Black Student Mentorship Program

WORKSHOP D

STUDENT MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

The Mentorship program gives the students an opportunity to have a voice and talk to someone else besides their teachers or material guardians about what is going on in school. The program supports and guides each student to the right path. It gives students a chance to empathize with their mentor about challenges they face being students of colour.

Our vision is to establish a Mentorship program within every school in the Ottawa Catholic School Board. Our ultimate goal is to develop leaders out of our senior students and camaraderie within our school communities.

"Nobody makes it alone. Nobody has made it alone. And we are all mentors to people even when we don't know it."

- Oprah Winfrey

LIVED EXPERIENCES

Many students have experienced racism in their life whether it be in school or in our community. These traumatic experiences can have an effect on our lives forever. A sense of loneliness starts to creep in without us knowing; we feel like no one would understand. Opening up about these experiences can help the healing process become smoother.

BLACK EXCELLENCE

There are a variety of definitions of Black Excellence. Everyone has their own idea of what it is, which is why there isn't a clear definition. Here is a quick video of a group of Black people defining what Black Excellence is.

THE ONLINE GROUP

The online group is a way for Black students to connect with other Black students. It gives students the ability to talk to someone if an incident occurs in their school or they are looking for support in their academics or social life. We want the students to know that there are people who care about them, and want them to feel safe in their environment. The online group is connected to the Mentorship Program.

LINKS

The Lived Experience of Race and Its Health ConsequencesA growing body of research illuminates the mechanisms through which racism and discrimination influence the health status of people of color. Much of the focus of this research, however, has been on individually mediated racism (i.e., acts of discrimination ...