Agenda and Breakouts

Session 1 – Ubuntu in Practice: Reframing Togetherness to Restore Black Wholeness

Room 201

This session will open-up with live drumming by Alpha Rhythm Roots who will lead a communal grounding and team-building activity. 
Welcome! In this space, we will ground the reclamation of Ancestral African culture/knowledge as a protective factor for Black students. This interactive community discussion will be facilitated from an Afrocentric Framework and will explore the ways in which this liberatory, healing-centred, trauma-informed, and culturally affirming framework promotes Black connection/(re) connection, mental health, well-being, and thriving, inside and outside traditional academic spaces. Examples will be drawn from the creative and innovative programming (e.g. art-based, land-based, and somatic approaches) provided at George Brown Polytechnic’s Black Student Success Network (BSSN) space in collaboration with Black Counsellors from the Counselling and Student Well-Being department.  
Presenters: Naiima Farah, Faculty Counsellor,M.S.W., R.S.W., Counselling and Student Well-Being; Wangechi Mwaura, Black Student Success Support Specialist/BSSN Coordinator; Elvis Glover, Coordiantor, Orientation and Transition Programs; Olatundun Olayemi, Black Student Success Network (BSSN) Community Ambassador
Note: This is a great learning opportunity for educators, mental health professionals, students, and community members alike. All are welcome!

Session 2 – "Wellbeing in the Classroom: What does Liberation have to do with that?"

Room 436

Facilitated by the Black Futures Initiative Team, this session will engage participants in practices that cultivate joy and well-being in the classroom. Working collaboratively, participants will explore and co-create strategies grounded in bell hooks’ "Teaching to Transgress: Education as the practice of Freedom" a liberatory approach to teaching and learning. Together, we will examine how these practices can foster belonging in learning spaces.
Presenters: Natalie Wood, Professor, Social Service Worker Program & Lead Researcher, Black Futures Research Institute Project; Dr. Carla Moore, Professor, Faculty of Business, Creative Industries and Culinary Arts; Marty Lampkin, Professor, Social Service Worker Program, Community Worker Program; Naeisha Marques, Youth Violence Prevention Worker, Jane Finch Community and Family Centre

Session 3 – Cultural Safety & Indigenous Wellness Perspective

Room 433 (Indigenous space)

This session introduces the core principles, responsibilities, and best practices essential for fostering culturally safe environments within post secondary institutions and community settings. Participants will explore Indigenous perspectives on wellness, the historical and ongoing impacts of colonization, and the systemic barriers that continue to shape Indigenous peoples’ experiences in education, health care, and social service contexts.
Presenter: Vivian Timmins, MSW, RSW, Indigenous Wholistic Practitioner

Session 4 – Cultivating Community in Everyday Life

Room 438

This interactive workshop invites participants to explore the importance of community in supporting wellness and a sense of belonging, both online and in person. Together, we will reflect on what community means in everyday life, examine our current experiences of connection, and identify common barriers and supports to building and sustaining community.
The session will also explore how community is built not only through connection, but through conflict and repair and will highlight how storytelling prevails in these situations and can manifest the different ways we show up in our communities. Through a guided reflection activity and discussion, participants will leave with greater insight into their own relationship to online and in person community.  Participants will one leave with a practical action they can take to cultivate connection and belonging in their daily lives.
Presenters: Jordana Baker, CARE Team Supervisor, Office of Student Conduct and Support; Zeba Luxmore, Counsellor, Counselling and Student Well-Being; Kelly Kwon, Senior Manager, Health Safety and Wellness

Creative Connection Activities

Creative Connection Activity #1 – Unlocking Creativity for Mental Health

When we feel good, we sing. What if singing is what makes us feel good? In this engaging 10-minute experience, we’ll explore the science of why creativity—especially sound and singing—supports mental health. Through a brief look at the nervous system and simple, feel-good vocal practices, you’ll discover how humming and collective sound can regulate stress, boost connection, and shift your mood in real time. Come ready to breathe, hum, and rediscover your voice. 
Presenter: Avery Florence, Musician, Creative Expression (Registered Psychotherapist Q, Professional Art Therapist)

Creative Connection Activity #2 – Laughter Therapy

Laughter & Connection explores how shared laughter can soften social barriers, create ease, and foster a sense of belonging. Through a brief guided practice, participants experience how laughter engages the breath, body, and voice in ways that naturally draw people toward one another. This activity highlights that connection does not always begin with conversation or disclosure; sometimes it begins with simple human gestures of joy, play, and recognition.
Presenter: Jordana Baker, CARE Team Supervisor, Office of Student Conduct and Support

Student Leader Presentations

Featuring students from George Brown Student Association, Black Student Success Network, Peer Mentor Plus, and the Communal Lunch Program.
Presenters: Toby Lew, Director of Education and Equity SA; Hanna Miller, Director of Student Experience, SA; Amir Salad, Peer Mentor; Hakeem Bailey, Black Student Success Network (BSSN); Neha Anand, Communal Lunch Program (CLP); Zachary McCall, Communal Lunch Program (CLP)