George Brown Polytechnic is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples who have lived here over time. We are grateful to share this land as treaty people who learn, work and live in the community with each other.
Thousands of scholars have converged at George Brown College’s St. James and Waterfront campuses for the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences (May 30 – June 6). Among the critical conversations, knowledge-sharing and networking are daily Career Corner sessions focused on professional development.
The 90-minute Career Corners, facilitated by industry professionals, explore a wide range of topics related to career growth and development within the post-secondary education sector and beyond. They are held daily at varying times at 51 Dockside Dr., room 527 (inside the Library Learning Commons).
Career Corner workshops are open to all registered conference attendees and members of the public with a valid community pass.
Ubuntu in Practice: Reframing Togetherness to Restore Black Wholeness
The inaugural Career Corner of Congress 2025 focused on an Afrocentric framework for promoting the physical and mental well-being of Black students inside and outside the classroom. The 90-minute Ubuntu in Practice session on Friday, May 30, was led by the college’s Black Student Success Network (BSSN) in collaboration with Naiima Farah, a registered clinical social worker and faculty counsellor in GBC’s department of Counselling and Student Well-Being.
BSSN provides a range of services and supports for Black students, including Talking Circles and other mental health-promoting programming, drop-ins where students can connect, and academic and career advising.
The session, Ubuntu in Practice: Reframing Togetherness to Restore Black Wholeness, began with a performance by Elder and poet Habiba Muse-Mohamed, who shared traditional Somali drumming, followed by Farah, who highlighted the importance of reclaiming and celebrating ancestral African culture, innovation, and knowledge.
Black Student Success Specialist and BSSN Co-ordinator Wangechi Mwaura outlined the Ubuntu philosophy of “I am because we are,” which centres joy, healing and interconnectedness — principles that guided anti-apartheid revolutionary and former South African President Nelson Mandela. Participants then reflected on and shared the relevance of Ubuntu in their lives.
Farah, Mwaura, and GBC alumni and former BSSN ambassadors Elvis Glover and Emanuella Chisom Onwuzuluorah outlined how a culturally affirming approach can foster Black Wholeness and promote positive mental and physical health outcomes, well-being and thriving among Black students. Glover and Onwuzuluorah shared the profound impact BSSN had on their lives as GBC students, including a moving reflection on how BSSN helped Onwuzuluorah navigate the loss of a loved one as an international student with few connections in Canada.
Participants left the session with a personal practice plan for incorporating Ubuntu into their everyday lives.
