TAIBU Executive Director Liben Gebremikael, left, and Rexdale CHC Executive Director Safia Ahmed, right, welcome Rexdale CHC board member Alex Gattick to speak about the impact that a $100K Legal Aid Ontario grant will have for Black students facing conflict in the education system.
On Tuesday, Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) announced that it will partner with Rexdale CHC and TAIBU CHC to offer more robust and timely supports for Black high school students in conflict with the education system. LAO is also providing a one-time $100,000 grant to kickstart the process of working with the CHCs. Minister of Education Mitzie Hunter was on hand to offer the government’s endorsement of the partnership, which aims to reduce the impact of suspensions and expulsions by resolving conflicts between Black students and administrators and teachers before they escalate. The overall goal is more student success in the form of higher grades and graduation rates, and fewer suspensions and expulsions overall.
Alex Battick, a children and youth advocate who joined the board of Rexdale CHC earlier this year, noted that the collaboration is a natural fit, given the breadth of programs that the CHC offers to youth, such as Pathways to Education.
“There are already so many layers of programs and services available at the centres, and this just adds another layer, a legal layer,” Battick says. “Now when we’re providing legal services to youth, we can also offer support to them on physical and mental health issues, employment and economic opportunities, or on whatever challenges they’re facing.” Read the CBC story about the Legal Aid Ontario grant and LAO’s partnership with CHCs.