Anti-racism education needs to be integrated into the school curriculum and response times to racist incidents must be improved.
Those were some of the findings of the first ever SD42 Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour, (BIPOC) student forum held at the Albion Community Centre in October.
The forum was meant to create a safe space for meaningful discussions about racism in schools, explained SD42 deputy superintendent Cheryl Schwarz, who presented the forum's findings to the school board on Wednesday, Dec. 4.
It was organized by Schwarz, and a group of teachers and administrators from across the school district.
There were 55 secondary school students who took part in the forum with a goal of addressing and preventing incidents of racism and generating recommendations for the creation of more inclusive environments, noted Schwarz.
Schwarz was unable to connect The News with students who participated at the forum citing student privacy, to ensure the students could speak from a position of safety and anonymity.
The workshop was let by an outside organization whose mission is to advance equality, social justice, and respect for human dignity through transformative human rights education programs in Canada and around the world.
And it focused on three key areas: responding to racist incidents and how to effectively managing racist incidents; anti-racism education and how to integrate anti-racism principles into the school curriculum; and creating opportunities for student collaboration and leadership in anti-racism initiatives within the district to create student-led change.
The activities, noted Schwarz, were designed to encourage collaboration and foster dialogue among students.
Students highlighted the importance of creating safer spaces, fostering greater accountability, and implementing more inclusive educational practices.
And, they noted, that response times to racist incidents needs to be improved.
"The forum had enormous value," said Schwarz. "By supporting BIPOC students to share their voices, insights and perspectives, the forum established a foundation for actionable change, ensuring that youth perspectives remain at the core of building more inclusive and supportive learning environments."
Schwarz said she was grateful to the BIPOC students who spent the day at the forum sharing their voices and lived experiences.
"Hearing directly from students is an invaluable opportunity to deepen our understanding, refine our priorities, and shape our approach for next steps," she said, noting that the district is committed to turning the students' insights into concrete actions.
Next steps, she said, will include reviewing the students’ priorities, collaborating with staff and community partners, and implementing strategies that advance anti-racism education, accountability, and inclusion across our schools.
