Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiatives: April and May 2021

Greenwood’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee has been hard at work through the months of April and May.

Although April was a short month because of the Spring Break, our DEI committee still kept busy working on initiatives. On April 20, the Greenwood community observed International Day of Pink. Wearing pink on this day represents standing up against discrimination, challenging social norms, and stepping in against bullying towards 2SLGBTQIA+ peers. Students also participated in a DEI session that focused on how to work together to share different perspectives known as ‘calling in’ and ‘calling out’. 

Call-ins are agreements we can make to work together to open our perspectives, work through our mistakes, and commit to growing as a community. Students discussed situations in which call-ins are not possible, and how to start a call-in conversation. 

In May, Canada observes Asian Heritage Month. The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee took the opportunity to create informative videos for the morning announcements. To start the month, students learned from their peers about the cultural and linguistic diversity of Asia through a geographic lens. To coincide with Arts Celebration Week, the DEI committee created informative videos to learn about influential artists of Asian descent. 

Grade 7 students attended the virtual Festival of Literary Diversity on May 7, where they learned from Canadian illustrators Jason Loo, Anoosha Syed, and Cole Pauls to launch their study of graphic novels and poetry. Their unit 4 novels look at stories of immigrant experiences. 

Several members of the Greenwood community attended the St. Clement’s School Anti-Oppression: Committing to Justice Conference on Saturday May 8. The constituent groups engaged in meaningful conversations and set goals for committing to justice at CIS schools. 

“We need to cultivate listening, partnership, and solidarity to carve out a better collective future.” - Desmond Cole, The Skin We’re In.
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Greenwood College School

443 Mount Pleasant Road
Toronto, ON M4S 2L8
Tel: 416 482 9811
We acknowledge with gratitude the Ancestral lands upon which our main campus is situated. These lands are the Ancestral territories of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Anishinabek and the Wendake. The shared responsibility of this land is honoured in the Dish with One Spoon Treaty and as settlers, we strive to care for the land, the waters, and all creatures in the spirit of peace. We are responsible for respecting and supporting the enduring presence of all First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. When away from this campus we vow to be respectful to the land by protecting and honouring it. We will create relationships with the people and the land we may visit by understanding the territories we enter and the nations who inhabit them.
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