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YOUTH CONFERENCE 2002 |
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In December 2002, the League hosted delegates from the Toronto District School Board and the York Region District School Board. Over 100 students and staff supervisors from twenty-eight schools participated in the Taking Action Against Hate Youth Conference. Below is an article describing the program as printed in "The Jewish Tribune" newspaper. |
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Changing H-A-T-E to H-E-A-R-T |
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| The
Jewish Tribune December 26th, 2002 by Talya Rotem At the peak of exam season and with bitter weather deterring anyone from venturing outside without good reason, what were |
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| 100 Toronto and York Region students along with thirty supervisors doing at B'nai Brith Canada's national office last week? Simple. They were commemorating International Human Rights Day in a very significant way. They were learning to combat hate and racism. | ||
| B’nai Brith’s League for Human Rights and its Conference community partners - the Equity Department of the Toronto District School Board, and the Race Relations Department of the York Region District School Board, offered youth leaders the opportunity to learn to recognize hate, and practical strategies to lead anti-hate initiatives in their schools and communities. By adapting the League’s Taking Action Against Hate Train the Trainer program, the conference goal was to convey a message of tolerance and to increase youth awareness about the use of anti-racism strategies. | ||
| The Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, The Honourable Keith Norton, opened the conference. Mr. Norton emphasized the need for students to counter hate-motivated activity and the importance of their role as ambassadors once they returned to their schools to spearhead new initiatives. |
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| Jennifer Podemski, an actor and writer/producer for Big Soul Productions, shared with the Conference delegates her experiences growing up as an Israeli-Saulteaux Aboriginal and explained how she was forced to contend with racism from both sides of her family as well as from external sources. The significance of the conference and of Jennifer's speech was further emphasized in light of the antisemitic remarks made by former Chief David Ahenakew this week. Responding to Ahenakew's remarks, Podemski publicly reiterated her conference message: "[Ahenekew's] comments were not only intolerant and racist but an embarrassment to all leaders who are really working towards the greater good. For those of us who work towards tolerance and understanding every day, it is truly upsetting to get a taste of the hatred we are working against." | ||
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| Other Conference presenters included Staff Sergeant Heinz Kuck from the Toronto Police Services who discussed the work of the Graffiti Eradication Program. He depicted the issues surrounding hate graffiti and its effects on the individual victim as well as on the community as a whole. Detective Constable Brian Clarke of the Toronto Police Service, Hate Crimes Unit explained the process and necessity of reporting a hate crime. Lawyer and author Warren Kinsella offered the youth leaders an in-depth look at the methods used by hate groups to disseminate their racist ideals via the Internet. | ||
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Mohamed Shuriye, a student at Riverdale
Collegiate Institute and President of the TDSB Supercouncil, provided
the students with an example of positive youth activism as he encouraged
the youth leaders to become knowledgeable about their rights as
students and to become active in their school life. |
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