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Anti-Racism Response Training (ART) Workshop

June 15, 2023 @ 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm EDT

Cost: Members: $50 | Non-Members: $90 Register

Registration Deadline: June 12, 2023

This session has been approved by CICC for 2.5 hours of CPD.

Session Overview

The Anti-Racism Response Training (A.R.T.) program, developed by Dr. Ishu Ishiyama, and enhanced and adapted – including virtual adaptation – by Thanh Tazumi, Naomi L. Wolfe, & Sanchit Mittal, uses a witness-centered approach to disrupting racism. This Canadian-based training is designed to be relevant to the audience and encourages participants to shift from being frozen or silent bystanders to becoming active witnesses. This online workshop is highly interactive and offers experiential activities to develop and strengthen active witnessing skills. In a safe and supported online forum, participants will practice how they can respond to disrupt racism and build a safer and more inclusive community. This session is open to the entire community, including students.

Learning Objectives

Consider the impacts of being a passive bystander vs. active witness
Gain greater empathy regarding the harmful impacts of racist encounters
Review four levels of witnessing
Explore four key categories of active witnessing
Learn and practice a wide range of anti-racism responses and share some of your own

“The training provided was beneficial. It supported dialogic learning and provided vital strategies on how to respond to racism. I can use everything learned in this training.”- Wedlidi Speck, Director – Indigenous Recruitment & Cultural Safety, British Columbia Ministry of Children and Family Development

“THANK YOU so much for hosting these trainings. It was such an intense, full-body experience for me to go through those scenarios, and reflected to me the amount of work there is to do as an individual and as a community, and made me grateful there were opportunities like this with which to get engaged.”- Cynthia Lange, Vancouver Island University

“We engaged Thanh, Naomi, and Sanchit to deliver their Anti-Racism Response Training for our large team of social service staff. They are fantastic facilitators who are skilled in delivering training on a challenging and complex topic using a thoughtful, sensitive, and empathetic approach. In particular, we appreciate their interactive style that engages attendees to practice new skills in a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment. Their training offers various types of realistic and actionable steps that we can all take to be active bystanders when we witness incidents of racism and hate in our communities.”- Amy Cheng, Administration, S.U.C.C.E.S.S.

Facilitators:

Thanh Tazumi

A.R.T. Facilitator

Thanh Tazumi (she/her/hers) and her family immigrated to Canada as refugees in 1984. She worked for a multicultural organization for 10 years, coordinating anti-racism, diversity, and organizational change projects. Thanh coordinated the first anti-racism walk in Campbell River, in 1997 and formed a committee to continue this annual event until 2006. She has co-facilitated workshops on intercultural communication, equity & inclusion, and Anti- racism Response Training. Recently she and her daughter developed and delivered an anti-Asian racism workshop to audiences across Canada. Thanh also worked with marginalized youth and families for 15 years. She is grateful to live on the traditional territory of the Wei Wai Kum, We Wai Kai, and the E’iksan-K’omoks peoples. She is aware of the history of racism in Canada and many of its impacts on Indigenous and other racialized peoples. She is committed to racial justice and is actively working toward reconciliation and healing.

Naomi L. Wolfe

A.R.T. Facilitator

Naomi L. Wolfe (she/her/hers) is a mixed European settler Canadian, originally from Saskatchewan, who is grateful to reside on the unceded traditional territory of the E’iksan and K’ómoks Peoples. As a teen, Naomi was a member of an anti-racism youth group in Nashville, Tennessee, during the desegregation of schools through crosstown bussing. After 10 years in the USA and 10 years in Guatemala, she moved back to Canada, and eventually to Vancouver Island. During nearly 30 years as ESL Faculty at North Island College – including 10 years as Human Rights and International Solidarity Rep. – and through her work with the local Immigrant Welcome Centre, Naomi gained a deep understanding of the barriers faced by many in her community. She began designing and facilitating intercultural training in the mid-90’s and became an Anti-Racism Response (A.R.T.) facilitator in 2002. Naomi facilitates A.R.T., intercultural communication, Theatre for Living, and Compassionate Listening (TCLP) workshops and has presented at conferences in Canada and internationally. Naomi greatly values collaborating with others to create a more just and inclusive society.

Sanchit Mittal

A.R.T. Facilitator

Sanchit Mittal (he/him/his) came to Canada as an international student; he holds two Master’s degrees and has diverse experience working with various marginalized communities, including LGBTQ2+ and refugees. With over eight years of experience in various Indian and Canadian organizations, living as an uninvited guest on the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit peoples, Sanchit deeply values Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI), and is passionate about Truth and Reconciliation and Social Justice work, including Anti-Racism. Sanchit has co-facilitated many workshops including LGBTQ2+ inclusion, Communications in Intercultural classrooms, Microaggressions, and Allyship. Sanchit has worked in Vancouver Island University’s (VIU) International Education and served as the Vice President for SIETAR BC. Currently a Partnerships Manager at an Ontario-based Edu-Tech company, he is also an EDI Consultant at VIU.

Toyin Kareem

A.R.T. Facilitator

Toyin Kareem (she/her) is a Communications Specialist with years of experience in Relationship Management from West Africa before moving to Canada. She has a keen interest in diversity, equity, and inclusion which informed her foray into a Ph.D. in Development Communication where she focused on Social Justice Advocacy on social media. She has worked with advocacy organizations that work with marginalized groups especially around intercultural communication, equity, diversity, and inclusion. She currently works with a not-for-profit that provides professional settlement services and builds welcoming and inclusive communities while promoting Antiracism. In her role, she works collaboratively with other organizations to initiate projects that ensure newcomers feel included, welcome and safe in the community. She is currently located on the traditional territory of the We Wai Kai and the Wei Wai Kum people, whose histories, languages, and cultures continue to influence our vibrant community.

Charis Tazumi

A.R.T. Facilitator

Charis Tazumi (she/her) is a Vietnamese-Japanese Canadian who grew up on Vancouver Island. This past year, Charis worked as a co-facilitator in Antiracism Response Training (ART), conducted workshops to increase anti-Asian racism awareness, and worked as a teacher in a local daycare. Currently, she is a student at the University of Victoria, studying in Child & Youth Care with hopes of becoming a counsellor. Charis is grateful for the opportunity to get involved in ART facilitation as well as in antiracism awareness. She would like to acknowledge with respect, the Lekwungen peoples on whose traditional territory UVIC stands, as well as her privilege to live, study, and work on the unceded lands of the Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ peoples.