Here in Brampton, we can confidently say that we are diverse. But, we still need to work on Equity and Inclusion. Every child deserves the type of education that will allow them to thrive. However, we can only ensure this if we make it our priority to change systems in places that hold them back. I have been put in an amazing position of working with young women in our community from diverse backgrounds. As you go through my website, you will see that, over the last five years, I have been creating and opening opportunities for our young women of Muslim, Punjabi, Black, Southeast Asians, and Latinx heritage to receive exposures that they would otherwise not receive. My programs can boost C-level executives, as well as elected Canadian Leaders as mentors. I took a platform and enhanced it to give the young women of colour in my community the opportunities they need, to become our future leaders. As a person who’s interested and invested in leadership through DEI, I am working towards a certification that will allow me to be a member of the Canadian Centre for Diversity & Inclusion (CCDI). I very much understand the process of change and will work with fellow Trustees to ensure that the process of changing old systemic biased policies will be implemented immediately. I also plan on working for ALL children and young people in our community. As a Chair of Carabram’s Pavilion of Culture, I understand immensely the importance of sharing our unique identities with our community. I will work with fellow Trustees to find ways to support celebrations of diverse cultures within each school community. As your Trustee, I can promise that your children’s academic, physical and emotional growth will be the beginning and the last thought I have when making any decisions.
Career Exploration & CAREER OPPORTUNITY
Career opportunities; It’s time to start looking at the future rather than reacting to what’s now. We need to make sure that labour market assessment reports are within reach for teachers and guidance counsellors. They need to fully be aware of market needs before it becomes a trend! The pandemic has brought out the lack of digital skills that our youth needs – so it’s time to encourage our young ones to take more courses in digital; Multimedia, robotics, coding, photography and so on and add school credits to them – we need more well rounded multi-skilled children. We need to create programs to expose young people to diverse careers and not just a few stereotypical jobs out there. The education assessment is a right for children to have (regardless of age) – thus, it should be accessible to all children in school.
SAFE SCHOOLS
Schools should be one of the safest environments that a child should go to, but is it? I want to ensure that the air quality standard is implemented during the pandemic stays- the space in which our kids learn and play should be kept clean and maintained so I want to make sure that the state of cleanliness is implemented during the pandemic stays. Additionally, the school system policies limit the opportunities that young people from the black and brown communities receive. The level of petty and more serious crimes has been invading our schools fairly quickly – it’s time to implement some very important changes, we have suggested the following:
A card or bracelet entry system In the school so that not even the front door is open –
Cameras outside of the school
Changing the lights outside to solar so that schools save money and ensure that it’s well lit at night
Advocate for non-uniformed community police trained to work with young people to come into the schools
Inform our parents and students of the criminal code specifically dealing with youth crime
Offer conflict resolution PD to all teachers and administration
Ensure that ALL teachers are trained in cultural sensitivity
Have a set of principles that all staff and students will follow explained to them before signing
Suspension and Expulsions policies should be reviewed to make sure that it’s up to date with our modern world. Advocate reviewing the 2023 budget to see about implementing a breakfast and/or lunch club in the school. Advocate for a uniform system for all schools. So that we can go back to learning. Empower young people by making sure that their trustees are accessible to them.
