Approximately 60 delegates from different social service agencies and community members from Toronto, Hamilton and Peel Region registered for Symposium 2010 and gathered at the Coptic Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. All were invited to complete an evaluation form. Of the 60 participants, 23 participants submitted their forms. A summary is available
here.
Expectations met by the symposium:
Some of the impressions about the symposium include comments such as: great initiative, inspiring, encouraging, empowering, eye-opening, high level of organization, commitment, very informative. Other positive comments were related to the speakers and the content. For some participants there was not much discussion and only one side spoke its point of view (activist, feminist).
Main suggestions:
- Extend the time for more questions and discussion.
- Ensure more interactive discussions, more activities and share self-reflection experiences.
- More group discussions.
- More time for questions to the speakers.
- Logistic issues: Fix audio (microphone) and more accessible location for non-drivers.
- Time moderation.
- About the content: how “white people” experience racism, oppression and discrimination.
- Members from government agencies to be invited.
Areas or topics that participants would like further information or training:
- Action plans to support each other at work, how to implement into agencies.
- Topics from the content in more detail (Marriage as “the highest order of prostitution”).
- Appropriate language to address transsexuals.
Most useful topics/parts of the workshop discussion:
- Discussions were challenging and fruitful.
- Learning about how to self-reflect, self-awareness.
- How to be an ally, what an ally means.
- Addressing people without patronizing, examples on how to acknowledge judgemental attitudes.
- Other points of view and perspectives.
- Llana’s speech: connection with a political analysis.
We're grateful to
BollyFit for leading us in a post-lunch energizer! If you'd like experience more BollyFit please email them.
To get in touch with any of the Health and Racism Working Group members or the speakers, please
email us.
Post by Sofia Pelaez
