An organization dedicated to supporting racialized, neurodiverse youth is hosting a series of community safety events to help participants develop practical tools to navigate their communities with confidence.
Toronto District School Board data from 2013 shows that Black students were three times more likely than their white counterparts to be suspended from school, while a 2017 TDSB study found that 48 per cent of students expelled from school were Black.
Aiming to support other youth impacted by this, Youth Alliance for Intersectional Justice (YAIJ) is launching a series of free events across the Greater Toronto Area developed for Black and racialized neurodiverse high school students. The sessions give them tools to navigate public safety, build self-advocacy, and connect with peers and community resources.
Founded by mother-son duo Carolyn Tinglin and Jantz Richards, YAIJ is a Black, youth-led collective of racialized and neurodiverse youth, adults, and allies.
The Canadian Centre for Disability and Inclusion describes being neurodiverse as having a style of neurocognitive functioning that is significantly different from what is considered “typical” by societal standards, including thinking, behaving, or learning differently. This umbrella term generally includes people diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, OCD, dyspraxia, dyslexia, dyscalculia, or Tourette’s, but others may also identify with the term.
Organizers say the events centre peer-to-peer storytelling and lived experiences within both the education and legal systems, exploring topics like mental health, online safety, and policing in schools.
“A big thing is self-advocacy and understanding their rights in ways that are meaningful and relevant to them, networking with other youth, understanding the potential,” Tinglin told Now Toronto.
Each session will give participants practical information about their rights and public safety, while connecting participants with inclusive, socially-conscious resources.
“So, we want students and youth to be aware of what some of these potential situations can be, and what their rights are,” she explained. “How do you advocate for yourself? From starting with just anti-bullying basics to police encounters, how do you manage those things?”
The upcoming sessions will also provide participants with snacks and refreshments, as well as some breaks for entertainment.
YAIJ COMMUNITY SAFETY FORUM DETAILS
The first event is scheduled for this Saturday, July 19, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Malvern Family Resource Centre. You can register here.
Another event is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 2, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Chestnut Hill Developments Recreation Complex in Pickering. Registration is available here.
A forum will be held in Brampton on Friday, Aug. 8, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Grace Place. You can sign up here.
On Saturday, Aug.14, a forum will be held at The 519 community centre in Toronto’s Church and Wellesley Village from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The link to register is here.
In Hamilton, a session will be held on Friday, Sept. 12, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Hamilton Convention Centre in the Webster AB Room. Sign up here.
A session is also planned for Etobicoke later this summer, with details yet to be determined.
FOUNDING THE YOUTH ALLIANCE FOR INTERSECTIONAL JUSTICE
Tinglin explained that the organization was born to meet the needs of Richards, who, as a child, struggled to find services that addressed his needs as a Black, neurodiverse person.
“He was either the only Black person in a program or service that was for neurodivergent people, or the opposite, where he was in Black-led community resources and programs, and his neurodiversity was ignored or denied,” she explained.
Her son, now 21 years old, had formed a small club of other racialized, neurodiverse individuals within the neighbourhood, and she approached him to see if he wanted to develop his organization that could support other youth facing similar barriers.
The organization offers a variety of different programming, including entrepreneurial programs, peer support groups, and employment skills workshops, with some special inspiration.
“A lot of the programs that we’ve offered did start because of Jantz’s experiences, either in school, in the community, or at work. Those were the heart and the roots of a lot of programs that we’ve designed,” she explained.
This includes an experience Jantz had with his school and police in the fourth grade. He explained that, while experiencing bullying, he wrote a list of peers in school, crossing off people he did not feel were truly his friends, and circling those he wanted to get to know better. An educational assistant found the list and took it to the school administration.
“She asked me if it was a hit list, and I said, ‘No, of course not, the people I crossed off, they’re just not my friends, I’m trying to find my people, people who could potentially be my friends,’” he told Now Toronto.
“Then not even 30 minutes later, I’m brought to another office and I’m interrogated by three police officers.”
He said that after he was interrogated, without his parents present, and when officers determined he had done nothing wrong, they led him out of the office, where students saw him accompanied by police.
“That’s what reinforced everyone else’s idea that I’m a bad person, that there’s something wrong with me and that I have no place in the world,” he explained.
“Long story short, I felt not just traumatized. The trauma, the feelings started kicking in after maybe a day or two, and I felt very embarrassed and like my privacy was also violated.”
Tiglin explained that this is an ongoing issue for many neurodiverse people, due to societal perceptions of their differences.
“It does happen quite a bit, where folks who are autistic or who are neurodiverse, their behaviours are certainly interpreted, viewed and perceived in very pathological ways, and there’s not a lot that you can do about that,” Tiglin said.
“Within that context, what can you do? What are your rights? What resources are available to you to help you protect yourself in your community, in your neighbourhood, at school?” she explained. “These are the main things that we would like for youth to walk away [from these sessions] with: a sense of self-advocacy skills, understanding what resources are out there and what to do. What can you do, and what are your rights.”
