Sudbury youth sharing BIPOC experiences to address barriers in school

A youth-led group in Sudbury has started a project to share the experiences of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of colour) students and the barriers they face in schools.

Kerry Yang, a Grade 12 student at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School, has received support from Future North, an initiative that provides resources and opportunities for youth and young adults in the Sudbury and Manitoulin districts, to help launch her research project.

She has interviewed BIPOC students and teachers to share their experiences and find ways to address the barriers they face.

"A key experience that a lot of BIPOC youth face is the cafeteria experience, where you bring your traditional homemade food to school, and there's complaints about it smelling bad or it having interesting aromas or tastes," Yang said. 

"And that really has a negative impact on how I accept myself and how I want to be around the people I go to school with."

Yang said that while her personal experience changed when she started high school, the barriers she has had to face have not disappeared.

"Even though these issues might not completely disappear within the next generation, I hope that they're going to be able to be confident enough to approach them at an earlier part in their life and that they have the necessary supports to do that," she said. 

"And also just feel welcome and comfortable in their learning environment and feel empowered by their own cultural identity." 

Yang says the team will use the research findings to create a report to give to school boards and other organizations.

They also hope to develop a project focused on addressing some of the barriers.