A summer institute organized by the Faculty of Education in collaboration with the Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES) will bring together teachers, educators, community members and local artists to explore new ways of teaching and learning with a specific focus on the inter-relationships of art, environmental knowing and social justice.<\/p>\n
Organized by the York Centre for Education & Community (YCEC) directed by Faculty of Education Professor Carl James, the School & Community Engaged Summer Education Institute, taking place Aug. 16 to 18 at York\u2019s Keele campus, will feature a program focused on participatory pedagogical practices for inclusive and sustainable education in communities and schools.<\/p>\n
Tomorrow morning, Aug. 16, the institute\u2019s first keynote address will feature author and storyteller Itah Sadu who will speak about the role of storytelling and the oral tradition in community building. In the afternoon keynote, Joanna Brown and Maria Trejo\u00a0of the Chicago-based Logan Square Neighbourhood Association, will talk about building strong immigrant community schools.<\/p>\n
On Aug.17, Amos Key Jr. of the First Nations Languages Woodland Centre in Brantford, Ont., will lead an Elder Prayer Invocation to open up the day. Immediately following the Elder Prayer Invocation, York education Professor Susan Dion, will deliver a presentation about research she\u00a0conducted in collaboration with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) Aboriginal Education Staff. Dion will discuss decolonizing and indigenizing school communities.<\/p>\n
The summer institute wraps on Thursday with a presentation by Professor Beverly Naidus, of the University of Washington, Tacoma. Naidus will\u00a0speak about the\u00a0need for socially-engaged art practices.The rest of the day's\u00a0activities are being presented by FES students under the direction of York environmental studies\u00a0Professor Deborah Barndt, who is helping coordinate the summer institute.<\/p>\n