The Prairie Rural Youth Anti-Racism Education: A Gathering of Unique Perspectives
In August of 2024, young people from across the prairies came together for a three-day gathering in Edmonton, Alberta to discuss their unique experiences of racism in rural communities. This event, hosted by the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, created spaces for young people to learn from each other and to create dialogue around what it means to do anti-racism education work in rural spaces.
During the first day, participants got the chance to meet one another, share their perspectives of the impact of racism, root in on the fundamentals of anti-racism, and engage in a guided walk through the River Valley. The River Walk, guided by Dr. Dwayne Donald, allowed participants the opportunity to learn and reflect on Indigenous teachings and storytelling to develop a deeper understanding of the land they were all meeting on. Participants also spent time learning about Canada’s history of human rights, colonialism, and imperialism in the country. During reflection on this, participants expressed a shared realization that the education system often offers a limited view of this history, leaving significant gaps in understanding the roots of systemic racism and injustice. These teachings set the framework for the rest of gathering, and established practices of sharing dialogue together.
On the second day, participants dove deeper into discussions of key concepts around anti-racism and how to facilitate those topics within their own communities. The day centered around a Hip Hop workshop facilitated by KazMega, a local artist and community builder. KazMega guided participants through using art for social change. Throughout the workshop, participants shared personal stories of their experiences with racism and cultural isolation, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by marginalized communities in Canada. These stories highlighted the importance of community, solidarity, and the need for systemic change to address the pervasive issues of exclusion and inequality. Participants began to develop strategies to dismantle and disrupt systems of oppression.
The third and final day of the gathering, participants brought their learnings from the previous two days into the development of their own facilitation plan to bring back to their communities. Participants brainstormed ideas together on what they could develop to stimulate conversation in their communities on the topic of anti-racism, and then broke out, either together or solo to develop their plans. Space was created for feedback on the plans, which the participants may use to apply to the Human Rights Access Fund developed by the John Humphrey Centre, which funds the projects of young people that are doing anti-racism work in rural spaces.
As the gathering concluded, participants shared that they left feeling empowered and eager to continue the work of anti-racism in their own communities. The tools and activities shared during the event provided practical ways to keep the conversations and learning alive beyond the gathering and to continue championing anti-racism initiatives within their own communities.
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Government of Alberta's Civil Society Fund, the Government of Canada’s Department of Canadian Heritage, the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, and CIRA’s Net Good Program for their support in making this project a reality.
