Goal

Conceptualized in 2020 and launched in 2021, SPRINT was founded by a group of psychology graduate students at the University of Toronto to address the underrepresentation of Indigenous, Black, and racialized (IBR) peoples in psychology and higher education. By including IBR persons in psychology, their participation will help produce tools, research, trainees, and professionals that serve the needs of racially diverse communities.

As an equity-advancing initiative, SPRINT strives to deliver an accessible program to educate, inspire, and connect high school students who identify as IBR, as well as members of other historically underrepresented groups in psychology and higher education (e.g., gender-minority, first-generation university students).

Starting position:

Underrepresentation in psychology

Psychology has always been a popular program in higher education. At the University of Toronto, over 4,000 undergraduate students enrol in an introductory psychology course every year combined across the three campuses. Within the Department of Psychology, more than 200 students are currently pursuing their graduate studies. Despite an immense interest, the discipline is characterized by a lack of racial diversity in Canada and the U.S., especially at increasing levels of education and the profession.

Possible contributors to this phenomenon include the racist history of psychology, limited racial representation in mentors and role models, as well as a lack of outreach, engagement, and knowledge access before higher education (Huff, 2021).

Hence, our goal:

Develop a high school access and outreach program to promote equity, diversity, & inclusivity

SPRINT contributes to this objective by:

1. Introducing IBR high school students to psychology and research

2. Providing professional opportunities to IBR trainees in psychology

3. Building an inclusive community with both IBR high school students and IBR trainees.

Anticipated outcomes:

Benefits for everyone involved