Rewriting Our Own History Through Mindful Action

Pickering College’s diversity club is not one to shy away from tough conversations. The members of JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) have been expanding the scope of the issues they tackle, which has resulted in thoughtful presentations at Morning Meeting, deep conversations and fun activities to help everyone understand each other better.

“Pickering College, as a community, is so diverse and we want to bring people closer together. We want to embrace differences instead of being dissected by them,” says Rosie Xuan, new graduate of PC and the chair of JEDI during the 2021-2022 academic year.

As chair, Xuan wanted to create opportunities for the students in Senior School to connect, especially after a year where a significant portion was spent online due to the pandemic. One of the activities the club introduced at the start of the school year was a human bingo game, where students had to speak with one another to find out more and try to get a ‘bingo.’

“It was questions like ‘find someone who has travelled to five different countries,’ or ‘find someone who can speak three different languages,’” she explains. “It was a great activity for people to start talking to each other—I saw many make their first friend group there.”

In addition, JEDI presented topics at Morning Meeting that took a deep dive into issues such as the importance of Orange Shirt Day, Indigenous history and reconciliation, as well as Black History Month. They also introduced a new event to Senior School—Multicultural Day—which celebrated PC’s diversity. Multicultural Day provided students in JEDI club with the opportunity to interview Senior School students about their favourite part of their culture along with what they have learned from other Pickering College students’ backgrounds. These interviews were made into a video that was shared during Morning Meeting. Afterwards, the club gave a presentation about cultural appropriation versus cultural appreciation, the rise in hate crimes, stopping Asian hate and educating people about how to call out microaggressions.

“It was great because we can demonstrate to each other the beauty of diversity,” Xuan explains. “In boarding, I was surrounded by fascinating people from diverse backgrounds which has helped me open up my world view—I am able to understand so much more.”

Xuan is so passionate about justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, she linked her Capstone project to her work with JEDI, focussing on normalizing the sharing of personal pronouns as they represent how people wish to be addressed.

“Creating a community where people are respectful in addressing gender identity will reduce assumptions around anatomical sex and remove the stigma around various forms of gender expression,” she wrote in a message to faculty and staff, one of the action steps she took for her Capstone project.

Xuan also worked with Sheri Simon in the Guidance Office to bring in guest speaker Tommy Mayberry, executive director of the Centre for Teaching and Learning at University of Alberta, for a presentation on pronouns to Senior School faculty and students. Mayberry spoke about the history of pronouns and how if you share your pronouns—which is not very difficult to do—it would make people feel more comfortable sharing theirs.

Xuan called upon faculty and staff to show their inclusivity by creating an environment where students feel comfortable and empowered to share and have open conversations, guided by teachers as role models who take the first step.

“The message is simple: it is so easy to be respectful and supportive, sometimes without even realizing, a small mindful action that you take might light up someone else’s day,” Xuan says. “My generation is reinventing a lot of things—we are rewriting our own history. We’re all progressing, like Pickering College as

a school is progressing. JEDI keeps up with the times and we really care.”

Joshua Armstrong, Director of Teaching and Learning at Pickering College, applauds the work of JEDI and notes the club’s alignment with helping Pickering College’s students understand social justice and take action.

“JEDI club is integral to facilitating student-led initiatives that take on educating our students allying with 2SLGBTQ+ communities, understanding systemic racism, supporting

reconciliation efforts and more,” says Armstrong. “The club is led by enthusiastic students who are looking to make change in our Pickering College community and in broader contexts, too. In 2022-2023, the club will be chaired by Behrad Sharghi, the vice chair is Siobhan Bonerath, the public relations chair is Shianne Liang and the secretary is Wendy Wu. With this incredible team, I am looking forward to the amazing initiatives they will support at our school.”

Behrad Sharghi, chair of JEDI for 2022-2023, says his goal is to promote student empowerment and increase awareness of diverse issues. In addition, he says JEDI members have an opportunity to develop and improve their communication skills in addressing individuals and large groups. “I believe that students should join JEDI because the networking opportunity available at the club will help all members make valuable connections which will create a safe space to interact with others, making our community even greater.”

As Xuan begins university this fall, she is confident that JEDI club will continue to grow and have a positive influence on Pickering College in making people feel welcomed, respected and included.

“A lot of people in JEDI want to be changemakers and I think that really goes with the Pickering College values, to leave the world more beautiful than they discovered it.”