Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Archives | Faculty of Education

Charles Hopkins Honoured with the Order of Canada

acoward — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 15:19:40 +0000

_{Charles A. Hopkins}

Charles A. Hopkins, an internationally recognized pioneer in education for sustainable development and the inaugural holder of the UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education Towards Sustainability at 91��ɫ, has been named a Member of the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest civilian honours. His decades-long leadership in embedding sustainability into education — from shaping curricula and campus practices at 91��ɫ to partnering with UNESCO, the United Nations University and global ministries of education — has inspired learners and educators around the world to make sustainability a core principle of teaching and learning.

The Order of Canada, established in 1967, honours individuals whose contributions have had a lasting impact in Canada and beyond.

Read more about Hopkins and all nine 91��ɫ community members honoured in this year’s Order of Canada announcement: /yfile/2026/01/07/order-of-canada-honours-nine-york-community-members/

The post Charles Hopkins Honoured with the Order of Canada appeared first on Faculty of Education.

In the media: Black youth lead research revolution at transformative TDSB Conference

acoward — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 15:54:45 +0000

_{Photo Courtesy of Halima Elmi}

The fourth annual Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) Conference, hosted by the Toronto District School Board’s Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement (CEBSA), delivered a powerful showcase of Black youth leadership. Held on Saturday, November 1^st, 2025, at Highland Hall on the University of Toronto’s Scarborough campus, the event brought together students, educators, administrators, and community partners. Their shared goal: elevate student-led research and highlight the issues that matter most to Black learners.

The conference grew out of the Black Student Summer Leadership Program (BSSLP), a creative initiative shaped by CEBSA. The program began with ten students in 2019 in partnership with the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community, and Diaspora at 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Education. Participation expanded to 30 students in 2020 and surged to 100 by 2025. This growth turned the program into a competitive, in-demand experience for students eager to lead, research, and influence their schools. BSSLP affirms Black identity, excellence, and leadership, while modeling how schools and communities can work together to expand access, create career pathways, and drive systems change.

on the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper website

The post In the media: Black youth lead research revolution at transformative TDSB Conference appeared first on Faculty of Education.

Celebrating Excellence: 91��ɫ Students Receive the 2024–2025 Don Galbraith Pre-Service Teacher Award of Excellence

devontem — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 15:06:01 +0000

The Faculty of Education is proud to announce that Lauren Cunningham, Anthony Pereira and Elvina Patapau have been named recipients of the 2024–2025 Don Galbraith Pre-Service Teacher Award of Excellence from the Science Teachers’ Association of Ontario (STAO), a subject organisation dedicated to supporting science educators across the province.

This award recognises pre-service teachers who demonstrate exceptional dedication and creativity in their science education preparation and teaching. Recipients are recognised for their willingness to explore diverse instructional methods, confidence in the classroom, and strong research skills that allow them to develop high-quality curriculum materials. In addition, awardees show outstanding interpersonal skills, qualities essential to effective teaching.

The Don Galbraith Award is awarded based on nominations from professors and instructors during the pre-service teacher’s enrollment in their program. It celebrates those who exemplify the very best in science teaching potential and innovation.

Don Galbraith Pre-Service Teacher Award of Excellence winners: Lauren Cunningham, Anthony Pereira and Elvina Patapau (From left to right)

Congratulations to Lauren, Anthony, and Elvina on this well-deserved recognition. Their achievements reflect the high calibre of 91��ɫ’s Bachelor of Education program and its commitment to preparing future educators who will inspire and engage learners in science education across Ontario.

Pre-service students are encouraged to explore the many subject organisations related to their teaching discipline. These organisations often offer valuable scholarships, awards, and professional development opportunities designed to support and recognise future educators. A list of subject organisations can be found on the Education Resource Centre (ERC) website, an excellent place to start building connections with your future professional community.

The post Celebrating Excellence: 91��ɫ Students Receive the 2024–2025 Don Galbraith Pre-Service Teacher Award of Excellence appeared first on Faculty of Education.

91��ɫ U educator wins national award for advancing equity in teaching

acoward — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 19:31:06 +0000

There aren’t a lot of awards for people in public education.

So, when 91��ɫ’s Emily Burgis, who has spent most of her career in public education with the 91��ɫ Region District School Board as a teacher, guidance counsellor and curriculum consultant, learned she won an award from the Canadian Society for Education through Art (CSEA), she was thrilled.

Emily Burgis

“Teachers don’t often get awards, they usually only see rewards by seeing the impact they have on students,” she says. “To be recognized by an organization outside the system – it’s a real honour.”

Burgis is a visiting professor in the Faculty of Education at 91��ɫ’s Markham and Keele campuses where she applies her knowledge and experience as a teacher, with a focus on education that is grounded in equity and inclusion.

Read the full article in the November 5, 2025 issue of Yfile.

The post 91��ɫ U educator wins national award for advancing equity in teaching appeared first on Faculty of Education.

Waaban program continues to turn Indigenous knowledges into teaching credentials

acoward — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 14:27:20 +0000

The Waaban teacher education program in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Education is being given a reboot designed to ensure students feel comfortable in both Indigenous and university settings.

The accelerated 16-month program is offered every two years, and applications are open through mid-January for its 2026 cohort. Cohort members move through the program together, forming a community.

Assistant Professor John Hupfield, the program co-ordinator, emphasizes Waaban’s unique pathway toward a Bachelor of Education degree and Ontario teacher accreditation.

_{John Hupfield}

“We’re creating a conduit for Indigenous educators,” says Hupfield, an Anishinaabe educator and grass dancer from Wasauksing First Nation near Parry Sound, Ont. “We’re creating an access point for mature learners and culture-based educators so they can get into the classroom. It’s a way of giving back to our Indigenous communities.”

The accelerated 16-month program doesn’t require its candidates to have any university experience or a teachable subject; the Faculty of Education team considers an applicant’s knowledges, experience and interest in sharing it. People with a passion for their culture, whether they create beadwork or ribbon skirts, dance in pow wows or serve as knowledge keepers for their First Nation, are encouraged to apply.

“The university education system wasn’t designed by Indigenous Peoples,” Hupfield says. “That construct didn’t exist in our communities, and the education system isn’t equipped to meet our needs. The Waaban program takes into consideration the unique needs of Indigenous students, rooted in history and factoring in the residential school experience and the resulting intergenerational trauma.”

At Waaban, however, students’ Indigenous backgrounds are considered valuable and important.

“It’s not traditional teacher education,” says Gabrielle Ayotte, a 2021 Waaban graduate, who is currently working on her PhD in Indigenous education at 91��ɫ. “The program implements oral knowledge, and the relationship between students and teachers is at the centre. We’re able to think about land and spirit and have opportunities to bring our own stories into the classroom. Our knowledges are not usually validated in the education system.”

Ayotte grew up in Montreal as a member of Garden River First Nation. She visited her community near Sault Ste. Marie each summer.

_{Gabrielle Ayotte}

“My Indigenous identity was never discussed growing up,” Ayotte says, “but family and friends began to ask questions about residential schools [when news broke about the Joyce Echaquan tragedy] and our identities. I wanted to learn more about my identity and colonization, and Waaban seemed like the perfect program for me. It had all the elements I needed to learn about and grow.

“It provided a space where my classmates and I could breathe and didn’t have to explain what it means to be Indigenous. I found community there.”

Hupfield says that Waaban “tries to create educators better equipped to meet the specific needs of Indigenous students. One of the ways we do that is by helping teaching candidates foster their own sense of identity and understand the values they carry and the teachings they know. I want to equip them to take on a leadership role.”

Waaban classes have generally been held at the Urban Indigenous Education Centre (UIEC) in Toronto’s East End, but this year, the 91��ɫ campus will host the classes throughout the summer. Hupfield is eager to see 91��ɫ build stronger ties between the university and local Indigenous communities.

“There are lots of opportunities for the program to grow and for 91��ɫ to have meaningful relationships with the Anishinaabe Nation and other First Nations,” Hupfield says.

“91��ɫ will once again be hosting the winter Pow Wow on campus, and it is an opportunity for Indigenous people to see themselves on campus and consider it as a place for culture-based gatherings.”

UIEC also has a major benefit as a classroom space; it is located next to Wandering Spirit School (Kâpapâmahchakwêw), a K-12 Toronto District School Board school that “provides Indigenous children with an opportunity to learn about Anishinaabe cultural traditions in a nurturing, caring environment.”

Laurie LaBrecque, who graduated from Waaban’s first cohort, teaches land-based learning and physical education at Wandering Spirit School. A member of Dokis First Nation situated along Ontario’s French River, LaBrecque, who grew up in Toronto, says “Waaban changed my life.”

“I grew up in a white, middle-class environment and saw myself as white, even though I knew my culture. My grandfather was a residential school survivor who grew up on a trapline, and I went to Pow Wows with my aunt. But I struggled at university, and graduation felt very far away.”

A friend who taught at Wandering Spirit School encouraged her to consider Waaban, given that she had always enjoyed working with children.

“I look at people talking about Indigenous pedagogy and a lot of them have no classroom experience,” says LaBrecque, who is now working on a master’s degree at the University of Toronto. “I believe the biggest change I can make is in the classroom.

“Education was used as a weapon of violence against Indigenous people. The only way to make change is to have people with lived experience involved in the system.”

As Waaban graduate Ayotte says,

“The media frame us as broken people, but we are reframing that.”

The Waaban program is an important piece of that puzzle.

To learn more about the Waaban teacher education program or to apply, visit /edu/students/waaban/

Article by Elaine Smith, special contributing writer

The post Waaban program continues to turn Indigenous knowledges into teaching credentials appeared first on Faculty of Education.

Expanding Horizons in Freiburg: A 91��ɫ Education Student’s Transformative Exchange Journey

devontem — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Second-year Bachelor of Education student, Natasha Reodica talks about her experience this past summer in Freiburg, Germany.

This past summer, 8 Bachelor of Education students took their learning beyond the classroom through 91��ɫ’s Summer Exchange to Freiburg, Germany. For four months, they studied at the University of Education (PH Freiburg) alongside students from across Europe, Africa, and Asia, gaining fresh perspectives on teaching and learning.

Living in the heart of the Black Forest, our students immersed themselves in German culture, picked up new languages, and traveled to eight countries during their exchange.

The Summer Exchange to Freiburg is open to 91��ɫ BEd students, typically in their first year of the program, and offers university credit courses in English, German, or French. The program blends academic study with cultural immersion, helping teacher candidates build independence, cultural awareness, and global networks. All skills that enhance their future classrooms.

To learn more about eligibility, courses, and application details, visit the Summer Exchange to Freiburg program page.

The post Expanding Horizons in Freiburg: A 91��ɫ Education Student’s Transformative Exchange Journey appeared first on Faculty of Education.

Brampton couple takes community work to next level through 91��ɫ U’s BEd in Technological Education program

ariley — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 21:59:48 +0000

The undergrad program prepares graduates to teach trade skills in high schools across Ontario, helping address the growing need for technological education teachers.

91��ɫ has stepped up to address the growing demand for qualified technological education teachers, an urgent need identified by the Ontario government.

Since 2017, the university’s faculty of education has offered the bachelor of education (B.Ed.) in technological education (tech ed) program in 10 broad-based areas, helping to fill the critical shortage that is expected to worsen if left unaddressed.

Passion meets purpose

The B.Ed technological education program equips graduates with the skills and knowledge to teach in high schools across the province. It’s also designed to encourage trade professionals to combine their passion for their sector with their desire to teach.

This approach is exactly what attracted Camille and Chadwin Bartley to the program. The couple, who have been partners in life and business for nearly two decades, started their post-secondary education for the first time in fall 2024.

“My decision to become an educator stems from a desire to nurture and encourage young minds to pursue their passions fearlessly. I believe teachers play a pivotal role in shaping the future, and I am eager to take on this responsibility,” said Camille, who has been a hairstylist from the age of 16. She was also instrumental in inspiring Chadwin to pick up the clippers and learn the craft 15 years ago.

A key admission requirement, whether applying for the concurrent or consecutive program, the candidate must have work experience — along with industry licensing where applicable — in one of these areas: communication technology, computer technology, construction technology, green industries, hairstyling and aesthetics, health care, hospitality and tourism, manufacturing technology, technological design or transportation technology.

While the concurrent B.Ed. is offered to 91��ɫ students in a related degree program, the consecutive B.Ed. is open to those like Camille and Chadwin, who meet one of four eligibility criteria in a technology field aligned with the program.

Learning for impactful teaching

Having had the opportunity to work with local high schools and connect with school administrators who encouraged them to pursue teaching, the couple took the leap and joined 91��ɫ.

“Our teacher education will be impactful for students, and it’ll be beneficial for our lives as well,” said Chadwin.

He and Camille are already well-established in the industry, with a clientele that includes celebrities like Toronto Raptors player RJ Barrett. However, their passion is to promote barbering and hairstyling to youth as a skilled trade and a pathway to successful careers.

“I was in the music industry, managing artists, and I thought I could become Camille’s business manager. But it wasn’t practical, since she ended up working more than I did,” recalled Chadwin. Wanting to be an equal partner in every sense, he decided to become a hairstylist, gaining hands-on experience in the beauty industry.

Chadwin became an apprentice with Camille’s employer and eventually became a licensed hairstylist and barber.

“The rest is history. I bought my first clippers for about $300 … eleven months later, we opened up our first salon in downtown Brampton and we’ve been working together ever since.”

In 2018, the couple launched a charitable organization called the Bartley Skills Development Program. Through the charity, they have taught youth across the Greater Toronto Area barbering and hairstyling.

“We started noticing that a lot of students are coming wanting to learn how to do hairdressing and barbering, but it wasn’t provided in their local high schools,” noted Chadwin. “Because I became successful through the skilled trade, I’m now able to impart those skills to those who are interested in learning.”

Confidence in classroom teaching

Camille has a similar view.

“When I’m speaking to students and I see a young person driven towards the beauty industry, it really excites me to pass on the knowledge that I have,” she said. “Because I know how impactful it’s been in my life, and I know what it can do for someone that takes it seriously.”

For Camille and Chadwin, enrolling in the B.Ed technological education program is taking their community work to the next level, as formal teacher education will help them teach larger groups of students in a classroom setting with confidence.

“Though I know hairdressing — and I know it well — I need to learn the aspects of learning how to teach; that is, getting down to the level of a high school student and meeting them where they’re at. We needed this formal training to take the skills that we already have to the next level.”

They are excited about graduating next spring, crossing the convocation stage as their three young children watch their parents achieve what may be their greatest accomplishment yet.

Interested in the B.Ed technological education program?

For more information please visit www.yorku.ca/edu/bed-tech.

The post Brampton couple takes community work to next level through 91��ɫ U’s BEd in Technological Education program appeared first on Faculty of Education.

Education students showcase creativity in “Transitional Traces” art exhibition

acoward — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 14:34:30 +0000

Faculty of Education visual artists, Bennett De Medeiros and Dienna Howe and BFA visual artist Grayson King, showcased their work in Transitional Traces, an art exhibition held at the Special Projects Gallery in the Joan and Martin Goldfarb Centre earlier this September.

New artist(s) statement about the show:

Transitional Traces was a group art exhibition located at the Special Projects Gallery within the Joan & Martin Goldfarb Centre for Fine Arts building. The show featured artists Bennett De Medeiros (Year 1, BEd), Diena Howe (Year 1, BEd), and Grayson King (Year 4, BFA). Each artist explored how traces can be identified within the physical environment or emotional states.

_{Dienna Howe}

These artworks represented shadows, frottage drawings, paleoart, industrial landscapes, printmaking, and representations of the human form.

Traces in the environment represent shifts of time by erosion or human intervention; they provide a snapshot of time through mark making and space.

For example, one artwork by Bennett De Medeiros focuses on familiar paths the artist traversed during their childhood. These parks and spaces hold memory not only through lived experiences but the physical textures above, around, or below. Frottage is a form of documentation to recollect and trace back to all the environmental influences which shape a surface.

The paleoart in the exhibition also traces back through deep time before human existence or disturbance. Sometimes environmental traces only exist through a short period of time or require a specific list of circumstances to appear, such as through Grayson King’s shadow depictions. A form of trace which casts a subject’s shape onto a surface, a projection that is able to appear and transform shape over time. Similarly, these shadows can invoke a specific memory or time to a viewer’s own interpretation.

_{Bennett De Medeiros}

Finally, human presence is a major theme within the exhibition as some artworks represent how human activity is lively through emotional events and the traces of these experiences which influence personal feelings. In contrast, what happens when human representation is taken away from infrastructure? For example, Diena Howe’s work showcases familiar industrial spaces which are contrasted with little human presence, providing a colder and quiet atmosphere, but the viewer can understand that these spaces are the traces left by mankind.

Traces are tangible but also abstract concepts, the artists in this exhibition encourage the viewer to look for these traces where they go. In the end, remember these traces are ever-changing but always present.

About The Goldfarb Gallery

The Joan and Martin Goldfarb Gallery of 91��ɫ is a socially minded not-for-profit contemporary art gallery that is a space for the creation and appreciation of art and culture. It is a supported Unit of 91��ɫ within the President’s Division. We are externally funded as a public art gallery through the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Arts Council, local and international foundations, embassies, and our membership who support all of our programs.

The post Education students showcase creativity in “Transitional Traces” art exhibition appeared first on Faculty of Education.

Discover the Education Resource Centre: A Hidden Gem for Education Students

devontem — Fri, 12 Sep 2025 17:12:49 +0000

Did you know that the Faculty of Education has its very own Education Resource Centre (ERC)? Tucked away in Winters College 023, the ERC is a dedicated hub designed to support Education students on their journey to becoming future educators and changemakers.

Whether you’re preparing lesson plans, studying for exams, or working on a group project, the ERC is here to make your life easier.

What You’ll Find at the ERC

The ERC houses a wide collection of teaching and learning materials tailored to meet the needs of Faculty of Education students. This includes:

K–12 textbooks across subject areas
Teacher’s manuals and solution guides
Manipulatives and classroom learning aids
Multimedia kits and other hands-on teaching tools

All of these resources are available to enrich your practicum preparation and support your growth as a future educator.

More Than Just Resources

The ERC isn’t only about borrowing materials, it’s also a place to study and collaborate. Students can take advantage of the space to study and work on individual work or to collaborate with peers for group assignments. It’s the perfect environment for balancing both independent learning and teamwork.

ERC Hours

The ERC operates on the following schedule:

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday: 8:00 am to 3:00 pm

Tuesday: 11:00 am to 3:00 pm

If you have any questions or need assistance, the ERC team is here to help! You can reach out at 416-736-2100 x40565 or by email at erc@edu.yorku.ca

The post Discover the Education Resource Centre: A Hidden Gem for Education Students appeared first on Faculty of Education.

In the media: Sankofa Square finally gets its ‘grand opening’ this weekend. For many, it’s a long time coming

acoward — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 13:31:43 +0000

_{The new logo and signage for Sankofa Square at the “Sankofa Square” celebrations on Saturday. R.J. Johnston/Toronto Star}

Sankofa Square, formerly known as Yonge-Dundas, is finally ready to celebrate its new identity.

Thousands of people are expected to flood downtown Toronto for the inaugural event at the rebranded public space Saturday. The celebration commemorates Sankofa Day, a date recognized internationally by the United Nations in remembrance of the slave trade and its abolition.

Carl James, 91��ɫ professor and the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora, said the renaming of the square acknowledges Canada’s “colonial baggage” — a positive development that he hopes contributes to a shift in thinking among broader Canadian society.

“It’s a good first step,” he said. “Now, what do we do further?”

He noted that the conversations in 2020 that spurred the name change are a signal of what can happen “when we start paying attention.”

Read the full article in the .

The post In the media: Sankofa Square finally gets its ‘grand opening’ this weekend. For many, it’s a long time coming appeared first on Faculty of Education.