The following statements are from our Student Senators and students. For more information on Equity and Inclusive Education, please email us at: equity@dcdsb.ca
Statement from Student Senate |
The following statement is from DCDSB's Student Senate: Our vocation will always be to represent and advocate for the students. As the Durham Catholic Student Senate committee, our mission statement reads, “As stewards of creation, we strive to holistically respect, represent and uphold the voices of each student in our community. We are called to become the bridge for student voice and be leaders while advocating for our peers.” Through our work within our school community and as proud representatives of the Durham Catholic District School Board these are these words which we strive to embody. Largely due to the recent global and local events, our first pillar of advocacy for this academic year, Student Well-Being, has taken a focus on building equity within our school community. Although equity for all students has always been a key value of the Senate, our most recent efforts towards further promoting racial equity within our Board began in June 2020 with Senate’s Inclusivity Recommendations from Student Consultations. Our letter containing six student feedback and consultation-based recommendations was received by the board and helped inform their steps moving forward. Over the summer months and throughout this academic year, the Board has kept us up to date and involved with the various actions taken to further improve the state of equity in our school communities. While we know that the walk towards complete equity will take time, we are pleased to know that our Board is having those pertinent conversations and taking those crucial steps. We look forward to continuing our work in equity for students at the Board. |
Student Voice Statement |
The following statement has been provided by DCDSB students, Charlene Rocha and Nathaniel Luces. COVID-19 has revealed another pandemic--the pandemic of Anti-Black Racism. It has been illustrated in various media in Canada and the United States of America from the George Floyds to the Regis Korshinski-Pacquets of the world. We know that anti-Black racism is alive and well in Pickering, in our province and across the country. In fact, the problem of anti-Black racism has been an endemic scourge on our lives that at its root, dates back to the enslavement of Black people in North America and the deeply entrenched and long-held beliefs and practices of white supremacy in which it stemmed. Still, we hope to raise our voice against the very present danger of anti-Black racism in our community and call for the total dismantling of the systems that hold it in place. |