Fellowships will prepare young Canadians to fill public policy roles

July 17, 2020

The year that slavery was abolished in Canada is marked with a new program that’s preparing Black youths for civic leadership roles.

Through the 1834 Fellowship, cohorts will gain a clear understanding of the organizational environment in which public policy is developed, practical knowledge of the key issues that policy analysts, policy makers and advocacy practitioners face in influencing, developing or implementing policy, knowledge of the Canadian policy development process in theory and practice, an ability to apply their theoretical and practical understanding pertaining to the creation and implementation of pubic policy as a civic leader and a deepened confidence in their ability and competency to successfully pursue civic leadership roles.

Annamie Paul, who is running for the Green Party of Canada leadership, and Velma Morgan who co-organized the first Black political leaders summit in Nova Scotia, are the program co-architects.

“We have been working to get more representation of the Black community at all levels of government, not only elected as politicians but also on agencies, boards, commissions and as staffers,” said Morgan who is a Board Member of Operation Black Vote Canada which initiated the 1834 Fellowship. “There’s also a paucity of Black policy advisors, so we wanted to create a program where we can give members of our community an opportunity to have these experiences.”

The first cohort of 21 young people from Ontario includes Princess Owusu, Amin Ali and 2020 Harry Jerome Award winner Adam Lake.

“I fully wanted to gain an introspect with regards to what happens at the three levels of government,” said Lake who is completing a Master’s in Global Affairs and a Graduate Certificate in Ethnic & Pluralism Studies at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.

“As a future lawyer, policy leader, advocate and activist in the Black community, I feel this Fellowship would be very important for my professional development while working with like-minded young people. This is a fantastic opportunity when it comes to establishing networks and really understanding the role of civic leadership, specifically when it comes to the reflection of socio-economic and political inequality that’s based within a hierarchical order and inequality sustaining policies.”

As a racialized youth growing up in Toronto Community Housing, Lake gravitated to public policy after seeing his mother and his friends’ parents constantly showing up at their school to ensure their children weren’t left behind.

“If no one is fighting for individuals in the Black community, how can we achieve, social and economic resilience as a community?” he asks.

For Owusu, the Fellowship is a ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’.

“This is a seat to be at the table as I have faced many obstacles along the way,” the University of Toronto Health Studies graduate said. “To be in a space where I can learn and draw from the experiences of others who are more experienced in the field is an opportunity I don’t take for granted.”

Princess Owusu

With a passion for advocating for equity and inclusion in health care services distribution, Owusu said most of the courses she took revolving around municipal policy and planning were taught by White male lecturers.

“Most of my peers weren’t as racialized as I would have liked and so the perspective and solutions were skewed,” she pointed out. “The lessons were created from a certain framework which meant I wasn’t getting the whole picture essentially and I wasn’t seeing where I could fit in. If I don’t feel that I can contribute from my own experience, it’s hard for me to feel that I belong. It’s kind of like an identity crisis. Being part of the Fellowship allows me to pull from my experience as a Black woman and it allows me to address the concerns I have coming from my community and also see people that look like me doing the very thing I want to do.”

Born in Canada, Owusu spent five years in Ghana before returning to start her primary school education.

Completing high school in 2014 at St. Marguerite d’Youville Secondary School in Brampton and university studies at the University of Toronto, she was a researcher with the Toronto Public Health Youth Action Network, an Occupational Health & Safety Intern with Royal Health Group and a Shelter Support Staff at St. Felix Centre.

Owusu, who plans to pursue graduate studies in the next year, aspires to be a Senior Policy Analyst and Consultant.

“I will be these things,” she confidently said. “To actually get a foot in the door is very encouraging for me.”

Amin Ali thinks public service is a noble profession.

While in high school at Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate, he represented nearly 250,000 Toronto District School Board students for 18 months as a non-voting trustee and was an Official Opposition staffer at Queen’s Park, Ward 34 Youth Councillor and the City’s Youth Council Director of Public Transport.

“In these spaces, I was usually the only person of colour,” said Ali whose parents came to Canada as refugees from Somalia. “I am happy to be part of this program to gain some skills in order to be part of a larger collection of Black policy makers. At the end of the day, if you don’t have people who reflect the diversity of our community, then any policy – no matter how it is made – is going to contain a lot of structural inequity.”

Ali, who is enrolled in the University of Toronto’s Public Policy & City Studies program, volunteered in a by-election campaign and attended the Ontario Democratic Youth Convention a few months after becoming a New Democratic Party member at age 13.

“Amin exemplifies the Everyday Political Citizen (EPC) spirit through his engagement in politics at every level and his commitment to public service,” said Carol Baker who, with Shadman Khan, nominated the teenager in 2015 for the EPC project that aims to recognize the diversity of politics and democracy in Canada, crowd sourcing hundreds of nominations for political citizens. “He is extremely knowledgeable, well-spoken, thoughtful and insightful and a natural leader who will no doubt have a significant and positive impact on the future of this country. Our future is bright because of citizens like him.”

Amin Ali

With the first year of university studies under his belt, Ali is already considering working in public/education policy or law.

“I am not quite sure yet, but it is going to be in an area where I could push for progressive policy changes that will benefit marginalized communities,” the Canada Young New Democrats Racial Justice & Equity Director added.

The other Fellows are Ladan Egeh, Onome Oyiborhoro, Risann Wright, Romaine Redman, Sagal Shuriye, Semilore Ajayi, Shemar Barnett, Thador Thekli, Tim Aribido, Adrianna Hislop, Ahmed Dirie, Anisa Abdulle, Apefa Adjivon, Diana Idibe, Dominique Degrasse, Ibrahim Mohamed, Kayla Webber and Kissiah Griffiths.

The two-year program will accommodate up to 40 high-potential Black youths.

The program will expand in its second year to include students from Quebec, Nova Scotia and Western Canada.

To be eligible, participants have to between the ages of 18 and 24 with an interest in public policy.