91亚色's Centre for Human Rights, Equity & Inclusion (CHREI) is kick-starting the Fall 2024 term by offering staff, faculty and students a new REDDI (Respect, Equity, Diversity, Decolonization and Inclusion) Mini-Series: Promoting Accessibility and Proactive Accommodations. In this four-workshop series, which will run from Oct. 3 to 22, participants will learn important concepts and skills to challenge the various forms of ableism.

The workshops on accommodation provide participants with a deeper understanding of the key principles that guide the accommodation process, and insights into universal design approaches.

CHREI鈥檚 accommodation sessions are offered in partnership with Student Accessibility Services and the Teaching Commons. to earn a REDDI Mini-Series Certificate.

As promised, CHREI is offering more REDDI Core Series sessions throughout November. This fall鈥檚 sessions include:

• Employment Equity Principles towards Inclusion;
• Understanding Freedom of Expression at 91亚色; and
• Advancing Organizational Change to Foster a Culture of Belonging.

Register for all three and earn your REDDI Core Series Certificate. Learn more about our REDDI series certificates on the .

is now available on YU Learn.

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In addition to work focused on the political economy of oil and gas in Alberta, Angele Alook 鈥� a professor in 91亚色's School of Gender, Sexuality & Women鈥檚 Studies and a member of Bigstone Cree Nation in Treaty 8 territory 鈥� has been pursuing interdisciplinary projects that underscore how critical Indigenous Peoples鈥� rights and knowledge systems are to developing solutions to the climate crisis and achieving climate justice.

Among Alook鈥檚 efforts are serving as an academic delegate for the Indigenous Climate Action organization and as a member of the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council-funded Just Powers project, which looks to create socially just approaches to decarbonizing energy transitions.

Alook鈥檚 projects are often driven by the desire to champion Indigenous voices and knowledge systems. For example, for Just Powers, she directed a documentary called Pikopaywin: It is broken, which examines energy projects in Treaty 8 territory by sharing the perspectives and insights of Indigenous traditional land users, environmental officers and elders 鈥� notably from the Bigstone Cree Nation.

Recently, Alook attended the annual meeting of the United Nations' Local Communities & Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIPP) Facilitative Working Group, which took place in Bonn, Germany. The event aims to facilitate the integration of diverse knowledge systems, practices, and innovations in designing and implementing international and national actions, programs, and policies in a manner that respects and promotes the rights and interests of local communities and Indigenous Peoples.

By attending the event, organized by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Alook鈥檚 objective was to produce a series of educational videos showcasing Indigenous climate leaders discussing false solutions, just transition and youth engagement 鈥� all critical elements to understanding climate progress and effectively moving the needle. Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change Professor Martha Stiegman and research assistant Ana Cardoso were also in attendance to support Alook with data collection, filming and note-taking.

"We are actively engaged in the Indigenous Peoples Caucus [of the United Nations] to uphold the principles of safeguarding Indigenous Peoples' rights, promoting ethical and equitable engagement with knowledge systems, ensuring direct access to Indigenous Peoples for climate finance, and advocating for full and effective participation," said Alook.

At the meeting, Alook and her team conducted interviews with youth representatives, elder knowledge keepers, policy experts and members of Indigenous organizations. Their conversations spanned regions, engaging with people from Chad, the Philippines, the Arctic Circle, the Inuit Circumpolar Council, the M茅tis National Council, the Assembly of First Nations in Canada and the Indigenous Environmental Network in the U.S.

Alongside Alook, Stiegman and Cardoso was Indigenous student Ashton Gladue, who is currently pursuing a degree in communications and media studies in 91亚色 U's Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. 

"It was a fantastic learning opportunity for Ashton," said Alook. "He got to be in UNFCCC spaces, learn about Indigenous research methods and film educational videos with Indigenous climate leaders from all over the world, including elders and youth."

She added, "There was a special moment when a well-known knowledge keeper and climate leader spoke directly to Ashton during filming. In that moment, we realized we weren't just filming an interview but experiencing intergenerational knowledge transfer and revitalization of knowledge systems."

Beyond that powerful interaction, Alook believes her team's participation in this event 鈥� and others like it 鈥� is an active demonstration of Indigenous research methodologies in action, and one that she hopes will contribute to the gradual decolonization of climate change policy.

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YSpace, 91亚色's innovation hub, has partnered with 91亚色 Region to launch the new ELLA Incubator program, an initiative designed to empower aspiring women entrepreneurs in the technology industry by offering essential resources and mentorship to help them grow and scale their business ventures beyond their launch.

YSpace ELLA was created to support women entrepreneurs in launching and growing their businesses. Since 2020, it has achieved significant success, supporting over 150 women entrepreneurs in raising over $10 million in capital, generating over $20 million in revenue and creating numerous jobs.

The ELLA Incubator program is part of YSpace鈥檚 broader Project JumpSTART initiative, which focuses on driving economic development and innovation within 91亚色 Region. The collaborative effort brings together YSpace, the Schulich School of Business鈥檚 Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, the Treefrog Accelerator and 91亚色 Region to foster a supportive environment for entrepreneurs.

The new program is membership based, offering participants access to networking events, educational workshops and webinars, regular check-ins with advisors and more.

"Our goal is to provide women entrepreneurs with the tools, mentorship and community they need to achieve their business aspirations,鈥� says Nicole Troster, ELLA entrepreneurship manager. 鈥淭he ELLA Incubator is dedicated to create an environment where innovative ideas can flourish.鈥�

David Kwok, director of entrepreneurship and innovation at YSpace, adds: "The ELLA Incubator program represents our commitment to fostering innovation, supporting women entrepreneurs.鈥�

The ELLA Incubator is part of YSpace's broader mission to cultivate a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem, fostering collaboration between industry leaders and emerging entrepreneurs. This program is now open to women entrepreneurs in the technology sector, with a primary focus on companies that are based in or looking to expand into 91亚色 Region.

To learn more about the ELLA Incubator program and how to apply, visit YSpace's ELLA Incubator web page.

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Janine Marchessault 鈥� a professor in 91亚色's School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design and the 91亚色 Research Chair in Media Arts and Community Engagement, who recently 鈥� is building alliances between institutional and community-led media archives from around the world through efforts like the Global Audiovisual Archiving (GAVA) Conference and more.

The GAVA Conference was conceived by the Eye Filmmuseum, a unique Dutch museum dedicated to film preservation and education, in 2021 as an international forum to forge connections and identify challenges within the field of media archiving. Smaller collections, in particular, are vulnerable to disappearance and inaccessibility and, according to Marchessault, are in urgent need of care as a matter of social justice and human rights.

鈥淭he problems that smaller archives face include a lack of storage space, funds to access digitization technologies, specialized labour and formal archival training," says Marchessault, the principal investigator of Archive/Counter-Archive, a project and research network dedicated to activating and preserving audiovisual archives created by Indigenous Peoples, Black communities and people of colour, women, 2SLGBT2QIA+ and immigrant communities. "Often, these kinds of 鈥榖est practices鈥� are defined by richer institutions, without due consideration of or engagement with the contexts, resources and politics of other regions.鈥�

Among the possible solutions is international collaboration, which GAVA looked to foster with the conference鈥檚 鈥淏uilding Alliances鈥� theme this year. Gathering an interdisciplinary assortment of over 200 archivists, artists, filmmakers, scholars and activists from around the world at the TIFF Lightbox in downtown Toronto, GAVA provided a space for new collaborations and partnerships to develop. The conference laid the foundation for a new global research network of community-based archives to work with and support one another.

鈥淲e gathered an impressive group of presenters whose innovative engagements are redefining what archives are, where they exist and how they are experienced,鈥� explains Marchessault. The goal is to build a platform that is more inclusive and accessible for smaller archival organizations and projects, which makes it different from other large international archiving conferences.

Supported through a Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council Partnership Grant and Connections Grant, GAVA was co-organized by the 91亚色-based project Archive/Counter-Archive: Activating Canada's Moving Image Heritage, the Toronto International Film Festival and the Eye Filmmuseum. All three organizations are united by their dedication to generating new archival film methodologies and the preservation of precarious and marginalized media archives.

To extend the conference鈥檚 goal of sharing knowledge and resources between established and underfunded media archives, Marchessault is currently working with the Eye Filmmuseum to develop a new international platform for archivists, artists, activists, and scholars from around the world to share information and resources. She will also co-edit a special issue of the journal Public: Art/Culture/Ideas with other members of the GAVA advisory board to capture the cutting-edge ideas presented at the conference.

According to Marchessault, creating alliances with international archives 鈥� focusing on community-based organizations 鈥� is critical at this time. With the world facing shared ecological and political challenges, a global perspective on archives fosters important solidarities through shared resources and co-created knowledge.

Those alliances also underscore the driving premise of the GAVA Network, which is that community-based archives defined by social movements and shared identities can create forms of knowledge that challenge social and political inequities.

The outcome, says Marchessault, can lead to 鈥渄esigning practices of care and pedagogical approaches for the next generation of archivists, artists, activists, humanists and historians in ways that are inclusive, expansive and liberatory.鈥�

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As part of its obligations under the , the University is required to conduct a workforce analysis to identify areas of under-representation of equity-deserving group members in its workforce. Each year, 91亚色 presents this analysis in the Annual Employment Equity Statistical Report. The report covering January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023, is now available.

The report highlights representation at 91亚色 for the four federally designated groups under the Employment Equity Act (women, Indigenous peoples, racialized persons, and persons with disabilities) and community members identified as 2SLGBTQIA+. It also highlights some of the employment equity initiatives undertaken in 2023.

This year, the data revealed some improvements, including the year-to-year increase in representation of racialized persons and persons with disabilities among total employees over the last three years (2021 to 2023).  

In general, the data showed that while the overall representation rates for women continue to exceed the external availability data, numbers for Indigenous peoples, racialized persons, and persons with disabilities show a general trend of representation rates falling below the external availability data provided by Statistics Canada. 

Recently, there has been a notable increase in awareness of the potential uses of employment equity data within the University community, as requests for employment equity data by units and Faculties have increased. Responding to this need, a new 91亚色 University employment equity dashboard will launch later this year. The dashboard aims to increase access to data for the entire community in order to assist in the implementation of some of the recommendations highlighted in the Decolonizing, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy. 

Because it is important to obtain accurate data for the dashboard to be truly useful in supporting evidence-based decision making, community members鈥� participation in the Employment Equity Survey is critical to ensure the report and the new dashboard are being truly representative of the community.

Those who have not yet completed the improved version of the employee self-identification survey yet, or would like to change their responses, can access it via within your 鈥淧ersonal Details鈥� tab. The more people who complete the survey, the more accurate the data will be for both the Annual Report and the soon to be launched dashboard.

To find out more about Employment Equity at 91亚色 and to view past reports, visit the Employment Equity and Diversity website.

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On this day, August 1, we annually mark the day when the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 came into effect across the British Empire. Black and Indigenous people were once enslaved on the land that is now Canada, indelibly shaping Canadian society through their struggle, resistance, endurance and fortitude. This day is a call to learn more about slavery and its legacy, to respect the strength and perseverance of communities that have been subjected to the practice of slavery, and to reject ongoing anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism and discrimination.

91亚色 answers this call in many ways, including by:

• Contributing to the collective efforts of the Action Plan on Black Inclusion. The third Annual Report details these efforts. While 80 per cent of the actions are complete, on-track or progressing, there are ample opportunities for community members to play a role in countering anti-Black racism at 91亚色.
  
• Supporting spaces where Black community members can engage, connect and experience a sense of place and belonging. This includes the work of the program for Black students, the YU Black Staff Network, the YU Black Alumni Network, and in Black student spaces in McLaughlin College and in the HNES building (for EUC students).
  
• Cultivating research, teaching, and learning dedicated to Black Canadian histories, communities, and experiences. Examples of this include the to include a Major, and the support of Organized Research Units such as the Harriet Tubman Institute and CERLAC.
  
• Dedicating resources to support Black students thriving, such as those available from the and .

I invite you to about Emancipation Day and slavery in Canada and to engage in activities to advance Addressing Anti-Black Racism: A Framework on Black Inclusion and the .

Thank you. Merci. Miigwech.

Laina Y. Bay-Cheng
Vice-President Equity, People and Culture

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Le 1^er ao没t est le jour o霉 on c茅l猫bre l鈥檈ntr茅e en vigueur de la 芦 Slavery Abolition Act 禄 de 1833 (Loi sur l鈥檃bolition de l鈥檈sclavage), partout dans l鈥橢mpire britannique. Dans le pass茅, des membres des communaut茅s noires et autochtones ont 茅t茅 r茅duits en esclavage sur le territoire qui est aujourd鈥檋ui le Canada, ce qui a profond茅ment marqu茅 la soci茅t茅 canadienne par leur lutte, leur r茅sistance, leur endurance et leur force d鈥櫭e. Cette journ茅e est une occasion d鈥檈n savoir plus sur l鈥檈sclavage et son h茅ritage, de respecter la force et la pers茅v茅rance des communaut茅s qui ont subi cette pratique et de s鈥檈ngager dans la lutte continue contre le racisme et la discrimination 脿 l鈥櫭ゞard des communaut茅s noires et des peuples autochtones.

91亚色 r茅pond 脿 cet appel de plusieurs mani猫res :

• Contribution aux efforts collectifs du Plan d鈥檃ction sur l鈥檌nclusion des personnes noires : le troisi猫me rapport annuel d茅crit en d茅tail ces efforts. Bien que 80 % des actions sont achev茅es, en bonne voie ou en cours de r茅alisation, les membres de la communaut茅 ont de nombreuses possibilit茅s de jouer un r么le dans la lutte contre le racisme anti-Noirs 脿 91亚色.
• Soutenir des espaces dans lesquels la communaut茅 noire peut s鈥檈ngager, se rencontrer et avoir un sentiment d鈥檃ppartenance. Ceci comprend le programme pour les 茅tudiantes et 茅tudiants noirs, le R茅seau du personnel noir de 91亚色, le R茅seau des dipl么m茅s noirs de 91亚色 et les espaces r茅serv茅s aux 茅tudiants noirs au Coll猫ge McLaughlin et dans le b芒timent HNES (pour les 茅tudiants de l鈥橢UC).
• Appuyer la recherche, l鈥檈nseignement et l鈥檃pprentissage sur l鈥檋istoire, les communaut茅s et les exp茅riences v茅cues par les Canadiennes et Canadiens noirs. On peut citer, 脿 titre d鈥檈xemples, l鈥櫭﹍argissement du programme d鈥� en majeure et le soutien apport茅 aux unit茅s de recherche organis茅es comme l鈥�Institut Harriet Tubman et le CERLAC.
• Le et les , qui consacrent des ressources 脿 l鈥櫭﹑anouissement des 茅tudiantes et 茅tudiants noirs.

Je vous invite 脿 en sur le Jour de l鈥櫭﹎ancipation et sur l鈥檈sclavage au Canada, ainsi qu鈥櫭� participer 脿 des activit茅s pour faire progresser la lutte contre le racisme par le biais du Cadre d鈥檌nclusion des personnes noires et du de l鈥橴niversit茅 91亚色.

Merci. Thank you. Miigwech.

Laina Y. Bay-Cheng
Vice-pr茅sidente int茅rimaire de l鈥櫭﹒uit茅, des personnes et de la culture

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The third Annual Report on Black Inclusion is now available. The latest annual report features a comprehensive look at all 86 calls to action items, offering a clear account of progress on each item. It also provides a robust assessment of efforts to advance the action items, as well as insight into what more is needed to substantially shift institutional culture toward the inclusion and affirmation of the vibrance, diversity and depth of Black lives and experience.

鈥淚t is meaningful that over 70 per cent of action items have been completed or are on track. We should celebrate this and thank those who have made it happen鈥� said Laina Y. Bay-Cheng, vice-president Equity, People & Culture. 鈥淗owever, these achievements shouldn鈥檛 be treated as endpoints. I hope we鈥檒l use the progress evident in the report to keep up momentum and engage even more 91亚色 community members in advancing Black inclusion initiatives.鈥�

Some completed activities to date include: 

Action Item: As part of our commitment to review campus security and explore alternative models for community safety, ensure that the lens of equity, diversity and inclusion is central, and that the process will include community consultation (e.g., townhalls, focus groups) with Black community members.

Results: The Security Services Review has been completed and recommendations for changes in service provision and community engagement are already being implemented.

Action Item: Support the development of a Black staff affiliation group and support ongoing activities.

Results: The 91亚色 Black Staff Network (YUBSN) was formed in 2021, with membership open to all Black people of African descent who occupy non-academic staff roles at the University.

Action Item: Hire a minimum of 12 new Black faculty over the next two years (2021-2023). Support departments鈥� readiness and develop their capacity to support Black colleagues.

Results: In fact, 35 Black Faculty members have been hired since 2021, with considerable effort and programming going into ensuring they encounter colleagues and a larger University community ready to support their success. 

Action Item: Support the development of the Black Alumni Network, created in 2020, and its ongoing activities.

Results: The 91亚色 Black Alumni Network (YUBAN) continues to embody Black excellence with an energetic group of graduates, enthusiastic about mentorship and inspiring the minds of emerging thinkers and leaders.

Many additional items are progressing well but are still underway and so are listed as 鈥渙n track鈥� in the report. Some activities were postponed but remain active parts of this strategy. 

Several themes emerged from the progress updates, and the report shares these insights. For instance, those who take on important initiatives often feel burdened by requests to report on it. This is a challenge that Equity, People & Culture and others across the university will try to address.

鈥淚t is important to continue to acknowledge and centre the voices of people from the Black community, some of whom have wondered whether this strategic effort will bring perceptible, meaningful change across 91亚色 campuses for Black students, staff, and scholars,鈥� said Lisa Cocketts, strategy and engagement specialist - Black Inclusion. 鈥淚t is through a dynamic and evolving Action Plan as well as honest, full reporting that 91亚色 can demonstrate its commitment to creating actual, positive change towards Black inclusion,鈥� added Cocketts.

Community members are asked to join together in recognizing the hard work of the many contributors to the work of Black Inclusion and the progress the University has made, as updates such as this report are not possible without the efforts of many.

The 91亚色 community is encouraged to review the Annual Report to learn more. Feedback can be provided by email to epcinfo@yorku.ca.   

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Chers coll猫gues, ch猫res coll猫gues,

Je suis heureuse de vous informer que Laina Y. Bay-Cheng, qui occupe actuellement le poste de vice-pr茅sidente int茅rimaire de l鈥櫭﹒uit茅, des personnes et de la culture (VP-EPC), a 茅t茅 nomm茅e 脿 ce poste 脿 titre permanent au 1^er janvier 2025. J鈥檃i eu l鈥檋onneur de diriger une vaste recherche qui a abouti 脿 la nomination de M^me Bay-Cheng en tant que VP-EPC par int茅rim le 1^er janvier 2024. Durant les sept derniers mois, elle a d茅montr茅 un leadership solide et un engagement sans faille envers l鈥橴niversit茅 gr芒ce 脿 son exp茅rience et 脿 son parcours universitaire.

Au cours de l鈥檃nn茅e, M^me Bay-Cheng a appuy茅 les relations de travail, notamment en participant activement aux n茅gociations avec le SCFP 3903 et, plus r茅cemment, avec YUFA. Elle a 茅galement men茅 脿 bien et sans d茅lai la recherche d鈥檜ne nouvelle dirigeante principale des ressources humaines et VPA des ressources humaines. De plus, elle a aid茅 la VPA aux affaires autochtones dans ses projets. Elle a aussi collabor茅 avec diverses unit茅s, y compris le Centre des droits de la personne, de l鈥櫭﹒uit茅 et de l鈥檌nclusion (CHREI), afin d鈥檈nrichir la culture relationnelle de 91亚色. Enfin, elle a travaill茅 脿 int茅grer et 脿 favoriser l鈥櫭﹒uit茅 sous toutes ses formes et pour tous les groupes dans l鈥檈nsemble des communaut茅s et des pratiques de 91亚色.

La professeure Bay-Cheng est arriv茅e 脿 91亚色 en juillet 2022, ayant travaill茅 durant 17 ans au sein du corps professoral de la University at Buffalo, y compris comme doyenne associ茅e au recrutement et au d茅veloppement du corps professoral. Ses accomplissements refl猫tent sa d茅termination 脿 b芒tir des collectivit茅s savantes, vari茅es, justes et prosp猫res en partant de z茅ro.

M^me Bay-Cheng a 茅t茅 embauch茅e 脿 91亚色 au poste inaugural de vice-pr茅sidente associ茅e aux affaires facultaires. 脌 ce titre, elle a contribu茅 脿 la mise sur pied d鈥檜n environnement propice au d茅veloppement professionnel des membres du corps professoral, que ce soit en recherche ou en 茅ducation. 脌 son arriv茅e en fonction, elle a instaur茅 divers dispositifs pour appuyer ses coll猫gues du corps professoral, quel que soit leur statut ou leur fonction, notamment en accompagnant les professeur飧眅飧眘 adjoint飧眅飧眘 en d茅but de carri猫re vers la titularisation, en encadrant les professeur飧眅飧眘 agr茅g茅飧眅飧眘 qui souhaitent devenir titulaires, en supervisant de fa莽on rigoureuse et efficace les processus de recrutement acad茅mique de 91亚色 et en d茅veloppant des comp茅tences et des r茅seaux de solidarit茅 au sein de la haute direction.

La professeure Bay-Cheng est membre du corps professoral du d茅partement de psychologie. Elle s鈥檌nt茅resse 脿 l鈥檌nfluence des discriminations soci茅tales connexes sur le bien-锚tre sexuel et reproductif des adolescentes. Elle est toujours reconnaissante pour ses 茅tudes universitaires au Wellesley College ainsi que pour sa formation doctorale en travail social et en psychologie avec Abby Stewart, Ph. D., 脿 l鈥橴niversit茅 du Michigan.

C鈥檈st une 茅tape cruciale pour l鈥橴niversit茅 91亚色, qui poursuit son travail de d茅colonisation et se penche sur les questions d鈥櫭﹒uit茅 et d鈥檌nclusion, renfor莽ant ainsi sa r茅putation d鈥檈nvironnement accueillant o霉 chaque personne se sent 脿 sa place. Dans son poste, M^me Bay-Cheng s鈥檃ppuiera sur son exp茅rience et ses r茅alisations pass茅es pour continuer 脿 mettre en 艙uvre la Strat茅gie de d茅colonisation, d鈥櫭﹒uit茅, de diversit茅 et d鈥檌nclusion de l鈥橴niversit茅 91亚色. Elle contribuera 茅galement au plan d鈥檃ction En avant 91亚色 pour favoriser une approche durable, ainsi qu鈥檃u d茅veloppement continu de la Division dans ses efforts pour promouvoir le Plan acad茅mique de l鈥橴niversit茅.

Veuillez vous joindre 脿 moi pour adresser nos f茅licitations 脿 la professeure Laina Y. Bay-Cheng. Je me r茅jouis de collaborer avec elle dans les ann茅es 脿 venir pour poursuivre nos efforts en faveur de l鈥櫭﹒uit茅, de la diversit茅 et de la culture, non seulement 脿 91亚色, mais aussi avec nos partenaires de la communaut茅. Une recherche interne pour trouver la nouvelle personne au poste de vice-pr茅sidence associ茅e aux affaires facultaires d茅butera prochainement.

Sinc猫res salutations,

Rhonda Lenton
Pr茅sidente et vice-chanceli猫re

The post Nomination de Laina Y. Bay-Cheng au poste de vice-pr茅sidente de l鈥櫭﹒uit茅, des personnes et de la culture appeared first on 91亚色.

Advancing YU is a mentorship and scholarship program in 91亚色's Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) that links Black and/or women third- and fourth-year students with experienced alumni mentors, and provides professional and personal development opportunities.

A critical component of the Advancing YU program is matching student mentees with alumni mentors who share identities and experiences, and who have faced similar barriers.

鈥淏y connecting them with alumni mentors who share aspects of their identities, and many of whom have navigated similar challenges, we provide contexts within which our participants can excel and where they receive supports to encourage success in their academic and professional pursuits,鈥� says Michele Johnson, interim dean of LA&PS.

Advancing YU consists of two streams 鈥� Advancing Black Students and Advancing Women 鈥� and offers a $1,000 scholarship upon completion of the program requirements. The program has benefited over 300 LA&PS students since 2020.

"Advancing YU has been a game changer for our Black and women students, offering targeted mentorship and resources that are meant to address some of their specific needs and aspirations,鈥� says Johnson.

Within the program, students are organized into 鈥渜uartets鈥� consisting of one mentor and three students. They are required to invest 40 hours total (10 hours per month) into meeting with their mentor, joining workshops and personal reflection.

The program has engaged over 70 mentors in the past three years and continues to provide accomplished Black and/or women mentors a platform to give back to the 91亚色 U community.

Alumni mentor Anika Holder, vice-president of human resources at Penguin Random House Canada, had this to say about the program: 鈥淥ne of the reasons I wanted to participate in the Advancing YU program is because, at this point in my career, I felt it was time to reach back and lift up. It鈥檚 helpful [for students] to have a real-life example who can offer their thoughts and help them to uncover and shape their vision.鈥�

Lynette Furtado, a past participant in Advancing YU who now works as a policy consultant and mental health advocate, calls the program transformative in helping her navigate post-graduation life.

鈥淸It was] vital in allowing me to network and develop strong connections, while providing resources tailored to my needs,鈥� Furtado says. 鈥淢y mentor guided me in the complexities of the legal field and helped me explore paths available to me.鈥�

Keisha Porter, a recent mentee in the Advancing Black Students stream, echoes that being accepted into the program was life changing, both professionally and personally.

鈥淎side from building great contacts and networks, this program has taught me how to show up and advocate for myself in a variety of situations and environments. As a result, I am empowered and prepared to face both future obstacles and victories.鈥�

鈥淭his program exemplifies our commitment to supporting diverse groups within our community and creating pathways for the advancement of Black and women scholars,鈥� says Johnson.

Advancing YU student applications are open now until Oct. 4. Students must be in their third or fourth year of study in an LA&PS program, with聽a minimum of 54 credits completed. To learn more and apply for the 2024-25 Advancing YU program, students can visit the Student Information page.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to share Advancing YU program information and the application deadline with students.

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