Context:

Mission/ Goals:

To actively engage different stakeholders including, but not limited to, faculty, students, administrative staff, community groups, community members and affinity groups in meaningful dialogue to inform the development of a Dismantling Hate & Oppression Framework for the York Region District School Board.

Deliverables:

Dismantling Hate & Oppression Framework

Pillars we work from

The Four Pillars we inculcate into our facilitation sessions are:

RESPECT – We hold respect for one another and respect for ourselves. We respect each other’s strengths and weaknesses. We respect our collective ability to bring about positive change.

LISTEN – With respect as our foundation, we learn to listen with our ears, our heads, our hearts, and all of our senses.

UNDERSTAND – From listening comes understanding. To understand is to go beyond listening, to process what we have heard and reflect on the new knowledge we receive. If we truly understand who others are and who we are, we can work together as equals, valuing differences and building upon similarities and common goals.

COMMUNICATE – When people truly understand each other, then they can communicate clearly. With communication, we can create action plans and implement them using practical projects that make a positive difference. When we communicate, we also continue to reaffirm the respect and trust we have for each other, create healthy relationships with others, and help each other achieve our goals.

Needs assessment/information we are looking for:

All we ask is open, honest feedback to help to inform the creation of the Dismantling Hate & Oppression Framework. Our interview/fireside chat encourages feedback from all groups, especially minoritized groups e.g.: Black, Indigenous, Aisan, Latino etc. We are also looking to engage the community on issues related to Islamophobia, antisemitism, and homophobia/transphobia, and ableism etc. This information will be used to aid in the analysis to determine disparities, gaps, trends, specific issues, and limitations, as well as develop considerations and recommendations to address hate and oppression within the YRDSB.

Why me?

You are being asked to participate because you:

are an expert in your experience; your voice helps us learn;

work, live and have investment in the York Region communities and Schools;

attend or have a child or relative that attends a school in the York Region School District;

have a vested interest in the well-being of students and the wider community within the York Region.

Risks

Participation in this survey/interview/fireside chat is voluntary. There is no obligation for you to say yes or to take part in this survey/interview/fireside chat. The risks of involvement in this survey/interview/fireside chat are minimal, namely that we may ask sensitive or personal questions, which may upset or distress you. You don’t have to answer any questions you don’t want to. The survey/interview/fireside chat is built to be conversational and works from a space of “freedom of expression”. You can stop participating at any time without penalty. If you experience any strong emotional responses to any material, please connect with the lead organizer, program staff or the Reidefine facilitator(s) leading the session/data collection, who can connect you with the required support. You can also exit the survey at any time.

What are the direct benefits?

The information you provide will be vital in the data collection process. Hearing from those that are directly affected and have a keen interest in change is tantamount to ensuring equity and the creation of safe spaces. Your responses and feedback will be an integral part of the process and will be taken into consideration while creating a Dismantling Hate & Oppression Framework that demonstrates how different marginalized groups are faced with unique barriers and discrimination; and why, in order to achieve equitable outcomes, solidarity and a united stance must be prioritized.

How will my data be used, protected and stored?

With your consent, all interviews will be conducted using the following formats: in-person, Zoom/Teams or telephone interviews, and will be digitally recorded and transcribed. The online survey is totally anonymous.

The following steps will be taken to protect your confidentiality:

All personal information, including your name and contact information, will be removed from the data and kept in a secure place, separate from the interview recordings and transcripts.

The digital recording and the interview transcript will be assigned an ID number.

The digital recording will be password protected and then downloaded to a secure computer that will also be password protected.

If something you said during the interview is quoted in a research report, your identity will be kept confidential.

Other than the research team, only research assistants who have signed a Confidentiality Agreement will have access to any of the data.

There are three circumstances in which we may need to share your personal information with a third party.  These are:

If you are under 18 years old and share that you are being abused or are currently at risk of being abused, the information must be reported to a local child welfare agency by law.

If you share that you are planning to harm yourself, we must get you help.

If you share that you have endangered the life of someone, or are about to do so, we have to contact the proper authorities.

How will it work?

You will have the ability to participate in our online survey. We encourage you to do so. This survey is anonymous. Following the Survey you will have the option (if you wish) to participate in fireside chats or interviews either in-person, on the phone, or via on-line/social media video conferencing (like Zoom, Teams and/or Webex). Fireside chats and interviews may take between 30 and 90 minutes, depending on the size of the group and the degree of engagement, i.e. If more information/experiences are shared, the fireside chats may take longer (no more than 2 hours).

Fireside chats and interviews may be transcribed by a Reidefine team member who has signed a confidentiality agreement. The transcripts will be analyzed for common themes and trends. We will include quotes from some of the fireside chats/interviews when presenting our findings. However, we will never include any real names with quotes, and we will do our best to make sure quotes do not include information that could indirectly identify participants. During the interview or fireside chat, please let us know if you say anything you do not want quoted, (i.e., off the record).

Please note that in fireside chats, we can assure our own confidentiality, but we can’t guarantee that other participants will maintain confidentiality. Please consider this when you respond to questions within a fireside chat.

You can withdraw from the study until results have been formulated and disseminated (June 30, 2023). After this time, information will be compiled, and it will not be possible to withdraw your data.

If you request to withdraw from the study before the indicated date, your data and information will be removed from the study and all records, both digital and written, will be destroyed.

While most of this data collection will take place virtually, in regions and circumstances where it is safe and appropriate, data collection may occur in-person. Given that we are still operating in a time of COVID-19 and we recommend taking all safety precautions while having in person meetings.

In the event that the highly unlikely event of a COVID-19 outbreak happens, we are required by Public Health to keep your email address or phone number on file to share with them for contact tracing purposes.

We may be collecting information about you and how you identify, as well as your experiences within the York Region Community.

If you have any ethics concerns or If you have any questions about the research please contact Alric Reid or Jacqueline Dyer at hello@reidefineconsultancy.com or via telephone at 365-340-1020.

This Letter of Information provides you with the details to help you make an informed choice. All your questions should be answered to your satisfaction before you decide whether or not to participate in this survey/fireside chat/interview.

Please note: You have NOT waived any legal rights by consenting to participate in this study.