Centering
Black Youth Wellbeing

A Certificate on Combatting Anti-Black Racism

NOUVEAU: Le certificat est également disponible en français. S'inscrire aujourd'hui !

THIS ONLINE CERTIFICATE provides the Ontario youth sector with the foundational knowledge to cultivate practices, policies and alliances that challenge, disrupt and combat systematic anti-Black racism.

THE VISION is that this certificate will support a structural transformation in Ontario’s youth sector that centers the wellbeing of Black young people and their families in our individual practices and organizational policies.

KEY DATES

Registration Dates

December 18 – January 17, 2024


Certificate Dates

January 22 – March 15, 2024


Certificates and LinkedIn Badges
will be available one week after you complete the certificate.

Questions? Get in touch with us at learn@youthrex.com.

“NOW is the time, well beyond this moment of extreme social unrest, to better educate ourselves about the pervasive anti-Black racism that interlocks with other structures of oppression that Black youth and their families in Ontario experience – and for action towards social transformation and accountability”.

Will This Be The ONE? Reflection, Engagement & Action Against Anti-Black Racism in Ontario
by Uzo Anucha and the YouthREX Team, June 08, 2020. 

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The certificate includes 17 lectures and 2 artistic performances organized around four modules. The lectures will provide you with the knowledge and tools to:

Understand the historical roots and context of present-day manifestations of anti-Black racism

Engage with research on the impact of anti-Black racism on Black youth and their families

Learn critical practices for centering the wellbeing of Black youth and communities

Commit to ongoing personal, professional and organizational accountability

CURRICULUM AT A GLANCE 

MODULE ONE
The Context of Anti-Black Racism
The lectures in Module One locate anti-Black racism within a historical, socioeconomic and political context by connecting hundreds of years of history to the pervasive modern-day racism that show up in our institutions.

1.1   An Introduction to Anti-Black Racism
1.2  The Historical Roots of Anti-Black Racism in Canada
1.3  The Weaponization of Whiteness
1.4  Anti-Black Racism and a Discourse of Denial in Canadian Society
1.5  Brown Complicity in Anti-Black Racism

SPOKEN WORD
I Shouldn’t Have to Say This (Pt 1) by Asante Haughton

MODULE TWO
Engaging with Research About Black Youth
The lectures in Module Two engage with research about the consequences of the inequities that Black youth and their families experience including disparities within various systems, and the impact on their wellbeing and mental health.

2.1   Lessons from Research and Consultations about Black Youth in Ontario
2.2  Challenging Constructions of Black Youth Masculinities
2.3 The Impact of Anti-Black Racism on the Mental Health of Black Youth
2.4  Pathways to Mental Health Care for Black Youth

SPOKEN WORD
I Shouldn’t Have to Say This (Pt 2) by Asante Haughton

MODULE THREE
Critical Practice for Centering Black Youth Wellbeing
The lectures in Module Three explore models and practices to support Black youth within the context of their multilayered identities, including practice strategies for supporting Black youth who might be experiencing mental health challenges.

3.1  Actively Allying with Black Youth Against Anti-Black Racism
3.2  Ten Good Practices for Supporting Black Youth Mental Health
3.3  Strengthening Engagement with Families of Black Youth
3.4  Intersectional and Advocacy Strategies for Supporting Black Youth Wellbeing

SPOKEN WORD
I Shouldn’t Have to Say This (Pt 3) by Asante Haughton

MODULE FOUR
Ongoing Accountability for Transformative Change
The lectures in Module Four provide learners with the knowledge and tools required to commit to the ongoing work of cultivating practices, policies and alliances that challenge, disrupt and combat systematic anti-Black racism beyond this certificate.

4.1   Critical Practice Reflexivity
4.2  Organizational Accountability
4.3   Show Us the Data: Leveraging Race-Based Data for Accountability and Change
4.4  Collective Actions Towards Equity for Black Youth in Ontario: An Invitation

SPOKEN WORD
How to Be an Ally by Dwayne Morgan

MEET YOUR TEACHING TEAM

Dr. Uzo Anucha
Academic Director, YouthREX
York Research Chair in Youth and Contexts of Inequity
Associate Prof, School of Social Work
York University

Dr. Oyedeji Ayonrinde
Associate Professor
Psychiatry and Psychology
Faculty of Health Sciences
Queen’s University

Dr. Jude Mary Cénat
Assistant Professor
Director of the Vulnerability, Trauma, Resilience & Culture Laboratory
University of Ottawa

Dr. Andrea A. Davis
Associate Professor
Department of Humanities
Special Advisor on Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies' Anti-Black Racism Strategies
York University

Dr. Leo Edwards
Therapist & Healing Educator

Asante Haughton
Spoken Word Artist

Dr. Fatimah Jackson-Best
Black Health Alliance

Dr. Michele Johnson
Professor
Department of History
Associate Dean for Students, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies 
York University

Nene Kwasi Kafele
Founder, Tabono Institute

Community Scholar in Residence, YouthREX

Kimberley Moore
Social Worker
Taibu Community Health Centre

Dwayne Morgan
Spoken Word Artist

Chantal Phillips
Medical Student
University of Toronto

Research Assistant, YouthREX

Dr. Vidya Shah
Assistant Professor
Faculty of Education
York University

Rahma Siad Togane
Ph.D. Student
School of Social Work
York University

Dr. Carol Wade
Child Protection Supervisor
Catholic Children’s Aid Society
Sessional Instructor – York University and University of Windsor

Complete all four modules and earn a Certificate of Completion and a LinkedIn Badge from YouthREX based at York University.

Got questions? 
We’d love to hear from you. Email us at learn@youthrex.com!

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