council, the project explores how music-making, songwriting and storytelling can foster young people’s well-being, cultural resilience and individual resilience. At the same time, it looks to challenge discriminatory assumptions about their experiences and addresses systemic barriers to their well-being during displacement, migration and resettlement.

“Music is key to disrupting these barriers because it provides a tangible and creative way for young people to reclaim and tell their own stories and share insight into their own lived experiences,” explains Emberly, an ethnomusicologist and York Research Chair in Children’s Musical Cultures.

The goal is for participants to begin healing, participate more fully in their own communities and cultures, and even begin to change prejudiced stereotypes held about them by others.

Among its efforts has been the Singing Our Stories festival, held in June at York University and community venues in Toronto, where children and youth from ongoing programs shared their music and arts. Part of the festival included a five-day residency called Common Ground Voices, running concurrently with the festival dates, led by world-renowned choral conductor and peace activist André de Quadros from Boston University. The residency invited musicians, artists and creative individuals, particularly those affected or impacted by war and conflict, to participate in creative arts as a means to dialogue about peace-building in the current world.

Residency participants collaborated with children’s and youth refugee choirs in a final performance at the Aga Khan Museum Theatre, showcasing the power of music and arts in amplifying the voices of displaced communities and fostering understanding and dialogue.

“By telling their own stories,” says Emberly, “children and young people help to shape the future of our communities.”

York University professor champions arts of the Indian Ocean

Toy boat on a map of the Indian Ocean BANNER

For centuries, the Indian Ocean has been a vital maritime highway, facilitating the movement of people, goods and ideas across a vast region stretching from East Africa to Southeast Asia. Yet the artistic legacies born from these cross-cultural exchanges remain relatively understudied compared to other parts of the world. Zulfikar Hirji, a professor of anthropology at York University, is on a mission to change that.

This past April and May, Hirji co-organized the pioneering Arts of the Indian Ocean conference, which brought together 75 scholars, artists and curators from diverse backgrounds to explore the region’s rich artistic heritage across mediums, geographies and eras.

Zulfikar Hirji
Zulfikar Hirji

“The Indian Ocean constitutes one of the world’s most historic hubs of maritime trade and artistic exchange, but it remains one of the most understudied areas in terms of the arts,” says Hirji. “Scholars and artists working in and on the region provide vital insights into how it has been continually shaped by aesthetic and material exchanges.”

The conference’s wide-ranging program reflected the Indian Ocean region’s incredible cultural diversity. Presentations spanned topics such as Indonesian textiles, Japanese majolica tiles influenced by the Indian independence movement and the monumental Arabic inscriptions of royal palaces in East Africa.

“We had papers covering everything from ceramics to digital arts, from prehistory up to the contemporary period, from East Africa all the way to Japan,” Hirji says. “It really gave a sense of the vibrancy and depth of artistic production across the region over centuries.”

Notably, the conference prioritized including voices and perspectives from the Global South, breaking from the tradition of knowledge about the region being produced primarily from a northern viewpoint. Participants hailed from countries including India, Singapore, Mauritius and Mozambique.

“It was unprecedented in terms of the partnerships we built across Toronto to fund and host this event,” notes Hirji, citing collaborators such as the University of Toronto, the Aga Khan Museum and the Royal Ontario Museum. “Having that diversity of perspectives was crucial.”

A key theme was the threat climate change poses to the Indian Ocean’s cultural heritage and coastal communities. Several artists raised concerns about rising seas, erosion and flooding putting historic sites and traditions at risk of being lost forever without documentation and conservation efforts.

“These are issues that artists in the region are really grappling with,” Hirji says. “Their work sounds an alarm about the need to address these environmental impacts before it’s too late.”

Looking ahead, Hirji hopes to establish the conference as a biennial event and publish an edited volume of selected papers to further scholarly engagement with Indian Ocean arts. But most of all, he wants to inspire more research and creative work illuminating the region’s incredible cultural riches.

“The Indian Ocean world has been a crucible of creativity for millennia,” Hirji says. “By bringing greater attention to its artistic legacies, we can better understand the diverse societies that have shaped human history across this vast maritime region.”

Arnold Auguste reflects on career spent sharing marginalized voices

Arnold Auguste

By Lindsay MacAdam, communications officer, YFile

At York University’s Spring Convocation ceremony on the morning of June 20, an honorary degree was presented to Arnold Auguste, president and publisher of the newspaper Share, which has been serving the Greater Toronto Area’s Black and Caribbean communities since 1978.

Born and raised in Trinidad, Auguste always had a fondness for Canada, so when he had the opportunity to move to Toronto in 1970, he didn’t hesitate. Two years later, a friend asked him if he would be interested in writing a column for community newspaper called Contrast, which covered issues affecting the Black community. And although writing was not something he had ever contemplated or felt capable of doing, he agreed. That was 52 years ago.

Pictured, from left to right: Chancellor Kathleen Taylor, Arnold Auguste, President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton.
Pictured, from left to right: Chancellor Kathleen Taylor, Arnold Auguste, President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton.

“Today, I am proud to say that I’m a journalist,” said Auguste. “But this profession found me; I didn’t go looking for it.”

Growing up in Trinidad, Auguste naturally gravitated towards news media. He had access to three daily newspapers and three weekend tabloids, and he read every one. “I never, in my wildest dreams, thought I would ever write for one – let alone own one,” he admitted.

As Auguste became more involved with Toronto’s Black community, he learned that people were raising funds to provide university scholarships for ambitious youth. He felt a pull to pursue that path, to gain the skills necessary to help him tell the stories of his community in the most compelling way possible. “I felt that if stories needed to be told, they needed to be told well,” he said. “So I entered university to study journalism, where I had the privilege of learning from some of the best people in the business.”

After completing his studies, Auguste worked briefly as an editor at two Black community newspapers, before differences of opinion led to a parting of ways and to Auguste’s eventual decision to start his own publication. Looking to provide a forum where important issues affecting his community could be discussed and debated, he launched Share.

“I never wanted to own a newspaper,” he said, “but if I was to continue working in the Black community, I didn’t see another option.”

Before long, Share took over the market, and the other two publications went out of business.

Auguste was adamant that his newspaper would be free; that it would only publish positive news; that it would not accept any advertising that wasn’t in the best interests of its readers; and that it would not accept government funding. “If the paper was to be successful, it should be supported by the readers,” he believed. And supported it was.

Over the years, Auguste has considered closing his paper several times, but each time that decision has been met with resistance from its steadfast supporters. Last year, he decided again that, after 45 years, it was time to cease publication. This time, he didn’t tell anyone – “I thought I would just sneak out the back door and nobody would notice,” he said.

After the first few weeks, people started calling to find out why they couldn’t find the paper anywhere. Then, the number of calls increased. Eventually, people began offering financial support, thinking that was the reason for the shutdown. Others said they were willing to start paying for the paper that had been free for 45 years. The community had spoken: Share wasn’t going anywhere.

“This experience has instilled in us a renewed sense of Share‘s relevance,” said Auguste, finally realizing how critical his publication is to his community.

With people of colour now working in important positions in Canadian media, academia, the labour movement, police services, the medical profession, as lawyers and judges, at every level of government and in just about every walk of life, Share‘s role, Auguste explained, is to honour those who sacrificed to make that happen.

“As a dear friend reminded me,” said Auguste, “if our history is not written, it is as though we did not exist. Share proves that we existed.”

To conclude his speech, Auguste left graduands with some sage words of advice.

“You have been educated by one of the top universities in the world,” he said. “You are ready to take your place among the movers and shakers. Accept the challenge. Go forward with confidence in yourself and in your training. Be good people. Be honest people. Be kind. Be generous of spirit. Live a life of purpose and help make this world a better place.”

Indigenous students share reflections on National Indigenous Peoples Day

Banner National Indigenous Peoples Day

National Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day are times of celebration and reflection. The month signifies the opportunity to welcome learning as well as come together to build connections between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

Each year on June 21, the cultural richness and contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people are celebrated. In the spirit of reflection, two Indigenous students who are a part of the York University community have shared what Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day means to them.

Leo Manning

Manning is a third-year psychology student who is Plains Cree on his father’s side, from Saddle Lake Cree Nation, and English, Irish and Scottish on his mother’s side. Manning is also the student success mentor at the Centre for Indigenous Student Services.

Leo Manning
Leo Manning

National Indigenous Peoples Day can be a day to celebrate Indigenous Peoples and their culture; however, the significance to me is more about acknowledging the work that still needs to be done so that healing can take place

For example, it is important to reflect on measurable actions and transparency in progress being made. Notably, initiatives like the Truth & Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action must be followed through with, including inquiries into Missing, Murdered Women, Girls, Men, Boys and Two-Spirit folks – especially given that a 2023 report by the Yellowhead Institute, titled “Calls to Action Accountability: A 2023 Status Update on Reconciliation,” showed that last year none of the Calls to Action were completed. This is the work that still needs to be done.

While National Indigenous Peoples Day is complicated for me due to personal reasons, it can allow time to see family and friends and celebrate each other. It can also be positive in the way that non-Indigenous folks and allies can learn more about Indigenous Peoples and culture in a good way, while also respectfully learning about the work that needs to be done and how they can help.

Rainingbird Daniels

Daniels is a third-year psychology student who is proudly Plains Cree, Sioux and Dakota from Sturgeon Lake First Nation located on Treaty 6 territory in Saskatchewan.

Rainingbird Daniels
Rainingbird Daniels

Although I am very conflicted by National Indigenous Peoples Day – it gives me a sense of anger, happiness and unsettling emotions – I am very happy and proud to have a national day to recognize Indigenous people, as we deserve the recognition.

I do hope that by having this national day, it can help properly educate people and newcomers about our Indigenous history on our lands and to learn to live in harmony with each other. For example, I think people can become involved and educate themselves by attending open events hosted by Indigenous people/organizations, watch historical Indigenous movies and researching the history of Canada.

I’ve never celebrated National Indigenous Peoples Day nor done anything special on this day since it was given to us. I know many other Indigenous people have many ways to celebrate the day and to embrace it. But, personally, for myself as an Indigenous person, it has never been a significant day. This year, I will be celebrating my first National Indigenous Peoples Day by hosting a Drum Social as president of the Indigenous Students’ Association at York.

New, renewed Canada Research Chairs advance neuroscience, disability studies at York U

innovation image

York University neuroscientist Jeffrey Schall has been appointed a Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Translating Neuroscience, alongside two renewals – Gillian Parekh and Joel Zylberberg – for existing CRCs, announced by the Government of Canada on June 14.

The CRC program is a major investment by the federal government (up to $300 million+ per year) to attract and retain world-class talent at Canadian universities. The program also provides training opportunities for the next generation of highly skilled personnel through research, teaching and learning.

The new and renewed CRCs at York University are:  

Jeffrey Schall
Jeffrey Schall

Jeffrey Schall is a newly appointed Tier I CRC in Translating Neuroscience and a professor in the Faculty of Science

Schall’s research aims to further understand the complexities of the brain and how it enables decision-making processes for actions and experiences: how people decide what to do, how people control when they do it and how people know if they did what they meant to do. Insights from Schall’s research could improve the diagnosis and treatment of neurological conditions like dementia and schizophrenia.  

Gillian Parekh
Gillian Parekh

Gillian Parekh is a renewed Tier II CRC in Disability Studies in Education and an associate professor in the Faculty of Education

Parekh is examining how schools respond to disability in order to improve student success. She and her research team are gathering and analyzing new data to develop strategies that will shed light on how “ability” is used to justify student organization within schools and the inequitable distribution of in-school resources and opportunities.

Joel Zylberberg
Joel Zylberberg

Joel Zylberberg is a renewed Tier II CRC in Computational Neuroscience and an associate professor in the Faculty of Science

Zylberberg and his research team train artificial intelligence (AI) to see and respond to images in the same way as the human brain. By teaching AI to process visual information like the brain’s visual cortex, deep learning algorithms could lead to the creation of devices that help visually impaired or blind people see again, in addition to potentially advancing technology for self-driving cars. 

York’s Chairholders received $2,400,000 and are part of a $94,500,000 investment in 121 new and renewed CRCs at 39 institutions across Canada. For the full list, visit the Government of Canada’s website.

York U professor helps transform engineering education in Uganda

Kampala,,Uganda

In an effort to enhance undergraduate engineering research in Uganda, faculty members from York University and the University of British Columbia have joined forces on an education-enhancing project with Academics Without Borders (AWB), a non-profit organization aiming to improve the higher education landscape in developing countries.

The Strengthening Engineering Undergraduate Research (SER-Undergraduate) project, initiated by faculty at the Mbarara University of Science & Technology (MUST) in Uganda, aims to provide international support to MUST undergraduate students, empowering them to engage in high-quality research endeavours.

As part of the collaboration, York U Professor Arash Habibi Lashkari – an AWB volunteer who is also the founder and director of York University’s Behaviour-Centric Cybersecurity Center – embarked on a week-long visit to MUST, where he interacted with students and faculty members to assess the current state of the institution’s undergraduate research program and identify areas for improvement.

York University Professor Arash Habibi Lashkari (front, centre) with students from the Mbarara University of Science & Technology in Uganda.

“I am honoured to be part of this initiative to empower undergraduate students in Uganda to pursue research excellence,” says Lashkari. “By sharing our expertise and resources, we can make a meaningful impact on these students’ academic and professional trajectory.”

During his visit to Uganda, Lashkari engaged in insightful discussions with students, faculty members, the international office and the administration department, guiding and enhancing research methodologies and academic standards. The visit not only fostered knowledge exchange but also served as a testament to the importance of volunteerism and international collaboration in advancing education and research on a global scale.

“Membership in the AWB Network offers opportunities for academics and professionals to share their expertise and knowledge as volunteers in capacity-building projects in partnership with institutions in low- and middle-income countries,” says Professor Nancy Gallini, executive director of Academics Without Borders. “Engaging in this work gives faculty and staff a global perspective that enriches education and research on their campuses.”

For MUST students, the SER-Undergraduate project allows for access to resources, mentorship and opportunities for hands-on research experience that they wouldn’t have otherwise had. By leveraging the expertise and resources of Canadian faculty members serving as volunteers, Ugandan students can gain the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in their future academic and professional endeavours.

As the SER-Undergraduate project continues to unfold, the goal of transforming engineering education and empowering a new generation of research-driven scholars in Uganda remains.

For more information, visit the Academics Without Borders website.

New required training for all York U staff, faculty and instructors

An American road sign with a sky background and word Training, Training this way

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York University is launching a new online training module called Slips, Trips and Falls Prevention, available June 10 on YU Learn.

Slips, trips and falls are among the most common causes of injuries reported at the University. This training aims to prevent workplace injuries using a series of lessons and knowledge checks to review how to identify and eliminate hazards, how to report and correct unsafe conditions, and how to respond to a slip, trip or fall incident.

This concise, self-paced module will be offered online via YU Learn and is required training for all staff, faculty and instructors at York University. This training is mandatory and all employees must complete the training before Oct. 1.

To access the training module, employees must register on YU Learn using their Passport York credentials. Select “Register” and then click the “Access Course” button. The course will then remain on the YU Learn dashboard until successfully completed. Upon completion, the course will be listed with the date completed in the Required Courses section of the My Learning History tab (accessible via the YU Learn dashboard). 

For more information or assistance with the training, employees should reach out to their manager or academic administrator, or email hslearn@yorku.ca.