Published November 29, 2012
by iris_author
The Nathanson Centre is hosting a talk by it's visiting scholar Alessandro Spena, University of Palermo
Date: December 12
Time: 12:30
Location: 2028, Ignat Kaneff Building, Osgoode Hall Law School
Posted in: Blogs
Published November 29, 2012
by iris_author
We would like to invite you to our upcoming Community Consultation on the Green Change Agents Program to share our new vision for the program and engage in a discussion about how it could better serve our community partners and residents. We are very excited about the potential outcomes of this session and would like to share this invitation widely. If you are unable to make it, please encourage another representative from your organization to attend in your place!
Green Change Agents Program
Community Consultation
WHEN: Friday, November 30, 2012 from 12:30 pm to 4:00 pm
WHERE: Driftwood Community Centre, 4401 Jane Street (southeast corner of Jane St/Driftwood Ave)
WHO: Individuals and community partners working on, or interested in, local environmental action, community engagement/education, and social justice, as well as past participants of the Green Change Agents Training Program
OVERVIEW: Green Change presents an immersive, interactive session to (re)engage community partners and residents around the next iteration of the Green Change Agents Program and develop strong partnerships that will influence its new structure and content
HOSTS:
Clara Stewart-Robertson, Project Coordinator for Green Change
and Jennifer Chan, Education Innovation Consultant
We have included some important background information below on the Green Change Project and Green Change Agents Program to help bring everyone up to speed. We promise that it is worth the long read!
What have we been up to lately?
Since the last round of agent training in early 2011, the Green Change Project has experienced numerous challenges, including a complete staff turnover and the loss of organizational memory, partnerships, and participants. While the resulting transition proved difficult at times for our new staff and caused some delays in our programming – as well as the construction of our new Centre for Green Change, – it also presented an incredible opportunity to pause, breathe, and reflect upon the project at a critical stage in its development. Moreover, that very “break” gave us the space to experiment with new creative processes and activities, seek new relationships with other innovators across the city, and stretch our capacity to lead change. Many of you played a part in this exploration and we are so grateful to you for your dedication and your inspiration over the last year!
So, long story short, once we had distilled all the lessons learned as well as our emerging ambitions for the project, we recognized that we needed to:
Develop better organizational clarity and communication
Develop more systematic and systemic community outreach
Scale up inclusion and diversity in our operations and programs
Formalize our commitment to community design, environmental health, and just sustainabilities.
What better place to start this transformation, we thought, than with the redesign of our cornerstone Green Change Agents Program?
The purpose of the Green Change Agents Program was, and continues to be, to uncover and grow the capabilities and potential in all Jane-Finch residents to transform the way we treat each other and the planet. Through the program, participants are offered opportunities to build their environmental knowledge, take leadership on community projects, connect with a network of local mentors, and create pathways to employment.
Can we co-produce a more effective and sustainable program?
Over the last year or so, we have been working with graduate students from York University’s Faculty of Environmental Studies to unpack what happened during those previous agent programs, interview past participants and facilitators, and discover emerging trends in the “green economy” and “green jobs.” More recently, we have begun to evaluate similar environmental education and community leadership programs operating throughout the Toronto region, Canada, the United States, and Europe to help us think about how we could do our work differently.
We will be posting more direct outputs from our research online in the coming months, but for now, please get in touch with us for more information!
How can YOU contribute to this process?
As we begin to translate this research into more concrete ideas and practices for a revised agent program, it is important that we hear from as many different people as possible by hosting meaningful public conversations with our partners and residents. We want to ensure that we provide a fertile ground where we can all work collaboratively, creatively, and strategically toward the program’s growth and development. All of you have so many wonderful ideas, projects, and job/entrepreneurship opportunities to share with the Jane-Finch neighbourhood, and we want to find the best ways to move them forward.
Unfortunately, our time-frame for delivering a redesigned Green Change Agents Program is extremely short due the conditions of our funding. Our goal is to test run the new program this February during the “12 Days of Green Change,” and then deliver two consecutive rounds in March and June 2013. That said, we are strongly committed to ongoing dialogue and community engagement, starting with the community consultation on November 30th.
The purpose of this community consultation session will be to:
Share the draft vision and principles for a redesigned Green Change Agents Program
Engage with community partners and residents to amplify/coordinate emerging partnerships and learning opportunities
Collaborate on the challenges currently facing the Green Change Project
If you know other community members or organizations who might be interested in contributing to the Green Change Agents Program, please share this invitation with them or contact us directly. We will do our best to accommodate everyone at the session, however, space is limited at the Driftwood Community Centre.
Additional details: Lunch and refreshments will be served. Please let us know if you have any specific food allergies or needs. Childcare can be provided upon request.
RSVP to the Green Change team by email at cstewartrobertson@gmail.com, or call 416-663-2733, ext. 235.
Posted in: Events
Published November 27, 2012
by dbazely
It's that time of year again: the annual Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This year, UNFCCC COP 18, is being held at Doha, Qatar, and meetings began yesterday, Monday, November 26th. This year, York's delegation is made up of professors from quite different disciplines: Professor Muhammad Yousaf (Chemistry - at left) and Professor Idil Boran (Philosophy - below right). Sadly, Professor Ian Garrett from the Department of Theatre, who received accreditation as part of the delegation, was unable to attend the COP in person, but plans to blog about it from afar.
Professor Boran is carrying out SSHRC-funded research which re-examines climate change policy, with a special focus on the challenges for decision-making, both at the individual and the societal level. She is interested in understanding the extent to which recent research in the social sciences that pertains to the effect of social and cognitive factors on our decision-making processes can help to develop new approaches to climate change policy. Professor Boran seeks to articulate the implications of this research for international debates and negotiations toward a global agreement.
Her participation at COP18, will, she hopes, allow her to assess whether the strategies and arguments used in international debates are compatible or incompatible with the latest social scientific developments, and whether they can mutually learn from one another. In light of these observations, she will be able to draw implications both for theory and policy practice. She will set targets, for her own research, on how to analyze the new scholarly advances on decision-making on climate change policy, in light of insights from actual decision-making and negotiation processes. This in turn can potentially contribute to a more refined theoretical analysis and help bridge the gap between theory and practice in scholarly research.
Although Professor Yousaf is newly arrived at York's Chemistry Department (in 2011), which he chairs, from the Chemistry Department at the University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill, he is no stranger to the campus. He is a York alumnus, having graduated with a Chemistry and Biology B.Sc. degree in 1994!
Professor Yousaf has wide-ranging research interests that span from chemistry to biology, and he also has an interest in understanding how science informs policy. He will be bringing his science-perspective to the COP, as he seeks to understand exactly how the science of climate change is regarded by the policy makers, and politicians.
We wish Professors Boran and Yousaf all the best in Doha. They will be sending updates and mini-blogs as time permits. Professor Ian Garrett (at left), who attended COP 15, is a veteran blogger and co-founder of the Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts. He is the recently arrived Professor of Sustainability and Design in the Faculty of Fine Arts, and he will be casting his critical artist's eye on the Doha meetings, from Toronto.
This is the fourth delegation that York University is sending to the annual meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change, since 2009, when we applied for, and received Civil Society Observer Status for York University in time for COP 15 in Copenhagen. Past York delegations have included staff, students and faculty from areas as diverse as Political Science, Nursing, and the Faculty of Environmental Studies. Outcomes from delegates have included experiences that informed a book, Climate Change - Who's Carrying the Burden, edited by Professor Anders Sandberg and his son, Tor, and blogs by Jacquie Medalye, as well as extensive national and international networking.
Dawn R. Bazely
Posted in: Blogs | IRIS Director Blog
Published November 26, 2012
by dbazely
While it's possible for university students to spend all of their time outside of scheduled classes, so as to be learning even more (perish the thought!), by attending additional guest research seminars and lectures, most students don't take advantage of opportunities to hear well-known speakers who come to campus.
Realizing this, Annette Dubreuil, the IRIS co-ordinator, spearheaded an effort to bring invited speakers, who will be of interest to the broader community, into the classroom, and to open up these lectures as IRIS events. Last Thursday, former mayor of Toronto, David Miller spoke to students in Dr. Kaz Higuchi's course, Climate Change Science and Policy (ENVS 3400).
Originally, Kaz had discussed convening a panel to debate opposing views on climate change, but David categorically dismissed this option; as he put it - the climate skeptics funded by corporate interests don't need another platform. In case you're wondering, Dr. Higuchi is a climate scientist who recently retired from Environment Canada's Adaptation and Impacts Research Group. He has been teaching in the Faculty of Environmental Studies for several years, and he is very concerned that academics from all disciplines learn how to debate and handle arguments for and against climate change.
David Miller, who has been teaching at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University based in Brooklyn, showcased his oratorical skills in a tour-de-force lecture about how Toronto and other cities are mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change.
It was a text book lesson in how to explain, very clearly, evidence-based policy that leads to actions which are beneficial for people, the planet and, profits. Citing many statistics and studies, as he laid out the challenges facing cities, David described and explained the steps that Toronto took while he was mayor. He described Change is in the Air, the 2007 Climate Change, Clean Air and Sustainable Energy Action Plan, as well as other Toronto city plans, and how they are driving action on combatting climate change.
David also explained some fascinating, green jobs technologies, including one in which heat is extracted from sewage - this also has a high "ick" factor. He challenged the audience of students, faculty and staff to come up with a snappier name for the company and product - International Wastewater Heat Exchange Systems (IWHES)! (Check out the awesome video on their site).
We filled one of the gorgeous new lecture halls in the recently opened Life Sciences Building which is built to LEED silver rating standards, on the Keele Campus. After a 45-minute lecture, students lined up to ask David questions, for 45 minutes, about all kinds of sustainability, climate change and social justice issues. After the talk, I asked Roger Keil, director of York's CITY Institute, who was sitting behind me, why he hadn't asked a question, he quipped "what for? the students did a great job!"
And, after all the questions were finished, David stayed for a bit longer, and chatted informally with students, many of whom were keen to have their photos snapped with him. Enrique Miranda (Student Engagement co-ordinator) and Ramsen Yousif (President) of the Undergraduate Political Science Council executive, a co-sponsor of the event, are shown above left, with the former mayor.
At the end of the day:
Score one for a brilliantly delivered explanation of evidence-based policy.
Score two for articulate speakers who can explain the science and connect the dots for making the social justice case clear, when it comes to climate change.
Score three for former politicians who live on in more ways than in old fridge magnets (that's my super-duper green fridge at right, on which we have a collection of old magnets, including one from when David Miller was our city councillor - back in 1995). One student remarked after the lecture "I just learned more about municipal planning in this lecture than I did all year!"
The lecture will soon be available on the IRIS website, in case you missed it and want to hear what David had to tell the students.
Dawn R. Bazely
Posted in: Blogs | IRIS Director Blog
Published November 22, 2012
by iris_author
On November 7th the York Federation of Students (YFS) Task Force on Campus Food hosted a Town Hall on Campus Food to try and address the concerns that many students have about campus food options (see the latest edition of Excalibur for an update on that meeting – Vol. 47 Iss.13). There is growing concern about a lack of easily accessible healthy options for students to eat whether they just come to campus for classes or whether they live on campus.
In 2009 IRIS conducted an extensive survey on the availability of these food services and the kinds of options available for consumption on campus, and published its findings in a report titled “Examining Campus Food Sustainability at York University”. The aim of this report was to generate some recommendations for creating a more healthy and sustainable food system here on campus. Some of the recommendations that this report delivered included more student-run independent vendors that are supported by University subsidies, a coordinated business plan for all of the separate food delivery agencies, and the improvement of outreach and communication to the York community regarding the range of food services on campus.
The York Federation of Students is also conducting a survey to put together a list of recommendations that will be delivered to the York University administration. These recommendations will no doubt be of a similar nature. While it is great to see students engaging in food issues on campus, and wanting to define their own food landscape, this work has been done already in a comprehensive and efficient fashion. Perhaps YFS should be focusing their resources on an assessment of whether the recommendations made by IRIS have been addressed by the administration and how we can move forward together.
In fact York has tried to improve on their outreach to students about healthy options on campus by adopting the Eat Smart guidelines produced by Toronto Public Health and by creating a guide to eating healthy on campus. As well, Food Services has recently launched a new website with a directory that is easy to search. While many food types can be found in the search (including Halal, vegan, etc.), some remain harder to find (gluten free, Kosher). They have also implemented a Freshii location, as well as some homemade ethnic options at some cafeteria locations (including Indian, Mexican and Asian), as well as a host of other changes to improve the food experience on campus.
York University has a history of alternative food vendors that have had a presence on campus. Unfortunately none of them seem to last very long due to fiscal constraints, heavy competition from fast food vendors, or terminated contracts. York had a short-lived farmer’s market in 2010 that quickly came up against a bureaucratic tidal wave of food safety concerns and has not been able to resurface, despite the hard work of the people at Regenesis@York. In its place remains the Good Food Market, but these occur a significant walk away, in the Jane/Finch community.
York also has a history of student-run sustainable food vendors. The only one that still exists seems to be the Lunik Co-op on the Glendon campus. There is also a little known initiative in the works to create a green campus cooperative in the HNES building. It is projects like these that need to be supported and expanded instead of expending energy polling students. As students we need to improve on creating an institutional memory so that we have something to build on when we are frustrated about how something works on campus. As one of the largest universities in Ontario we have the power to mobilize around issues that are important to us. YFS is an amazing resource for generating that mobilizing power and I believe that we could make some significant changes if there was a sense of unity and collective action that was able to form.
The fact that York is situated in an area that is generally known to have poor access to food sources (i.e. lack of grocery stores, other than Food Cents, which is outside of the core campus) means that York also has the potential to be a food hub for the surrounding community. If a grocery store was able to fit into the York campus not only would this be a benefit to students, but also to the surrounding community. In fact, the York University Secondary Plan, approved by City Council on December 4, 2009, states that a grocery store in Mixed Used Areas “C” would be “permitted and encouraged”. However, the ongoing efforts by the York University Development Corporation to update York’s Master Plan (York’s third, and due to be completed this year), do not mention concrete plans for a grocery store, but rather just mention the idea from community consultations).
Everyone can relate to food issues somehow because it is a major concern for us all and one that effects how we eat, how healthy we are, and how we relate to our built environment. We have the power to shape this environment and to shape how we eat.
IRIS is a good resource at York University for students wanting to maintain that institutional memory and build on good food work that is already underway on campus. If you find yourself wanting to learn more about food issues and how the situation at York fits in to the broader food system come and check out the second annual Focus on Sustainability Film Festival: Food in February.
Posted in: Blogs | Students Speak
Published November 22, 2012
by iris_author
Design and build furniture for our new Centre for Green Change!
Calling all designers, furniture makers, and carpenters: We need your help to fabricate furnishings for the future Centre for Green Change, an innovative environmental education and community engagement hub in Toronto’s Jane-Finch neighbourhood. Our vision is to create pieces that are inspired by our diverse community and incorporate existing,
recycled, or reclaimed materials.
We have been busy generating ideas with local residents, but are now seeking some additional expertise to assist a group of youth with the construction of three to five pieces.
If you’re interested in getting involved, please contact Clara at clarasr@janefinchcentre.org or 416-663-2733, ext. 235.
CGC_Sustainable Furniture-CallforDesigners&Makers
Posted in: Opportunities
Published November 20, 2012
by afdubreu
Friday, November 30th @ 7pm
Ryerson University
Ted Rogers School of Management, 55 Dundas St W., 7th floor
Please join us for an exciting public panel that explores the international and Canadian trends in “human trafficking.”
The panellists ask: Why has human trafficking become a legal and policy priority in Canada, and with what effects? How have international dialogues shaped Canadian public policy? Why does migration for the purposes of engaging in sexual labour capture the public imagination, while other forms of labour-related migration disappear from discussions of criminal exploitation?
Melissa Ditmore (Sex Workers Project - New York City)
Annalee Lepp (Global Alliance Against Trafficking in Women and the University of Victoria)
Nandita Sharma (University of Hawai’i - Manoa)
Harsha Walia (Anticolonial migrant justice activist and author – Vancouver)
This is a FREE event, held in a wheelchair accessible space.
Co-sponsored by:
Law Research Centre (Ryerson University)
Centre for Feminist Research (York University)
Generously supported by:
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Ryerson University
Office of the Dean of Arts, Ryerson University
Office of the Vice President, Research and Innovation, Ryerson University
Ryerson Student Union
Graduate Program in Socio-Legal Studies, York University
Graduate Program in Gender, Feminist and Women's Studies, York University
Department of Social Science, York University
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/297512677020410/
Media Requests: HT.workshop@ryerson.ca
Posted in: Events
