Workshop Presenters
Barry Wheeler is a person with a permanent disability called
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Barry is an advocate for others
with a disabilty within the city of Guelph, the University of
Guelph as well as the province of Ontario with the Ontarions
with Disabilites Act. Barry serves on numerous committees dealing
with issues around disability, funding (or lack of) education,
and transportation. Some of these committees are: Accessible
Advisory Committee for the City of Guelph Transportation Committee,
Board member for Disability Self Esteem Council which publishes
If Magazine and CMT Today Magazine, Campus Accessibility Committee
, U of G Employment Equity Committee , U of G Orientation Task
Group , U of G Council of Ontario Universities -,ODA (Ontarions
with Disabilities Act)working group, Women's Campus Safety Initiatives
Committee (Member for 6 years representing women with disabilities)
Sabina Chatterjee is one of the co-ordinators at Change Now,
which is a youth drop-in and resource centre in Guelph.
(no further bio available)
sarah george is an uppity womyn who is often involved in
student politics & media, animal rights issues, and environmental
stuff. Some of her wide & varied interests include mental
health issues, banning pesticides, and knitting. She's also
a vegan and a dyke. Her working title for the workshop (subject
to change) is “representation of queerfolk at, and by,
the University institution.”
Maria Graham is an MLA candidate (Masters of Landscape Architecture)
at the University of Guelph and the parent of one child with
another 'on the way'. Her thesis work deals with the experience
of public art in the landscape and she hopes to finish by
December 2003. In September she joined the Parent Advisory
Council at the University of Guelph's Child Care and Learning
Centre, acting in part as a representative for Student (graduate)
parents who have children attending the centre programs. She
is interested in addressing the concerns or needs of student
parents and uncovering any difficulties they might encounter
with reference to "access" and any other issues
that complicate their desire to pursue an education while
also meeting the demands of being a parent. Her workshop will
address issues of
access for students with dependent children.
Central Students Association, University of Guelph
Erinn White is a 4th year English
and Classical Languages student who is involved in academic/
financial aid advocacy work.
David Sone is a recent University
of Guelph graduate currently working as the External Commissioner
for the Guelph Central Student Association (a student union).
For the past four years, he has been involved in student campaigns
to increase access to university by lowering tuition.
Concordia Student Union, Montreal
Sabine Friesinger
Sabine Friesinger is a 24-year-old student activist of German-Jewish
descent. She is in her last year of ocmmunications and Journalism
at Concordia University and is currently the President of
the Concordia Student Union (2002-2003). In June 2002, Sabine
was part of an Alternatives Delegation that journeyed to Palestine.
This trip had a tremendous impact on her and her understanding
of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Since the Concordia Administration
declared a Moratorium (September 18th, 2002) on all issues
relating to the Israel-Palestine conflict, in the wake of
protests (September 9th, 2002) which blocked ex-Prime Minister
of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu (now current Foreign Minister),
from speaking on campus, Sabine is actively standing against
this ban on students' right to politically organise and discuss
issues (all issues - even controversial ones such as Israel
and Palestine!) on campus.
David Bernans
David Bernans is the researcher/archivist of the Concordia
Student Union and a former faculty member in the political
science department at Concordia University, Montreal. He is
also the author of Con U Inc.: Privatization, Marketization
and Globalization at Concordia University (and beyond).
Title: Why do some people have difficulty learning to read?
How does this affect their lives? What can be done about it?
A Look at Current Research on Linguistics and Literacy Acquisition.
Janet Brewster has been teaching Special Education and English
in secondary schools for 21 years. She
studied Literacy at the post-graduate level under the world-renowned
literacy expert, Dr. Louisa Moats. She
has been using this knowledge at College Heights Secondary
School, a local vocational school. She has
been able to observe the tremendous gains students can make
when they recieve in-depth, systematic tuition in the acquisition
of literacy skills. She initiated the establishment of a Literacy
Centre, with cross-curricular resources available to all students
and teachers in the school."
Ed Pickersgill is not able to attend. Our apologies to anyone
who was hoping to attend this workshop.
Wendy Stewart, Karon:ta of Tyendinaga Territory, Kanienkehaka,
Turtle Clan family, is a Mediator, Youth
Worker, Restorative/Criminal Justice and Mental Health Activist.
Wendy is also a founding member of Plume Society, an Aboriginal
multi-media based circle of artists that advocates and promotes
the social justice concerns and wellness of Native Peoples
through the arts.
Keynote Speakers
Jaggi Singh is a writer and activist based in Montreal.
He is currently very active with the No One Is Illegal Campaign,
an immigrant and refugee rights organization. Jaggi has been
active in mobilizing against capitalist globalization, including
the APEC Summit in Vancouver (1997) and the Summit of the
Americas in Quebec City (2001), as well as the anti-G8 mobiizations
last year. He was active in various political causes at both
the University of Toronto, and the University of British Columbia,
where he has studied, and remains involved in popular education
efforts to a wide range of audiences and groups.
Kathleen Wynne is the Trustee for Ward 8, of the Toronto
District School Board. She is also a trained mediator, has
an M.A. in Linguistics and an M.Ed. in Adult Education. She
has three children who have gone through the public education
system. The youngest will graduate this year as part of the
Double Cohort.
Kathleen is going to talk about the current political/funding
struggles and the impact on programs and services that have
been developed over decades to allow equitable access to education
to students from all parts of society.
She writes, "I am particularly concerned that decades
of intentional Equity work that has been done in Toronto and
in other boards is being dropped because of funding restrictions.
Adult Education programs which service the parents of new
immigrant children have also been decimated in the past 7
years. I will
talk about the impact of these changes."
Sherene Razack is professor, Sociology and Equity Studies
in Education, the Ontario Institute for Studies
in Education of the University of Toronto. Before obtaining
her Ph.d in education she worked in the area
of human rights, teaching trade unionists, community activists,
legal practitioners, government employees,
teachers and students on a variety of social justice issues.
Her books include an edited collection Race,
Space and the Law: Unmapping A White Settler Society (Toronto:
Between the Lines, 2002), and two authored books, Looking
White People in the Eye: Gender, Race, and Culture in Courtrooms
and Classrooms (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998,1999,
2000) and Canadian feminism and the Law: The Women’s
Legal and Education Fund and the Pursuit of Equality (Toronto:
Second Story Press, 1991). She has also published articles
on Canadian national mythologies and immigration policies
of the 1990s, race, space and prostitution, and gendered racism.
Her current research is on the violence of Canadian peacekeepers,
a critical exploration of the role of law in violence enacted
on racialized bodies in the new world order. Dr. Razack teaches
at the graduate level. Her courses include racism and the
law, race and knowledge production, race, space and citizenship,
and marginality and the politics of resistance.
DUB TRINITY came together in Peterborough, Ontario the brainchild
of veteran musicians Beau Dixon and Gregory Roy. Their unique
style is a fusion of dub-reggae and improvised drum and bass
with conscious lyrics. They also combine a keen melodic savvy
with vast artillery of rhythms from around the globe. Not
surprisingly Dub Trinity appeals to a wide range of audiences
and their fan base has grown rapidly in the two years that
they have been together. They play regularly in Peterborough,
Ottawa and Toronto.
Dub Trinity's high versatility has resulted in regular invitations
to perform at poetry readings, folk
festivals and community based political and social events.
The band is currently backing Dub -Poets Chet
Singh and Debbie Young. They have also backed up two-time
Juno award winner Lillian Allen and social
activists like Faith Nolan. Hard working spoken word artist
Dwayne Morgan and legendary Dub Poet Clifton
Joseph are scheduled to play with Dub Trinity early in the
New Year.
High on Dub Trinity's agenda is to organize events that combine
great reggae music with community, social and political awareness.
Currently Dub Trinity invites Non-Governmental Organizations
(NGOs) to attend their shows to talk about their organizations'
goals, projects etc. as well as set up tables where people
can talk one-on-one to NGO representatives and ask questions
and/or become involved. The result has been highly successful
with people having good fun, dancing, learning and becoming
more aware of their local and global communities. An average
of 250 people attend Dub Trinity performances.
Gregory (drums, percussion, arranger) has played percussion
for over 12 years. His influences stem from
western music and bloom into Caribbean, West and South East
African and Middle-eastern rhythms. While living for a while
in the Middle East, he played with a number of reggae musicians
from bands such as "ROOTS AFRIKA" and "RASDAN
AND THE DESERTLIONS". In Canada, Gregory founded "FACES
OF MANY RACES" and played with members of Ottawa’s
"RAGGAMUFFIN" band. Gregory is a teacher of
West African and Brazilian percussion.
Beau (bass, keyboards) (www.beaudixon.com) is well known
for his musical collaborations with recognized reggae artists
such as Faith Nolan, Mike 'King Speckles' McKenzie (drummer
for world reknowned roots reggae band Culture) and Virgin
recording artists 'ONE' among others. Beau, an acclaimed songwriter
and
multi-instrumentalist has produced other artists and has recently
released his second solo CD.
Dub-Poet Chet Singh originally performed with the reggae
band ONE MIND in the mid 1980's and has recently resumed performing
with Dub Trinity. Over the last several years he has directed
his energies to anti-racism work in the education system and
arts and community organizations. He was one the principal
organizers of the highly successful INTERNATIONAL DUB POETRY
FESTIVAL and also served the province as a member of the board
for the ONTARIO ARTS COUNCIL. Chet is currently a professor
at
Centennial College.
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