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SPARK SPOTLIGHT
Learn about how the partnership between Humber College and Toronto Police Service is raising awareness of hate crimes.
Humber College and Toronto Police Service Partnership Raises Awareness of Hate Crimes BY SARAN DAVAAJARGAL
According to the Toronto Police Service (TPS), hate crimes are on the rise. In 2022, TPS reported that the number of reported hate crimes is 74% higher than the pre-pandemic level and 40% higher than the 10-year average. Accordingly, the need for greater awareness of hate crimes and how to report them has become more pronounced over the years. Humber College’s partnership with TPS is helping to address this issue through a collaborative endeavour that seeks to inform the public about identifying and reporting hate crimes. The partnership embodies the pillars outlined in Humber’s Academic Plan: 2023-2026, which are designed to prepare students for a career-ready future through education that combines theory with hands-on experiential learning. In a creative advertising class taught by Professor Marilyn Cresswell in the Faculty of Media & Creative Arts, students had the opportunity to help solve a real-life challenge by creating an advertising campaign to raise awareness about hate crimes in Toronto. For the first project born out of the partnership between TPS and Humber’s creative advertising program, the students were asked to create a pamphlet based on the key values of respect, understanding, inclusivity and that Canada is better with
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diversity. A total of 13 entries were submitted and evaluated by a judging panel of Humber and TPS representatives. The top three groups of students were recognized and awarded by TPS for their efforts. The winning students were Carter Mooney and Abigail Ramos, who created the “Hate the Hate: Report the Crime” pamphlet. The pamphlet was a resounding success. In June 2021, the “Hate the Hate” pamphlet was made publicly available on the TPS website and distributed across Toronto internally and externally. In 2022, the TPS translated the pamphlet into 22 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Farsi and French. Creating the pamphlet not only provided students with the ability to hone their skills but also helped them gain more confidence in themselves as advertising professionals. Reflecting on his experience creating the hate crimes brochure that was selected to be used by the TPS in 2021, Carter Mooney, a 2023 graduate of Humber’s Bachelor of Creative Advertising program, says, “When we were given the task of creating the brochure, we were explicitly instructed to avoid using the word ‘hate’ entirely. So, I initially set out with the idea of ‘How to be more polite,’ offering a satirical take on promoting awareness of hate crimes and how to address them. Given the competition, with over ten other groups