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| August 2003 |
Vol. 7, No. 5 |
Growing Up Black in Oakville: The Impact of Community on
Black Youth Identity Formation and Civic Participation
Community Development Halton is pleased to join the Canadian Caribbean
Association of Halton and the Halton Multicultural Council as a partner in an
innovative exploration of the experiences of black youth in our community
entitled, "Growing Up Black in Oakville: The Impact of Community on Black
Youth Identity Formation and Civic Participation." The report was prepared
by Maureen Brown, an Oakville-based consultant and trainer in diversity and
social inclusion.
Featuring Oakville as a case study, the research evolved out of growing
concern over our preparedness to serve an increasingly diverse population. The
study is unique in its focus on a 905 community and in its recognition of the
challenges we face as our demographics shift. More than 50% of new immigrants to
Canada and two-thirds of those who come to Ontario settle in the Greater Toronto
Area. Forty-three percent of residents in Mississauga are new immigrants, the
bulk of whom come from the Middle East, Asia and the Caribbean. Over the next 10
years, we expect these trends to increase in Halton.
The new make-up of our communities means that cultural assumptions on which
we have traditionally operated may need to be re-visited, in keeping with our
commitment to provide inclusive services. The study offers a rare and intimate
glimpse into the minds of black youth, as it probes how they are defining
themselves relative to their environment. Then, in the youth's own voices, it
tells us what service providers need to understand in order to serve them well.
Maureen collected information through focus groups with close to 60 randomly
selected black youth in Oakville, ranging from 13-24 years of age. Also
interviews were conducted with key regional leaders, including Regional Chair
Joyce Savoline and Oakville Mayor Ann Mulvale. In addition, she interviewed some
20 parents. The youth shared their feelings, experiences and perspectives. Our
analysis was built with the help of academic and community-based research about
the way communities form and the way youth acquire a sense of 'ownership' in
their community. An advisory committee of representatives of Halton-based
agencies, institutions (such as school boards and police), youth and parents
guided our work. Eminent York University professor, Dr. Carl James, an expert on
the topic, advised the research process. Community Dispatch captures the key
findings of the report.
Joey Edwardh
Executive Director
Black Youth Feel That…
- They have to be perfect to avoid landing in a "social pocket" of
pre-set expectations of them.
- Parents, not the youth, choose to live in Oakville. They, however, are
faced with the challenge of defining themselves relative to their peers in
Mississauga, Toronto and the black community in general.
- Society defines and judges them according to their race. For them,
however, race is only one aspect of who they are - and not necessarily the
primary aspect. They are as likely to define themselves within the context of
family, religion and upbringing as they are by their race. Some youth feel
trapped by the judgement of those who serve or otherwise interact with them
because even when they are recognized for doing well they think that their
performance is seen as an anomaly.
- Non-black youth are accorded more social leniency than black youth. What
for youth from other groups is viewed as indiscretion will, more often than not
be viewed in black youth as pathology. They struggle with society's tendency to
accept negative media-fed images of young blacks while exempting other youth
from the accompanying stigma. When other youth appropriate the style and image
associated with black youth such as urban wear and taste in music, they are
judged differently.
- They have to choose friends carefully due to lack of social leniency. In
the process they sometimes adopt simplistic and even stereotypical images of
white youth in particular. These images become intensified when the youth
juxtapose their culturally influenced upbringing against that of their white
peers. For example, they feel that white youth do drugs, hold `bender' parties,
disrespect parents and take the family car without permission. Black youth
believe they do not engage in such behaviour for fear of heavy corporal
punishment.
- In Oakville class impacts on race. Black youth who are financially
comfortable see no difference in their living standards compared to their white
peers. Those who are financially disadvantaged relative to their peers
experience the impact more deeply because they feel that they are fulfilling the
black/poor /underprivileged stereotype.
- Negative stereotypes and expectations inhibit their full participation in
civic society. They hesitate to volunteer or to attend community-based functions
because they feel singled out or because they don't see themselves reflected in
these activities.
- Black youth are in a constant struggle to demonstrate high levels of
aspirations and capability. They feel they have to fight for opportunities that
should have been theirs by right.
- They have to reconcile mixed messages: be black and be full participants
in Oakville. It becomes difficult to do this, since the two sometimes seem
mutually exclusive. Many of these messages come from parents who want their
youth to take full advantage of life in Oakville, without sacrificing who they
are. To some youth these messages are inspiring, to others they breed reticence
and confusion.
- Being black in Oakville and Halton distinguishes youth from their peers
elsewhere. They feel the pull of the larger black society, whose boundaries have
been blurred by technology and media. But living here makes its own imprint on
their psyche. This dichotomy affects everything from who they date, to how they
dress, to their yearning for a chance to have a 'space' of their own, yet not at
the expense of their place in society.
- They want to be an integral part of 're-formatting' or re-defining
Oakville's identity to include the reality of their presence.
Creating Community
The report presents a format for creating a socially inclusive Oakville and
Halton, in light of the youth's observations. It defines the concept of an
inclusive community, based on a model that is being developed by the Social
Planning Network of Ontario. A socially inclusive community cultivates a single
social fabric that allows for individual group identity. It is a community where
diverse people participate by 'giving back' and where they are included at the
ground level of formatting what that community looks like.
Five keys were identified to encourage greater civic participation among
black youth:
- Recognize the uniqueness of the 905 region in relation to the GTA
metropolis
- Recognize the uniqueness of being black in the 905 region
- Acknowledge the reality of race-based experiences
- Recognize the 'burden of the race' that black youth bear
- Create room for personal growth as part of community growth
What the Study Means for Halton Service Providers
The results of the study will:
- help regional planners and service providers recognize the many dimensions
of youth they are serving and thus enrich their ability to serve them
- generate discussion, introspection and decision-making in Oakville's
black population as it seeks to encourage excellence and community participation
among its youth; and,
- raise awareness that will help to avoid the difficulties that so often
mar communities that are in transition.
The study provides specifics on black youth that will help in serving them or
in engaging them as participants. It also raises critical questions, offering a
strategic approach that can be adapted to create inclusive work and service
environments. Specifically, the study challenges service providers in Halton to:
- Redefine Halton and their constituencies as a diverse community and define
diversity in a manner that is distinct from the definition used in urban
settings, such as Toronto.
- Acknowledge the impact of race-based experiences on the lives of young
blacks
- Acknowledge the unique issues facing black youth in Halton by virtue of
their race and our own social constructs, assumptions and expectations. Service
providers must filter day-to-day realities into all diversity and youth
initiatives. Agencies cannot assume that if they build it, black youth will
come. They may have to go an extra mile.
To accomplish these goals service providers may have to review and adjust
their policies and service approach. We urge them to engage in information
gathering, discussion forums, and strategic initiatives to establish linkages
with black youth and to equip their leaders to serve a diverse community. The
report thus urges service providers to:
- Equip front line staff with knowledge, skills and sensitivity
- Review policies and recruitment strategies for elements and practices that
discourage black youth from participating or from applying for opportunities
- Seek funding assistance or earmark funds to support participation by black
youth and youth of diverse backgrounds
- Partner with community groups in initiatives that will help make
institutions and services open to black youth
- Become more transparent and accessible to diverse youth
- Bring black youth in at the formative stages of initiatives that will
impact their lives.
- Reject negative stereotypes and expectations of black youth
Community Development Halton is pleased to support regional agencies and service
providers as they seek to create more inclusive environments for diverse youth.
In the fall we will partner with the Social Planning Network of Ontario to host
a full day seminar on these topics. Additionally, we will host a half-day
session that focuses on diversity issues within Halton, using the black youth
report as a case study.
For a print copy of Growing Up Black in Oakville: The Impact of
Community on Black Youth Identity Formation and Civic Participation, please contact the Council.
Produced by Community Development Halton
860 Harrington Court
Burlington, Ontario L7N 3N4
(905) 632-1975, (905) 878-0955; Fax: (905) 632-0778; E-mail:
office@cdhalton.ca
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