Do the Work! Youth Forum on Allyship will explore topics in social justice as well as develop allyship and advocacy skills among youth. This winter, Experiences Canada will deliver a series of seven bi-weekly webinars and workshops for 50 youth ages 14-18. Selected topics will include:

 

Islamophobia: will discuss some of the most common stereotypes and misconceptions about Islam and Muslims and will host discussion to help support a more inclusive social environment.

 

Mental Health: will focus on self-care and peer support, including opportunities for youth to address any issues that may arise as they process difficult issues as part of the program.

 

Reconciliation: will introduce key milestone events or decisions affecting the relationship between Indigenous Nations and the Canadian Government, and challenge youth participants to reflect on meaningful and tangible ways they can further Reconciliation.

 

LGBTQ2+: will discuss gender identities; the Indigenous world view of gender and identity; the history of gendered discrimination, the process of coming out and gender transition as well as sexual violence and assault.

 

Environmental Racism: will explore the concept of environmental racism through the examination of specific incidents in Canadian history.

 

Disability Justice: will explore concepts such as ableism; wholeness; sustainability; accessibility; and independence as well as the evolution of disability rights in Canadian history.

 

Social Media: will focus on understanding the potential of this medium to both amplify and ameliorate discrimination, bias, harassment, and hate. This session will focus on social media literacy and best practices.

 

Youth participants will be divided into one of 6 smaller working groups, based on their individual preferences for exploring one of the featured topics in greater detail. They will meet throughout the program to complete research and collaborate on developing a final podcast plan about that topic that they will then produce at the National Forum.

 

Youth participants should anticipate the program will require approximately 8-10 hours per month of their time through February, March and April 2022.

 

Once youth have successfully completed the full webinar series, they will be invited to travel to Winnipeg to attend the 3-day in-person National Forum on Allyship May 6-8, 2022.

 

During the National Forum, each of the youth groups will lead a presentation about the ideas that they developed over the course of the program, and recieve feedback from the rest of the youth participants to help refine their podcast plan.

 

After the Forum, Expereinces Canada will complete a final edit of all of the podcast and prepare them for public release.  We believe these productions will inspire youth participants to take up further action in their own communities when they return home. Experiences Canada staff and volunteers will provide after-program support and mentorship via Slack for a full year.

 

Health and safety:

As this will be the first in-person event we have hosted since the start of the pandemic, health safety will be our the utmost priority.  We will adhere to all local public health safety guidelines, with respect to social distancing, mask wearing, and screening protocols.  As added measures, we will administer on-site rapid testing for COVID-19 for all participants. As per federal regulations for public travel by air and rail, all participants must be fully vaccinated and provide proof of vaccination and identification before travel tickets can me issued.

 

Cost:

A registration fee of $250 will be payable on selection to the forum series. This covers all program costs as well as travel, room, and board in Winnipeg,

Experiences Canada is dedicated to ensuring full access to its program regardless of geography, ability or economic circumstance. Limited special measures funding requests are considered on a case-by-case basis

 

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