Learning starts with accountability.
We understand the barriers because we’ve lived them. Our workshops and trainings are designed to provide tailored insight into how services and systems can be reimagined to support equitable outcomes for Black and racialized families.
PoBC Knowledge Exchange Centre provides workshops and support to organizations and associations large and small.
- Educators at all school levels
- Parents/caregivers and organizations serving parents and caregivers
- Youth and youth-serving organizations
- Associations/Unions and other organizations
If your organization isn’t mentioned? Don’t worry! We tailor our offerings for your needs. Simply reach out to us directly.
A SIMPLE REQUEST: How to be an Anti-Racist Educator: Teaching with an anti-racist lens.
This workshop will invite educators to practice through an anti-racist lens. It will provide them with the skills to examine their own practices and rebuild their pedagogy to facilitate an anti-racist framework. This workshop will equip educators with the tools to challenge harmful practices, such as the over-surveillance of Black students, non-inclusive spaces/classrooms, harsher disciplining, and approaches to specialized programming for Black students.
This workshop will also provide participants with concrete advice and tips on how to practice teaching from an anti-racist lens to leave a lasting impact on Black, Indigenous, racialized, and white students alike.
NOTE: Workshops will be tailored dependent on request.
Understanding Anti-Black Racism in Education: The History
In this workshop, educators will learn about the foundations of colonialism and systemic racism. It is an opportunity to learn about how the education system was created and the barriers that have shaped the experience of Black students and their families. This workshop will take educators on a journey to understanding educational approaches in pre-colonial Africa, through transatlantic slavery, and colonial Canada to educational experiences in the 1980s and 1990s for Black families. This is a chance for educators to gain a deeper understanding of the Black experience, the history of colonialism, and the role it plays in the creation of systems and legacies that still impact us today. This workshop will focus on how societal constructs have created inequities in education that social justice movements strive to dismantle.
The reality of the Black student experience in school
An engaging discussion examining the Black/African Canadian student experience today. A deep look at the work of Dr. Carl James as well as other scholars, unpacking what the research and data tells us about the Black experience, paired with the reality of lived experience. This is an opportunity for educators to truly examine the social context in which they are teaching. It will help educators discover how to be critical actors in supporting Black students and provide them with a clear and deep understanding of the lived realities for Black students.
Activating and advocating
In this workshops, parents and caregiver will learn about the importance of advocacy. We will break down the barriers faced by Black families across all systems and illustrate the ways in which parents and caregivers can be empowered to navigate systems and advocate on behalf of themselves and their families. This workshop will outline the power of advocacy and how to be an effective advocate.
Navigating the child welfare system
Are you a Black parent/caregiver or a community organization working with Black families? Learn how to effectively navigate Children Aid Societies. What are your rights?
Sessions will focus on:
- Child Welfare Eligibility Spectrum (how workers make decisions about whether to intervene, bias' that make it more likely for files to be open on Black families etc.
- Child Youth and Family Services Act (CYFSA) Can it work for Black families?
- Understand the Ontario Child Protection Tools and Manuals ( the tools that workers use to make decisions about apprehensions, intake etc.)
- How to support your clients/family through CAS contact... What should you do/not do?
You should attend the training if:
- You work for a community organization that provides services to Black families
- You are a person of African Canadian descent wanting to know more about the child welfare system.
Navigating the education system
PoBC has created the first Education Systems Navigation Booklet for parents of Black students to support you from pre-school to high-school.
This workshop is designed to guide parents through the inner workings of the education system. From pre-school to high-school, this navigation workshop will unpack and demystify the education system, empower parents with information about their rights and provide helpful information about how the school system works. Knowledge is power.The N Word (all grades)
Tailored to specific grade levels this workshop discusses use of the N word in schools and amongst friends. The workshop takes students through the history of the word and unpacks how it has been reclaimed by Black communities but still retains horrific and hurtful meanings. This workshop will take a deep dive into ‘n word passes’ and explain to students why no one should be using the word.
Understanding racism – we all play a role (all grades)
A youth centred approach to discussing and understanding racism and anti-Black racism specifically. Starting by unpacking the legacies of colonialism and slavery, this workshop will explain in simple terms how those legacies have a direct impact on how people are treated and experience systems today. This dynamic workshop will be an eye opener for student and provide them with lifelong learnings.
Activating your power! Creating the world, you want to see. (all grades)
Everyone can be an activist. This workshop looks at the history of activism. The differences that advocates and activists have made throughout history and the importance of using your voice as a source for change. This engaging and interactive workshop will help students identify areas of activism in their lives.
Addressing and maintaining optimal mental health for Black families – understanding the impact of anti-Black racism
Black families are dealing with day-to-day stressors of Anti Black Racism that challenge their social and mental well-being. These stressors create long-term effects on self-esteem for Black parents and children. Come and learn how to address and maintain optimal mental health for Black children and parents in an interactive workshop about building daily self-esteem and self-confidence.
The facilitators will walk you through strategies to discuss the Impact of Cumulative Racial Trauma and the effects on low-self-esteem while building knowledge and skills to become more self-directing and self-accepting.
BOOK NOW
Book a seat right away if you’d like to attend any of these workshops or training. Please book workshops 4-6 weeks in advance.
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