Imagine, Advocate, Act NORTH AMERICAN COMMUNITY: UNITING for EQUITY AN INVITATION

The Global Community Uniting for Equity (GCUE) invites all persons throughout the world committed to a more just, peaceful and loving world to establish a GCUE community in your 2017 Interdisciplinary Education Conference nation or region (or join an already established community.)

Below is our purpose and mission. You can find more information at: gcue.org Uniting for Equity and Social Justice

Purpose: The Global Community Uniting for Equity is a person to person, non-governmental, non-profit global association committed to contributing to equity, peace, social justice and human rights. , Canada

Mission: The Global Community Uniting for Equity will imagine, advocate, and act for equity through education, promoting a more just and inclusive global community. September 28-30, 2017 Catch the Dream of a More Just, Peaceful and Loving World Conference Hosts

September 2017

Welcome to Ottawa, the beautiful capital of Canada! We are delighted to be able to share our wonderful city with you. Ottawa offers a wealth of museums, cultural experiences, restaurants, and outdoor activities. This is a special time to visit as we are celebrating our 150th birthday, and there is a plethora of exhibits and activities available for you to explore. As a multicultural city, it is the perfect spot for us to celebrate diversity and equity in education. We look forward to learning from each of you and expanding our knowledge and abilities through this shared experience.

We hope that you will enjoy Ottawa as much as we do!

Erin Parkes Kamala Louvelle Indira Shanmugam Anjali Shanmugam Founder and Executive Director Vice President, NAC:UE Former Director, Student, Carleton University Lotus Centre for Retired Educator Carleton Montessori Co-site Coordinator Special Music Education Co-site Coordinator Co-site Coordinator Ottawa, Canada Co-site Coordinator Montreal, Canada Ottawa, Canada Ottawa, Canada

Migdalia Garcia Larry Hufford Northwest Vista College Treasurer, NAC:UE Program Chair St. Mary’s University San Antonio, TX Program Chair San Antonio, TX

2 Welcome Note from the President North American Community: Uniting for Equity

Welcome to the 1st North American Community: Uniting for Equity (NAC:UE) Biannual Conference. This is an exciting time and we are extremely pleased you have chosen to begin this journey with us. The theme of the conference, Uniting for Equity and Social Justice, embraces the purposes of the organization. NAC:UE was established with the focus of providing opportunities for communication and collaboration among educators for the promotion and realization of social justice and human rights. Another one of NAC:UE’s goals is to promote professional knowledge in theoretical and practical realms in today’s multi-cultural world.

The conference site, Ottawa, Canada, is celebrating the 150th anniversary of confederation with activities throughout the year. This is a great opportunity to meet educators from around the globe and to enjoy the celebration in a beautiful city.

The dedication of the conference planning committee is greatly appreciated. I would like to thank each of you for working to create a successful conference!

Thank you,

Tammy R. Shutt Lipscomb University Nashville, Tennessee

3 Peter Gamwell

If we are going to make our organizations creative, dynamic, diverse and above all, successful, then we must believe in the creative capacities of every person, no matter what their position or title, and put into place the conditions that enable creative abilities to flourish.

For the past ten years, Peter has led a team of hundreds to find out just what those conditions are, with some eye-opening results.

Born in Liverpool, England, Peter is the author of The Wonder Wall, a presenter, and an award-winning leader in education. Working closely with such renowned creativity experts as Sir Ken Robinson and Sir John Jones, Peter has become recognized internationally as a leader and catalyst for creative change initiatives that inspire and advance organizational cultures.

A critical component of Peter’s work was the publication of a system and community action research study guided by the question, “What are the conditions under which creative and healthy individuals and organizations flourish?” In 2013, Peter’s work was recognized when he was given the Distinguished Leadership Award by the Public Supervisory Officers’ Association, representing one of the most successful education jurisdictions in the world.

More recently, Peter’s book, The Wonder Wall, co-written with Jane Daly, outlines three imperatives and four conditions for leading creative organizations. The book includes powerful and poignant real life stories from individuals and organizations around the world, and has received outstanding reviews among learning, leadership and creativity leaders such as Sir Ken Robinson, (who wrote the Foreword), Richard Gerver, Pasi Sahlberg, and Sir John Jones.

With a reputation for engaging, compelling and practical ideas, Peter has advised the academic, business, and government communities at all levels on how to develop strategy to imbue creativity throughout an organization, as well as create environments for optimal learning and engagement. Peter has sat on panels for the Global Distinguished Leadership Panel (CASA 2014), the World Creativity Forum (Oklahoma, 2015), and sits on the Board of Directors for the US-based National Creativity Network.

Peter plays in a blues/rock band, and has been featured as an entertainer on provincial and national radio and television. He uses these talents to ensure his presentations balance imperative information with humour, hilarity and plenty of inspirational audience participation.

4 Monia Mazigh

Dr. Monia Mazigh was born and raised in and immigrated to Canada in 1991. She speaks Arabic, French, and English fluently and holds a Ph.D. in finance from McGill University. Dr. Mazigh has worked at the and taught Finance at Thompson Rivers University in , . In 2004, she ran in the federal election as a candidate for the NDP, gaining the most votes for her riding in the history of the NDP.

Dr. Mazigh was catapulted onto the public stage in 2002 when her husband , was deported to Syria where he was tortured and held without charge for over a year. During that time, Dr. Mazigh campaigned vigorously for her husband’s release and later fought to re-establish his reputation and sought reparations. In January 2007, after a lengthy inquiry, her husband finally received an apology from the Canadian government.

Dr. Mazigh has authored a book called Hope and Despair which documents her ordeal after her husband was arrested and how she campaigned to clear his name. It was published in 2008 and shortlisted for the Ottawa Book Award.

Dr. Mazigh wrote many articles published in The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, Ottawa Citizen, Le Devoir and other newspapers.

In 2011, Dr. Mazigh published a novel in French, Miroirs et Mirages, stories of four Muslim women living in Canada. Miroirs et Mirages was shortlisted for the prestigious Ontario Trillium award, for the Ottawa Book Award and for the Christine Dimitriu-Van-Saanen Award of the Salon du Livre de Toronto.

In summer 2014, Mirrors and Mirages was published in English by the House of Anansi Press.

Dr. Mazigh wrote a second novel about the events of the Arab Spring. Hope has Two Daughters has been published in English in 2017 by the House of Anansi Press. The book was shortlisted for the Champlain Award.

Dr. Mazigh presently lives in Ottawa with her husband and two children.

5 Rashmi Luther

Rashmi has been active in Ottawa’s social justice community for over 35 years. Her work experience encompasses the non-profit sector (Coordinator: National Capital Alliance on Race Relations), the Government of Ontario (Consultant: Ontario Anti-Racism Secretariat), and 23 years as a faculty member with Carleton University’s School of Social Work. Her teaching, practice, and volunteer specializations include: community development; human rights; policy and practice issues related to women, immigrants, refugees and racialized communities; organizational change strategies to promote equity and inclusion; critical perspectives on international social work; and issues related to social and political advocacy.

Rashmi has remained engaged in local community issues through service on board and committees, including immigrant serving agencies, immigrant women’s organizations, community health centres, child welfare bodies, police services, boards of education, and various planning and coordinating bodies.

As a member of the Book Project Collective, she spearheaded a project to capture personal narratives about racialized immigrant women’s lives in Canada. The anthology, Resilience and Triumph: Immigrant women tell their stories was published in 2015. She is also a co-author of: Seen But not Heard: Aboriginal Women and Women of Colour in the Academy and has written articles on “Access and Equity in Ottawa: A snapshot of social service issues, institutional responses and remaining challenges” and “Multiculturalism, Advocacy Groups and Charitable Tax Status.” Other co-authored research reports include, “Ethnocultural/Ethnoracial Advocacy Groups, State Funding and Charitable Tax Status” and its follow-up, “A Guidebook for Action.” In 1994 she was honoured as a Woman of Distinction by the YM/YWCA for her work on issues of gender and race equity.

6 Roger Wiemers

Dr. Roger Wiemers is a member of the doctoral faculty for the Lipscomb College of Education, teaching courses in research, statistics, and educational leadership, advising/chairing dissertation committees, and acting as the research coordinator for the program. Previously, he taught at Tennessee State University in the College of Education for 15 years and served as the coordinator of its doctoral programs for the last 3 years he was employed at that institution. Dr. Wiemers has been heavily involved in performing and advising research throughout his academic career, having served on over 200 dissertation committees. In addition, he served as a Fulbright Senior Research Fellow in India during the 2007-08 academic year researching school leadership training for that country.

Previously, Roger was president of the NAC from 2004-2007, and he has served as the site coordinator and program director for several NAC conferences. He was on the editorial board of the Journal of Interdisciplinary Education (JIE) for the last 10 years, serving as the lead editor for the first six years of that tenure, and then as an associate editor.

Roger has a passion for global projects, especially in areas where there are desperate needs. He has served in this capacity in schools in India, Papua New Guinea, the former Czechoslovakia, and Ghana. He helped research and write the educational philosophy for the region of Kurdistan (Iraq) during a difficult time in 2004. After the major tsunami hit the coast of India in late 2004, he was instrumental in helping to start three orphanages to serve children who had lost their parents due to this disaster. Currently, there are two major projects that consume his heart and time: a new school in a small village in Ghana where he serves as the chairperson of the board, and a nonprofit program that battles against human-trafficking in Mumbai, India by helping ladies come out from the grips of prostitution and rescuing girls from sexual slavery.

7 Thursday, September 28, 2017

Time Activity Location

8:00am - 2:00pm Pre-conference Lobby

3:30pm - 4:30pm NAC: UE Board Meeting Notre Dame A

3:00pm - 6:00pm Registration Lobby

6:00pm - 8:30pm Welcoming Reception Notre Dame A

Entertainment provided by students from the Lotus Centre Welcome by Kamala Louvelle, Vice-President Thankgiving Address and Song by Francine Desjardins, Métis grandmother Erin Parkes, Conference Host Migdalia Garcia & Larry Hufford, Program Coordinators

Opening Keynote: Wonder Wall Peter Gamwell

8 Friday, September 29, 2017

Time Activity Location

7:30am -12:00pm Registration Lobby

Session 1 SESSION 1.1 Democracy through Education Notre Dame A 8:30am -10:00am David Powell, Sue Foo, Tahsin Khalid, Svitlana Kuzmina, Kamala Louvelle, Sunita Mayor, Clay Starlin, SESSION 2.1 Tamara Yamchynska, and Min Zou 10:15am - 11:45am SESSION 1.2 1. Perpetual War, Elusive Peace: A Winding Path to Genuine Frontenac A 8:30am - 10:00am Social Justice or a Geopolitical Mirage. Siragan Makdissian

2. Home away from Home: Creating Connection in a Diverse World Jo Visser SESSION 1.3 1. The Significance of Culture and Gender Sensitivity on Disaster Renaissance A 8:30am - 10:00am and Human Health Risk Management Vincent Shieh and Angela Lo

2. Equity in Schooling for Disadvantaged Children: Effects of Remedial Instruction Programs at Taiwan Hope Elementary Schools Victor Fang 10:00am - 10:15am Refreshment Break Notre Dame A

9 Session 2 SESSION 2.2 1. Creative Resistance: Constructing Algerian Women’s Identities Frontenac A 10:15am -11:45am in Post -Colonial and Diaspora Communities Through Art Baraa Arar

2. Finding Mi’kma’ki Jordan Gray SESSION 2.3 1. Use of Visual Communication Elements in Public Service Renaissance A 10:15am - 11:45am Announcements Hidayet Hale Kunucen and Selcuk Temel

2. Script Writing in Achieving Educational Objectives on TV and Video Production Sukru Kunucen

SESSION 2.4 1.The Music Circle: Building a Collaborative Program for People Notre Dame B 10:15am - 11:45am with Special Needs Erin Parkes, Genevieve Cimon, and Elizabeth Simpson

2. Music as a Functional Tool for Optimizing Neurological Arousal: A Pilot Study Matthew Bassett

Noon - 1:15pm Keynote: Notre Dame A Immigrant Women: Challenges in Contemporary Contexts Monia Mazig and Rashmi Luther

Session 3 SESSION 3.1 1. Shadeism - Swatches of Skin Colour in India Frontenac A 1:30pm - 3:00pm Anjali Shanmugam, Priyanka Louvelle, and Kamala Louvelle

2. The Efficacy of a Skill-Building Workshop for Reflective Critical Thinking with Graduate Students: Effect-Size Differences Based on Race Natalie Michaels

10 SESSION 3.2 1. Nazi Racial Policy, 1933-1945: From Persecution to Extermination Renaissance A 1:30pm - 3:00pm Roger Barnes 2. Eyes on the Prize: The Life and Legacy of Emmitt Till Robert Sosa, Roger Barnes, Migdalia Garcia, Larry Hufford

SESSION 3.3 1. Breaking Down Barriers to Foster Learning and Well-Being in a Notre Dame B 1:30pm - 3:00pm VUCA World Jacqueline Lawrence

2. Educational Inequality in China: Contributing Factors and Equalizing Efforts Min Zou 3:00pm - 3:15pm Refreshment Break Notre Dame A

Session 4 SESSION 4.1 1. Multicultural Education: Reading and Writing for Equity and Frontenac A 3:15pm - 4:45pm Social Justice Sunita Mayor 2. Creating Equitable Environments through Educator Development-Professional Learning Community Models Pamela Young and Rochonda Nenonene

SESSION 4.2 1. Gender Bias Role of Stereotypes in Pre-Service Teachers’ Renaissance A 3:15pm - 4:45pm Perception of Scientists Tahsin Khalid 2. Using a STEM Curriculum and Coaching to Support Equity in an Urban Preschool Shauna Adams and Amy Kronberg

SESSION 4.3 1. Equal Educational Opportunity for All in Morocco: Notre Dame B 3:15pm - 4:45pm Expectations and Challenges Abdellatif El-Moncef 2. Child Labour and “Ethical Consumerism” Emmanuel Baah-Fenning 6:15pm - 10:00pm Dinner Boat Cruise Lobby

11 Saturday September 30, 2017

Time Activity Location

7:00am - 8:00am Registration Lobby

7:15am - 8:15am This plenary session is designed to discuss with outside of North Notre Dame A America attendees the establishment of a local GCUE community in your nation or region. NAC:UE attendees are welcome as well.

Facilitators: Clay Starlin & Sue Foo 8:30am – 10:00am NAC:UE Business Meeting Notre Dame A

10:00am - 10:15am Refreshment Break Notre Dame A

Session 5

SESSION 5.1 1. The Inuit Keyboarding Project: A Step Toward Equity in Music Education Frontenac A 10:15am - 11:45am Erin Parkes and Gilles Comeau

2. Making Space: An Adapted Approach to Music Education Sarah Tomaszewski SESSION 5.2 1. Brigade X: Bullying Prevention Renaissance A 10:15am - 11:45am Thomas McCue

2. Promoting the Learning and Leadership Capacity of High School Girls Locally and Globally Elaine Talarski

12 SESSION 5.3 1. An Introduction to Environmental Justice Notre Dame B 10:15am - 11:45am Syamak Moattari

2. Multi-Level Educational Training through a Research Initiative on Sweet Sorghum as Biofuel Crop Ahmad Naseer Aziz

Noon - 1:15pm Keynote: Notre Dame A Social Justice: Beyond the Information Age Roger Wiemers

Session 6

SESSION 6.1 1. Aspects of Equity in International Action Regarding Environmental Harm Frontenac A 1:30pm - 3:00pm (Skype Session) John R. Kedzierski

2. Discovering and Nurturing Creativity for All Students Clay Starlin

SESSION 6.2 1. Connecting to Community through Service: Ways to Engage Notre Dame B 1:30pm - 3:00pm Students in the Common Good Migdalia Garcia

2. Amy Freeman Lee, a Peacemaker, Poet, Artist, and Texas Icon. Larry Hufford

13 Imagine, Advocate, Act NORTH AMERICAN COMMUNITY: UNITING for EQUITY AN INVITATION

The Global Community Uniting for Equity (GCUE) invites all persons throughout the world committed to a more just, peaceful and loving world to establish a GCUE community in your 2017 Interdisciplinary Education Conference nation or region (or join an already established community.)

Below is our purpose and mission. You can find more information at: gcue.org Uniting for Equity and Social Justice

Purpose: The Global Community Uniting for Equity is a person to person, non-governmental, non-profit global association committed to contributing to equity, peace, social justice and human rights. Ottawa, Canada

Mission: The Global Community Uniting for Equity will imagine, advocate, and act for equity through education, promoting a more just and inclusive global community. September 28-30, 2017 Catch the Dream of a More Just, Peaceful and Loving World