TORONTO, August 22, 2017 – York University is hosting the Faculty of Education Summer Institute (FESI) 2017 themed “Relationships to Canada 150: Paradoxes, Contradictions and Questions” on August 23 and 24 at the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Building in York’s Keele Campus.

Educators, teacher candidates, parents and community members attending the two-day conference will engage in critical discussions about the purpose, impact and quality of education and social outcomes since confederation and consider what the next 150 years could look like in these areas.

Workshop and keynote presentation topics include: Indigenous perspectives on violence against Indigenous women and girls; Indigenous experience in education; Black Canadian citizenship - a retrospective call for action; Chinese exclusion and Indigenous dispossession; the queer experience; and challenging Islamophobia. Under the ’beyond 150 years’ theme, workshop presentations include: teacher candidates’ experience in teaching and learning for social justice; community music; and  social determinants of education in relation to community-school partnerships will be discussed.

WHAT: Relationships to Canada 150: Paradoxes, Contradictions and Questions - Faculty of Education Summer Institute (FESI) 2017, two-day conference with workshops and panel discussions on the broader topics of:

• Problematizing Canada’s Relationship with Indigenous Peoples (August 23)
• Problematizing Canada’s Relationships with various Communities and Considerations for Beyond 150 (August 24)

WHO:
Keynote speaker:
Mahlikah Awe:ri Enml'ga't Saqama'sgw (The Woman Who Walks In The Light)

Panelists:
Professor Carl James, Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora, Faculty of Education
Professor Gillian Parekh, Faculty of Education
Jacqueline Lawrence, Diversity and Equity Coordinator, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
Silvia-Argentina Arauz, activist and member of the TDSB Equity, Policy Advisory Committee
Suzanne Nurse, co-chair, Black Community Action Network of Peel Region
Trevor Massey, chair, Lifelong Leadership Institute

WHEN: August 23 and 24, 9pm to 4pm

WHERE:  Room 0001, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Building, York University (building number 39 on the map)

York University is known for championing new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-discipline programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. York students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. York U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 26 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, York is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 295,000 alumni. York U's fully bilingual Glendon campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

Media contact:
Gloria Suhasini, Media Relations, 416 736 2100 ext. 22094, suhasini@yorku.ca