Closing the Opportunity Gap for Racialized and Under-Resourced Communities

As part of the knowledge mobilization and symposium event for the research project titled “Closing the Opportunity Gap for Racialized and Under-Resourced Communities through the Community School Initiative,” we invite you to join our discussion on building resilient communities by addressing the social determinants of learning. The event will be hosted in hybrid format on Saturday February 26 2022, from 9am-3:30pm.

The Community School Initiative is a partnership between the Youth Association for Academics, Athletics, and Character Education (YAAACE) in the Jane and Finch community and Spirit of Math offering extra-curricular supplementary programs outside of school hours. The goal of the program is to close the opportunity gap for racialized and under-resourced communities. The program offers the Spirit of Math curriculum to students in grades two to eight supported by parents, coaches, and Ontario Certified Teachers (OCT). The morning of the symposium, we are launching the executive summary, findings, and recommendations from the research project led by Dr. Ardavan Eizadirad from the Faculty of Education at Wilfrid Laurier University. Panels with community members, students of the program, and the ministry and academia will be held throughout the day. From these various perspectives, we discuss different aspects of community programming and how to mobilize to advance more equitable and socially just educational practices during and post pandemic. Zoom link will be given upon registration.