We worked with the Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board to tell the story of the Graduation Coach Program for Black Students. In this video we hear from several students about their common experience and how the coaches, the Affinity Space and the other programs have created a positive environment for Black students. By using an off-camera “interviewer” format, we helped the the students to express their views, explain their experiences and how they are advocating for themselves.
Typically we do not have more than 1-2 people per minute of video, but in this case there are eight students and two coaches in 4.5 minutes. We made this work because the students are collectively talking about the student experience. They form the student voice together and the two coaches fill in the details of the program. This is stakeholder storytelling at its finest. And it’s what we do best.
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Full video transcript:
I was failing my classes and they told me I was not going to graduate. So I came to Ms. Sealy and she found a way for me to get my credits to graduate. I just never saw that extent of advocacy, like for me as an individual. It’s really helped my academic life. It’s really helped my relationships with my teachers. And I think that that’s really important.
With the introduction of the affinity space and Ms. Paraboo, the grad coach, it has been such a change of perspective. I see school as like a place for me to grow. The affinity space has been really helpful in terms of just having a place to come if I ever have a problem or if I just want to connect with other students that look like me. It’s a very comfortable space for Black kids. A place where I can be myself freely. When I first started coming to the affinity space, I realized that it was a very inclusive space, a safe space, a space for all of us to be ourselves. I don’t feel judged, I don’t feel uncomfortable at all. And I just am with people who look like me.
The graduation coach program for Black students is a program that is mandated by the Ministry of Education. In addition to the affinity spaces that we run, we also offer board wide programing. One of our most popular programs that we have is our “Afro’s in Art” program. We also have “Focus on Youth”, which is a summer camp that is run through our department, and we’re able to offer jobs to a lot of students for the summer. Students are more engaged. They are seeing that they care more about school they want to attend. It has changed my career in the way that I think about connecting with Black students.
I think the grad coaches have really taught me a lot about advocating for myself and also advocating for other people. It’s helped me to kind of find my voice and to also just kind of see who I am as a person and see who I can be as a person. When the grad coach came into my life, it became more inclusive for me and I feel like I’d want to come to school more. I’m just more comfortable at school. A space like this, I can come in here, I know I feel safe and comfortable and like I can stay true to myself. If I’m going through a problem, I know I can talk to her about it, and it’s not like I’m talking to a teacher, but just like a person, hearing me out, my problems and just even like, supporting me, like with schoolwork in class.
We’re looking at their attendance, how they’re engaged in the school, how do we re-engage them into school, Do they feel comfortable? Does the curriculum reflect what a Black student wants to learn?
This experience has made me more engaged because it made me be more active in the school community. Her being here is like a safe place for me, someone I can talk to, a counselor and maybe a friend. With our graduation coaches, by our side and behind us, when it comes to a lot of decisions that we have to make on our own, them adding their input really helps because of how much they’ve experienced. Ms. Sealy has been really helpful in emailing my teachers if ever I have a concern that I’m not really sure how to articulate to them. She’s done a very good job of helping me articulate my problems to my teachers and communicate in ways that maybe I wouldn’t have thought of. Someone actually saw what I was going through. Someone saw a situation and chose to speak up alongside me. It made me feel like I belong here.
This program should be in every other school because I know there’s a lot of students that need support that they might not get. All students should receive the support they need, and I think it’s just really important to have someone there for you and have someone you’re able to talk to. This program really taught me how to manage my time more in life.
After high school, because I’m graduating this year, I’m going to go to George Brown for architecture and technology. What I want to do after high school, I want to be a nurse. I’m really interested in art, specifically, in tattooing. After high school, I plan to be a police officer. I love construction, because I love hands on work. After I graduate, I am hoping to become a pediatrician. I’m going into business of administration for accounting. My ultimate goal is to go to law school and become a lawyer.
High school students go through a lot and they might have a lot bunched up. Having somebody there for you and somebody that you can talk to that also understands home life, being a person of color, and being involved in school activities or just school in general. I feel like it helps to take a weight off of your shoulders. The Affinity Space makes me feel like I have a sense of community. So like I’m here to express myself. I’m here to be me. The Graduation Coach program changes lives, and what my goal would be is to see this program in every single secondary school.