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Hello, my name is Norty Antoine. I am a Jamaican International student, and I am currently in my second semester of my first year of the M.Ed Higher Education program. Activism is very new to me given that in the last few decades my home culture has not paid the same level of attention to pronounced issues like the link between race, class and social mobility, as it did post emancipation. In fact, my country's motto is "Out of many, one people." We do however have a clear need for a modern form of activism against systemic issues like the rights of children, the roles of government, gendered issues, parental rights, and the distribution of scarce resources. On a personal level, I hope that this course helps me to better understand the complicated experiences of people with eclectic identities like mine. As a black, Caribbean, first-generation, mature, heterosexual, male, immigrant, second language learner of English there are many assumptions and stereotypes that I must be prepared to respond to.

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Hi Everyone,

My name is Scout Southward (She/her) , and I am a full-time learner in my second semester of the MEd program in Adult Education and Community Development at the University of Toronto. I completed my undergraduate studies at Queen’s University, where I spent five years studying Environmental and Health Studies. I graduated this past May and made the move to Toronto in August to begin the next chapter of my academic and athletic journey.

During my time at Queen’s, I played on the Queen’s Women’s Hockey team and I have continued playing here at UofT. My younger sister is in her first year of undergrad here at UofT and she also plays on the hockey team, so this has been a very special opportunity for us.

By merging my academic pursuits with my practical experiences, I hope to contribute meaningfully to this course while developing a more creative approach to empower individuals and teams to thrive.

Through this course, I hope to deepen my understanding of how innovative, interdisciplinary strategies can drive meaningful change and promote social justice in and beyond the world of sport.

I am currently in Torino, Italy representing Team Canada at the FISU Winter Games. I look forward to meeting everyone in class when I am back!

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Hello, my name is Semeene, or you can also call me Agnes (she/her). I am in my first year in the AECD program as an M.Ed student and did my undergraduate degree here at U of T studying Sociology and Health Studies. I went on to get my TESL Certificate and am currently an adult ESL instructor with the YRDSB. I chose to take this course to hopefully gain tools to use in my classroom, and develop a better understanding of my students who are all newcomers to Canada, facing unique challenges and oppression. I am also interested to see how creative approaches will impact my learning and teaching.

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Hello, my name is Shelley Xue (she/her) and I am currently a first year second semester full-time MEd student in AECD at OISE. I had my academic background in Finance and Economics, graduating from Rotman Commerce, UofT. With some professional working experience in student affairs and student services at UofT and the non-profit organization, I am delving into the field of education. Last semester, I took a course related to student experience in higher education and I realized that student groups vary widely and it is a long journey to acknowledge their needs while achieving the EDIA approach. Thus, one of my goals in this course is to understand the challenging situations and how we could come up with some creative approaches that could be leveraged in the field of education.

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My name is Mengjiao Liang and you can call me Winnie. Currently I am in my second semester of the Med in AECD. I moved to Toronto last September so I am still pretty new to everything in Toronto. Before OISE, I was a corporate trainer in one pharmaceutical company. I was in charge of all the learning and development initiatives for all Asia Pacific employees. I am interested to explore the creative approaches that I could apply in my future workshops. Very excited to meet you all:)

Winnie

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Hello everyone! My name is Mengdan (Mona) Shen, and I am currently in my final term as an MEd student in AECD. With a background in arts and art education, I have had the opportunity to teach in the US, China, and Canada. I was drawn to this course because I have observed how systemic power and oppression shape the role of art in both public life and education. Throughout this course, I hope to deepen my understanding of these issues and develop my strength to take meaningful action. Looking forward to this learning journey with you all!

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Hello all! My name is David Puvan (he/him) and I am a first year PhD student at the Faculty of Social Work, UofT. This is my first course outside my home faculty (though located within the same building). I moved from Singapore to Toronto for this program last September and am slowly getting used to the city.

I have about 10 years of experience as an applied theatre practitioner (joker for Theatre of the Oppressed, performer, storyteller) and about 6 years of using theatre based/ arts based practice within social work (photovoice, TO, art therapy). I worked as a social worker at a family violence center in Singapore but have worked with several other communities (migrant workers, youth offenders).

I am really excited to learn from all of you and to immerse in a very arts-based program (which is not like any other I have taken)!

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My name is Andrea Holder (She/Her) and I am currently in my second semester of the MEd in AECD. I have three teen boys (please send help and groceries) aged 14, 16 & 18. I also have 2 cats that I love very much and their names are Autumn & Zora. I completed the SSW Diploma course and a Bachelor of Social & Community Development through Sheridan College and then followed an academic pathway opportunity which led me to this program at U of T. I have always been a passionate advocate for social justice and achieving goals through creative solutions and I am also familiar with Dr. Bethany Osborne through my time at Sheridan College. I am hoping that she still includes puppets as her teaching assistant! I am looking forward to learning alongside all of you and I wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavors!

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My name is Jing Zhang (she/her), but you can also call me Anne! I’m currently a first-year, full-time M.Ed student in the AECD program. I completed my undergraduate studies at UBC and went straight to OISE for graduate school. I chose this course because of its focus on creative and strategic approaches to community development and social activism. I hope to gain practical tools and valuable insights to help me navigate my career path more effectively. I’m looking forward to a great semester with everyone!

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Hello my name is Kiannah McCarthy, and recent graduate from Sheridan College; graduating from the Honours Bachelor of Social and Community Development program and Creative Leadership Problem Solving undergrad certificate from New York, United States. I am a proud Mom, a passionate advocate for the unheard, an intersectional Black woman, and the founder of Mothers Refreshed, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering mothers facing challenges such as single parenthood, domestic violence, and mental health struggles. As a devoted mother of four young boys, including twins, I draw from personal experiences and professional aspirations to create impactful social change, particularly for women and mothers victimized by systemic oppression.

I am thrilled to embark on a transformative learning journey with Dr. Bethany, exploring the dynamics of chellenging systems of power and oppression through creative approaches. With a strong belief in the power of culture, creativity, and collective action, I am truly eager to challenge conventional systems and develop innovative solutions to foster equity and inclusion. I know this opportunity of learning represents an exciting chapter in my lifelong mission to leave a legacy of change and aspirations for many in the future. Looking forward to sharing this journey with you all. Dr Bethany is AMAZING!

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My name is Pamela King (she/her) and I am in my final year of my MEd, AECD and WLSC. As an Indigenous student, I am collecting the tools to become balanced and processes to achieve wellbeing. I believe that this course can offer tools for my bundle in finding equity in all things.

I look forward to learning from everyone in this class!

Miigwech.

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Hi everyone! My name is Lingpeng Zeng(he/him), but you can call me James. I am from China. My background is in civil engineering. I am so glad to meet you all, and I hope we can study and progress together. This course gave me a strong interest because of the long history of oppression and the power system, and I also want to explore how it works today. I am looking forward to studying

with you guys this semester!

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I’m Suzanne (she/her) and this is my second full-time semester in the AECD program. I have a background in Community Mental Health and Youth Outreach, and some undergraduate studies in Fine Art (ages ago, lol). I was drawn to this course because it seemed like an interesting way to explore concepts of modern citizenship and change in a format that goes beyond some of the learning formats of other courses. I currently work as a consultant with a focus on mental health as a key component of organizational functionality and do a lot of work within the summer camp and outdoor education industry (both within Canada and internationally). I’m looking forward to connecting with everyone over the next few months.

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Hi everyone! I look forward to getting to know you all this semester. My name is Julianna (she/her) and I am in my second semester of the AECD program. I currently work as an Academic Advisor at a polytechnic institution. I am excited for this course as I have many interests within creative arts and look forward to seeing how to utilize creativity to navigate systems of power.

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Hi everyone! My name is Allison Green, and my pronouns are she/her. I chose to take this course because, as a secondary school educator, I believe it’s essential to understand and address the systemic exclusion of individuals within mainstream society. My background is in Indigenous education, so I am particularly interested in topics that involve Indigenous communities. However, I’m also eager to learn more about other marginalized groups. This course appealed to me because it brings together people from diverse backgrounds, creating an opportunity to learn from educators, activists, counsellors, and more. One of my goals for this course is to deepen my understanding of social movements, such as the prison abolition movement. I’m looking forward to meeting everyone later this afternoon!

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Hi all! My name is Maggie (she/her). I work for UofT in the engineering department working on online modules. I also, in my free time, do organizing and activist work around race and social issues. Excited to explore how I can integrate creativity, art, and my technical background into challenging systems of oppression in my work and activism! Creatively, I love sewing and upcycling clothes and other functional textiles. I also have some skills in graphic design.

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My name is Jasmine El-Hacha (she/her), and I am looking forward to meeting you all tomorrow. Dr. Eve Tuck, a former OISE professor, has discussed the implications of engaging in "damage-centred" research when working with historically and presently marginalized communities. While academics' intentions may not be to perpetuate narratives of hopelessness and disenfranchisement, this can result from not taking an intersectional and critical approach to our work. Thus, I was interested in taking this class to broaden my approach to dismantling systemically and institutionally inscribed frameworks of oppression. My hope is to leave LHAE1109 feeling more capable of taking a joy-centered approach to this work. I sincerely believe that the creative is relational to the theoretical and that art, in its many forms, can provide us with a fruitful path forward.