SMU students lauded for Remembrance Day research

A Canadian diplomat has expressed appreciation for the work of a Saint Mary’s Geography class, following his participation in Remembrance Day ceremonies in West Africa.  

Sébastien Beaulieu, Ambassador-Designate to The Gambia, travelled this week to pay special tribute to 10 Royal Canadian Air Force servicemen who are buried at the Fajara Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery. The airmen died in 1942 while serving with the 200 RAF Squadron and one had a Nova Scotia connection: Warrant Officer Basil Ralph Yorke was from Cumberland County.

It’s the first time an official Canadian delegation has honoured the fallen airmen. “Attending the ceremonies in person this week was important to me,” Ambassador Beaulieu said in an email exchange with Saint Mary’s.

“I find it very moving, as Canada's representative to The Gambia, that the many personal bonds between our two countries includes the fate of these brave Canadians from B.C. to Nova Scotia who died so far away from home, in WWII,” he said. “The research and field work of the students from Saint Mary's, led by Dr. Cathy Conrad, which was conducted in 2018, has helped connect the dots and contributed to ensure that these Canadians continue to be properly honoured and remembered.”

In the fall of 2018, Dr. Conrad’s Geography International Field School class did a lot of prep work in advance of their trip to The Gambia. They planned to honour Gambian veterans in a local Remembrance Day ceremony during their stay in Banjul, not realizing at first that Canadians were also buried in the cemetery. A flurry of research here on campus and during their trip helped them piece together a largely forgotten chapter of history that took place nearly 80 years ago.

The fallen airmen had served as part of an effort to supply troops in Northern Africa, and to combat German U-boats in the Atlantic Ocean. When Conrad and her students visited the gravesite, they generated quite a lot of media attention in Banjul and Halifax. They also met Sharon Wardle, then British High Commissioner to The Gambia, who shared photos of the students that day on her Twitter site.

“This is how the Canadian Ambassador learned of us,” recalls Conrad. “He emailed me to learn more and we have remained in contact ever since. I can only hope that we will be able to meet with him in the future on West African soil.”

Beaulieu, who grew up in Moncton, shared his own Remembrance Day highlights this week on his Twitter site at @Beaulieu_CAN. “As a fellow Maritimer, I'm so pleased to witness the rich connections between The Gambia and Canada, and the ties with Nova Scotia in particular,” he said.

Conrad plans to offer the next Gambia field school next fall, if COVID-19 travel restrictions allow by then. She’s hoping to forge new connections between Saint Mary’s and the University of the Gambia, and also to assist with plans for a commemorative plaque at the site where a Canadian warplane went down.

“I’m very grateful for my students who were so vigilant in connecting the pieces of our WWII history in The Gambia, and for participating in a wreath laying ceremony two years ago,” says Dr. Conrad. “They should feel enormous pride in the fact that a Canadian Ambassador went this year, acknowledging their work. Although we wish we could have been there to attend with him this year (as was the pre-COVID plan), the fact that he reached out to us to recognize our efforts is greatly appreciated.” 

Homecoming celebrates 25 years of Women and Gender Studies at SMU

It’s a virtual Homecoming 2020 for Saint Mary’s alumni next week, with online events ranging from poetry readings to panel talks on accessibility and the Black Lives Matter movement. Starting things off is a Back to the Classroom webinar highlighting milestones and new developments in the Women and Gender Studies Program, with Dr. Michele Byers and Dr.Tatjana Takševa.

Taking place September 30 at 1 pm, the talk will mark the program’s 25th anniversary with a brief history and timeline. It will also consider the question “who is Women and Gender Studies for?” using examples from recent news, media and culture. The event will also introduce the new Minor in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) at Saint Mary’s, the only one of its kind in Atlantic Canada. For this Q&A we spoke with Dr. Takševa, acting coordinator for WGST during Dr. Byers’ sabbatical. She is also a professor in the English Language and Literature department, and current Chairperson of the Saint Mary’s University Academic Senate.

How did this Homecoming talk come about?

“It’s intended to provoke reflection on the growing relevance of this field of study for the complex world we live in, and the often erroneous assumptions that its scope and topics are of interest only to women/girls. The program at Saint Mary’s has been growing steadily over the last two decades … the talk is meant to show the breadth and depth of the field of study and its importance for anyone who is interested in how we inhabit the world around us as richly diverse human beings, and in the nature of identity and its enmeshment with larger social, cultural and political structures.”

Who do you hope will tune in for this virtual presentation?

We are delighted to be able to address the SMU Alumni group with this topic. We hope they will spread the word more widely and that we may be able to address parents of prospective and current students, as well as students themselves.

Can you tell us about the new undergraduate minor launching soon?

The program faculty has worked hard on putting together the minor for Fall 2021. We are thrilled that students will be able to take the minor to complement and strengthen their major areas of study. In addition to gender studies, the minor provides the opportunity to study sexuality, which makes it the first of its kind in this region. Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies offers theoretical and methodological advantages in understanding complex social worlds and addressing pressing global problems, such as the dynamics of migration, uneven global power geometries and climate change. The new minor is uniquely positioned to engage students in investigating how the big issues in the contemporary world are underpinned by social divisions including those based on sex and gender, as well as how issues addressed by sexual politics are often a key catalyst for activism and change.

Can you address the growing need for Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies in the 21st century?

The history of the program is extremely important to remember, just as it is important to remember the social, political and cultural conditions that precipitated the birth of the field in the first place. Many of these unfavourable conditions we haven't yet fully overcome. At the same time, this program and area of study has shown willingness to reflect on its own boundaries and to debate them while actively negotiating change and the possibility of improvement. This is its main strength, and what makes it a vibrant, living, evolving field of study of continued and growing relevance to the 21st century.

Even a cursory glance at the headlines over the last five years will reveal topics that have grown in global importance such as the #MeToo movement and its implications for social policy and legal frameworks; continued gender and wage inequalities; persistent inequalities in division of labour within the home; migration and refugeeism and their intersections with gendered identities and access to services and supports; racism and discrimination in all their guises as they intersect and interact with gender and sexuality; discourses of equity, diversity and inclusion and their implications for gender and sexuality, and more. As a global community, these are the challenges that we have been grappling with increasingly, and this is precisely what we study in WGSS, how to understand them and how to provide some of the solutions.

Homecoming 2020 takes place from September 30 to October 4. Two more Back to the Classroom events include #BLM and Steps to Become Anti-Racist with Dr. Rachel Zellars (Oct. 1), and Putting the "Science" into "Forensic Science" with Dr. Timothy Frasier (Oct. 2). For the complete schedule and to register for Homecoming events, see smu.ca/alumni/alumni-events.html.

MA graduate Grace McNutt finds the perfect hobby for a funny historian

Grace McNutt

Finishing a graduate degree is a monumental task, one that requires dedication, perseverance, and the internal motivation to complete a self-directed thesis.

While working on her Master of Arts thesis, recent graduate Grace McNutt also found time for a side project, a history podcast which allows her to share her passion for Canadian history.

The arrangement happened by chance, when Grace’s friend and co-host Linnea Swinimer, who she met at the Halifax Curling Club, recommended her as “a funny person who likes history” to Halifax podcast producer Marc Boudreau at BNV Media. Grace took that offhand mention and ran with it, writing a successful proposal for a funny Canadian podcast— with a twist.

“This is my moment, this is my opportunity to do a hobby I’d love,” Grace said with a laugh. “I love podcasts and I love history podcasts.”

Grace’s take on Canadian history is unique; she uses iconic Canadian Heritage Minute ads as a launching point to dig deeper into interesting historical figures and topics.

“The most transcendental piece of Canadian history, that everyone from history buffs to history newbs knows about, are Canadian Heritage Minutes,” said Grace.

 “When you only have a minute to talk about a topic, what crazy stories do you have to leave out of Canadian history? We expand that minute to an hour-long story – what else is there about this person?”

The weekly podcast, with 30 episodes and counting, is called MinuteWomen. It uncovers the “funny, weird, and terrifying stories left out of Canada’s national history. Recent episodes on Nova Scotian activist Viola Desmond, basketball inventor James Naismith, Laura Secord (the hero, not the chocolate shop!), and the dark underworld of maple syrup are illuminating, clever, and funny.

Grace, co-host and resident historian, says “Linnea is my guinea pig audience, who I force to listen to things I find interesting. It’s such a fun hobby, it has kept me so engaged during the pandemic.”

 Her thesis, which she completed under the supervision of advisor Dr. Peter Twohig, explores the development of the Indian Affairs Department in Nova Scotia, the treatment of the Mi’kmaq and indigenous people of Nova Scotia, and compares their experience with the experience of indigenous peoples in the rest of Canada.   

After completing her Bachelor of Arts Honours in History at Cape Breton University, Grace followed in her parents’ footsteps to pursue a Master of Arts in Atlantic Canadian Studies at Saint Mary’s; her parents graduated with the same degrees in the 1990s. She’s now investigating PhD programs in Nova Scotia and Ontario where she can further pursue her Master’s thesis topic, after taking a well-deserved gap year.

Summer research projects enhance education for Arts students

One of the many benefits of attending an institution such as Saint Mary’s is the research opportunities afforded to undergraduate students. This summer, five students from various departments in the Faculty of Arts were able to gain skills, knowledge and experience in their chosen fields of study – two will even end the summer with publications in their name.

Yingjun Chen, a fourth-year Honours French student, jumped at the chance to work with Dr. Rohini Bannerjee translating “Coupeuses d’azur,” a feature poem by Mauritian artist Khal Torabully, from French to English. “I’m finding it really enjoyable, because I’m doing something I love,” says Chen. She’s discovering many intricacies involved in translation, including appreciating the challenges of word choice, and whether to keep a rhyme or focus on the meaning. The goal is to send the 35-page poem to a publisher and use this experience as the basis for her Honours thesis. 

Fourth-year Honours Psychology student Le Khoi Anh Pham spent his summer conducting research alongside Dr. Nicolas Roulin and two graduate students, on asynchronous virtual interviews and cross-cultural personnel selection. “Contributing ideas to the research gave me confidence and insight into what post-graduate-level research and academic work are like.” He will be named as a third author in an upcoming article using the research, and has already been hired to complete another project with Dr. Roulin.

Bethany Leal just finished her first year of university, but that didn’t stop her from applying to work with Dr. Alexandra Dobrowolsky on a project critically examining Canada’s image of being a diverse, multicultural, welcoming nation. The project began with the Trudeau blackface scandal but expanded from there, considering this summer’s events. “Learning and self-reflection is a lifelong journey,” says Leal. “It can’t really be condensed into one summer or one research project, but it really helps to have had this opportunity.” This experience helped to solidify her future goals. Now majoring in Political Science, she hopes to specialize in systemic reform and holding governments to account – especially around issues of race and culture.

Fifth-year IDS and Political Science student Katheryn Lewis has been busy this summer on projects, also with Dr. Dobrowolsky. She is helping round out research on the Atlantic Immigration Pilot program, legislative responses to COVID-19 among the provinces, territories and national government overall, and feminist governance with regards to COVID-19, comparing and contrasting feminist institutions in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

Minoring in Film Studies, third-year student Andrés Guardia is researching Nova Scotia film director Margaret Perry, with Dr. Jennifer VanderBurgh. He has been working to create a more in-depth picture of Perry’s life and work – to show she is an auteur, not simply a director of industrial (tourism) films. “Now that I have watched them, I am really seeing the artistic elements to the films and Ms. Perry’s authorship. It’s very powerful and, as art, I can appreciate it,” says Guardia of the unexpected outcome of his work. He wants to create music once he finishes his degree – and this experience has given him a good base and understanding of the principles to apply to his own creations.

The robust research experience gained by all five students this summer has already greatly impacted their future careers and aspirations, thanks to funding through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). These examples of undergraduate involvement in hands-on learning showcase the benefits and power of putting the motto “do what you do” into practice.

Saint Mary’s research in psychology, management, and history receives federal funding

Saint Mary’s University researchers have received federal funding for projects totaling $300,000 from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council’s Insight Grants competition.

“Research in the social sciences and humanities is a fundamental element of how society understands and interprets itself, providing the insight needed to critically explore the true impact of our established institutions, both positive and negative,” says Dr. Adam Sarty, dean of Graduate Studies and associate vice-president of Research at Saint Mary’s University. “These grant recipients are all challenging key aspects within our culture – from the criminal justice system, to sexual abuse cover-up within the Catholic Church, to workplace incivility, to examinations of medical malpractice. I am very proud of our recipients for their willingness to challenge conventions and engage in this research that enriches both our local and global communities.”

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The following is a list of Saint Mary’s Insight Grant recipients:

Recipient: Dr. Meg Ternes (Psychology)
Title: Lie Detection in the Criminal Justice System: Exploring Deception Cues in Field and Laboratory Studies

Dr. Meg Ternes

Description: Most of us are not good lie detectors; lie detection accuracy is usually at chance level. Yet, lies accompanied by powerful emotions and false emotional displays can have major consequences, especially in the criminal justice system where the perceived credibility of an alleged victim’s distress or an offender’s remorse can inform decisions concerning verdicts, sentencing, or parole. For this project, Dr. Ternes and her team will examine the efficacy of nonverbal, verbal, and facial cues to deception (together and separately) using laboratory and field research approaches. The laboratory study will consider emotionally-laden lies and truths told by undergraduate students under controlled conditions, while the field study will consider lies and truths told by criminal suspects in police interviews. The results of these studies will improve our understanding of which combinations of cues contribute the most to deception detection. These results will be shared with professionals in the criminal justice system who have to make these important credibility judgements on a regular basis.

Dr. Cathy Driscoll

Recipient: Dr. Cathy Driscoll (Management)
Title: Exploring Collective Moral Disengagement in Cover-up of Sexual Abuse in the Roman Catholic Church

Description: The broad aim of my research project is to better understand, and effect change in, organizations that are engaged in potentially contradictory practices to their principles, mission, and values. Specifically, this project will focus on institutional and leader moral disengagement in the context of the cover-up of clergy sexual abuse (CSA) of minors in the Roman Catholic Church (RCC). Using content and discourse analysis, I will study current and historic RCC leader discourse from 1990 to 2020 across four countries. Better understanding insights into the organizational dynamics and discourse strategies in this context can provide valuable applications to the RCC with an estimated 1 billion members, as well as to other organizations’ crises, control dynamics, corruption, and misconduct issues (e.g., banks and public sector).

Recipient: Dr. Camilla M. Holmvall (Psychology and Management)
Title: Examining how workplace incivility impacts leader well-being: The moderating role of leader gender

Description: Workplace incivility has been highlighted as highly prevalent in organizations and also highly damaging to employee attitudes, behaviours, and well-being. Research has focused predominantly on mistreatment directed from supervisors toward subordinates, and between coworkers. However, supervisors, managers, and leaders can also be targets of disrespect. Understanding how, and when, leaders’ well-being is impacted by workplace incivility has significant implications, in part due to leaders’ influence on the achievement of the objectives of the organization as well as on their followers’ performance and well-being.  In this 5-year mixed-methods grant, we draw on relevant theory (e.g., selective incivility, stereotype activation and threat) to examine the possible different experiences of male and female leaders in terms of both their likelihood of experiencing incivility as well as on its impacts on their well-being. 

Recipient: Dr. Blake Brown (History)
Title: A History of Canadian Medical Malpractice Law, 1935-1980

Description: This research will break new and exciting ground in historical research in Canada. It will produce the first history of medical malpractice law in English Canada from 1935 to 1980. One of the most contentious areas of law in the mid twentieth century, malpractice law developed in significantly different ways in Canada than in the United States. The project will explain key changes and trends, and also consider the impacts of technology and the roles of gender, ethnicity and race in shaping the results of malpractice lawsuits. The study ends in 1980, by which time Medicare and the emergence of professional self-regulation complaint systems altered how governments, the medical profession, and individuals approached negligence issues. Focusing primarily on actions against physicians and surgeons, the research will also explore how hospitals and other medical professionals became entangled with litigation. This research will interest historians and also legal scholars, medical professionals, lawyers, policy makers and the general public, since medical malpractice is an important and pressing policy issue.

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The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council’s Insight Grants support research excellence in the social sciences and humanities. Funding is available to both emerging and established scholars for research initiatives of two to five years. Stable support for long-term research initiatives is central to advancing knowledge. It enables scholars to address complex issues about individuals and societies, and to further our collective understanding.

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) is the federal research funding agency that promotes and supports postsecondary-based research and research training in the humanities and social sciences. By focusing on developing talent, generating insights and forging connections across campuses and communities, SSHRC strategically supports world-leading initiatives that reflect a commitment to ensuring a better future for Canada and the world.

The work SSHRC supports encourages the deepest levels of inquiry. It spurs innovative researchers to learn from one another’s disciplines, delve into multiparty collaborations and achieve common goals for the betterment of Canadian society. Research outcomes are shared with communities, businesses and governments, who use this new knowledge to innovate and improve people’s lives.

Nova Scotia Provincial Heritage Fair goes virtual for 2020

The 2020 Nova Scotia Heritage Fair is going virtual and is open to all Nova Scotian students in Grades 4 to 9.

"It was very important to us to find a way to continue, despite school closures,” says Dr. Kirrily Freeman of the Saint Mary’s Department of History, who coordinates the Provincial Heritage Fair each year. “Students work so hard on their projects throughout the year to prepare for this. Holding a virtual fair will be a good way to keep a connection with the kids, showcase their wonderful work, and highlight our youth and community, as well as our history and heritage, in these challenging times."

Every year, schools across the province hold fairs featuring heritage and history-themed projects by students in Grades 4 to 9. Winners go on to participate in the Nova Scotia Provincial Heritage Fair, usually held over two days in early June at Saint Mary’s University with educational workshops, awards and a public showcase.

Africville is the 2020 honouree for the provincial heritage day and heritage fair. The close-knit community was built on the shores of Bedford Basin by descendants of the Black Loyalists and Black refugees who came to Nova Scotia in the late 1700s and early 1800s. See the Nova Scotia Heritage Day website for information and videos.

Students are invited to submit their projects on any aspect of Canadian history or heritage to kirrily.freeman@smu.ca  before June 1, 2020.  Any parents or students with questions can also send an email to the address above.

Submissions should include:

• 2-3 digital photos of the project;

• captions explaining each photo and describing the research for the project; and

• project information and parent consent form.

Projects will be displayed publicly throughout the month of June on the Nova Scotia Provincial Heritage Fair Instagram site, @nsprovincialheritagefair. Any students looking for inspiration can check out these highlights from the 2018 and 2019 Provincial Heritage Fairs.

Updates from the Nova Scotia Provincial Heritage Fair will be posted on its website, on Facebook at @novascotiaheritagefairs, and on Instagram at @nsprovincialheritagefair.

Developing comprehensive mental health services for those attracted to minors

As a researcher and psychologist, I’ve always had a strong interest in violence prevention, particularly the prevention of sexual violence against children. Although it is a difficult subject that impacts many, we must conduct research on the causes of childhood sexual abuse if we want to reduce its occurrence.

Risk for sexual abuse can never be explained by one single factor, and we need a multi-pronged approach to prevent it. An example of one risk factor is a sexual interest in children; however, research shows that this is not the same as child sexual abuse. Not everyone with a sexual interest in children offends against children or is destined to do so.

The area my team and I have focused on is individuals with a sexual interest in children who reside in the community and are not involved in the criminal justice system. While it’s not common knowledge, there are people with a sexual interest in children who desire mental health services. It bears stating that there are others who are not struggling, are coping with this reality, and live offence free lives.

Of those interested in treatment, some seek support to help them avoid offending. Others would like treatment to address various mental health concerns.  Both treatment needs are important. Helping people to develop healthy coping strategies is vital so that people can live meaningful and offence free lives. Unfortunately, outside of the criminal justice system, there are significant barriers to accessing mental health services for this group.

My research has more recently focused on understanding treatment needs and barriers to treatment. The aim is to develop mental health programs for people with a sexual interest in children who are not involved in the criminal justice system. One of the areas that have been identified as a significant barrier for people who may desire these services is concern about negative attitudes that influence their desire to seek treatment and how these attitudes might impact their care.

We are currently conducting a survey to determine how to accurately measure the attitude of the general public on this topic. This survey is part of an unfunded study conducted by myself and two students. We hope that this will advance research in the area.

We can create an environment where people who are dealing with a sexual interest in children and want mental health services can access those services. I believe we have a moral and ethical responsibility to help anyone who wants these services, regardless of their identity.

I recognize that this topic evokes strong emotions in others, which is understandable given the nature of this matter. Sadly, strong emotions can prevent the tough conversations we must have if we hope to develop effective responses that can prevent sexual abuse.

Written by Skye Stephens, Ph.D. R.Psych, a psychologist and Assistant Professor at Saint Mary's University.

Award-winning local authors at Saint Mary’s Reading Series

Authors Frank Macdonald (at left) and Tom Ryan at the Saint Mary’s Reading Series earlier this month.

A pair of very different authors from Inverness kept a full house spellbound at the most recent Saint Mary’s Reading Series event, Dec. 4 in the Patrick Power Library Classroom.

Frank Macdonald shared passages from his hilarious novel, The Smeltdog Man, published in October 2018 by Pottersfield Press. The book tells the tale of a Cape Bretoner who learns to survive in the corporate world after his accidental invention – a marijuana-induced, munchie-inspired ‘Smeltdog’ – evolves into Canada’s most successful fast food franchise, the Good Karma Corporation. 

Macdonald is the award-winning author of A Forest for Calum and other novels, short stories, plays, poetry and songs. He has twice been nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Awards, and is also well known for his long-running column in The Inverness Oran. 

Joining him was Tom Ryan with readings from his gripping new novel for young adults, Keep This to Yourself, published in May by Albert Whitman & Company. Just a few days before the event on campus, the thriller was selected by The Globe and Mail for ‘The Globe 100: Books that shaped 2019’. The story revolves around a gay teenage sleuth in a small coastal town that has been terrorized by a string of murders, including the death of his best friend. Among many great reviews, Quill & Quire calls the novel “both a powerful coming-of-age story and a frequently surprising mystery”.

A 2017 Lambda Literary Fellow in Young Adult Fiction, Ryan has also been nominated for the White Pine Award, the Stellar Award and the Hackmatack Award. His books have been Junior Library Guild selections and chosen for the ALA Rainbow List. He currently resides in Ottawa. Follow his adventures at www.tomryanauthor.com or via his Twitter and Instagram feeds.

The Saint Mary’s Reading Series is open to the public and explores a wide variety of literary genres, from novels to poetry, graphic novels, creative non-fiction and more. Other highlights through the fall season were Anne Compton, Ryan Turner, alumnus Danny Jacobs, and Sylvia Nickerson.  

For updates on events coming up in 2020, follow the Series on its Instagram and Facebook channels, or through the Department of English Language & Literature on Twitter.

Students engage panel on need for peace education

Do we have an ethical obligation to engage schools in peace education? This was the guiding question for a panel discussion at Saint Mary’s when educators from Nova Scotia public schools met with Peaceful Schools International’s Youth Consultant Committee to discuss the need for conflict resolution and peace education programs for Nova Scotian youth.

The panel was organized as part of a Faculty of Education course taught by Prof. Bridget Brownlow entitled Peace Education: International Perspectives and Practice, where the 38 students enrolled in this year’s class examine the themes of peace education and conflict resolution in a global context. In addition to their academic studies, students work towards a Certificate in Conflict Resolution, designed to help them develop the perspectives and skills required to navigate and manage interpersonal conflict.

Having spent this semester investigating peace education initiatives around the globe, reflecting on personal experiences of conflict, and building the skills to resolve disputes, students in Prof. Brownlow’s class had the opportunity to exchange ideas with students and educators from local schools. Five members from the Youth Consultant Committee, all of whom attend Oxford School, were joined by Calvin Scott, the African Nova Scotian Student Support worker for Halifax West High School and Heather Morse, a retired principal with the Annapolis Valley Regional School Board to reflect on the need for conflict resolution and peace education.

Calvin Scott suggested peace education could be a powerful tool to support African Nova Scotian students facing discrimination in the public school system. Helping them navigate the daily realities of racism was, he said, “not only an ethical, but a moral obligation.”

Heather Morse, who reflected on her experiences developing elementary school curricula that incorporated many of the principles of peace education, described the challenges of having to compete with the requirements of the core curriculum. Despite the lack of time and resources for peace education, she said the ideas shared by the Youth Consultant Committee were reason for hope. “I am so impressed by the insight and awareness around conflict resolution we heard today, both from the youth committee and from Prof. Brownlow’s class,” she said.

Brendan Kohls, a student in the class, suggested that conflict resolution skills are often dismissed as being “something kids intuitively pick up along the way. But most don’t. These are real skills, and we all need to learn them.” His classmate, Elaine Brickell Sands, reflected that “it’s hard for most people to take that first step. But in this class, we explore ways to build connections among people from different backgrounds, such as race, religion, gender and so on. I’ve learned that active listening and asking open questions are a great way to draw out our commonalities and overcome our differences.”

This panel discussion builds on Saint Mary’s long history of developing expertise in peace education, established chiefly under the leadership of Dr. Hetty van Gurp, the founding director of Peaceful Schools International and an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Education. The Halifax-based organization, which supports schools that have made a commitment to “creating and maintaining a culture of peace,” now has more than 200 partner institutions around the world.

Prof. Brownlow, the Conflict Resolution Advisor for Saint Mary’s and an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Education, is also the president of Peaceful Schools International. Each year, members of the organization — in partnership with the SMU Conflict Resolution Society — travel to elementary schools around Northern Ireland to facilitate conflict resolution workshops for children affected by sectarian division.

“Working with my students this semester has been such an honour,” said Prof. Brownlow at the end of class. ”A good number of them are varsity athletes with very busy practice and game schedules. Yet they come each week with insightful reflections on how the things we learn in class have an impact on their lives outside the classroom. What more could I ask for?”

Brandon Ihanza, a member of the football team, had the final word. After commenting on how many of his teammates have benefited from developing perspectives on conflict resolution this semester, he said “…so, on behalf of the football team, I’d like to thank you for bringing us all into your class, and for providing us such a positive learning environment.”

Saint Mary's student wins YMCA Peace Medal

SMU student Trayvone Clayton - here with the Hon. Mayann Francis, BA'72, LLD'12 — won one of three 2019 YMCA of Greater Halifax/Dartmouth Peace Medals. (Photo credit: YMCA Greater Halifax/Dartmouth)

This article by Amy Brierley, journalism student at the University of King’s College, was originally written for and published on The Signal. Re-published with permission. Follow Amy on Twitter: @amybrierley

With his community beside him, Trayvone Clayton pushes for peace

Trayvone Clayton is being recognized for his work to create a thriving, more vibrant community — but he says he isn’t doing it alone.

On Tuesday morning, Clayton stepped onto the stage at Halifax’s Pier 21 to accept one of three 2019 YMCA of Greater Halifax/Dartmouth Peace Medals.

“I had to go to school in a suit and everyone was putting me on their Snapchat and social media,” Clayton says, laughing, recounting his friends’ enthusiastic reactions to his win in an interview this week.

When Clayton, 21, first found out he won the award, he was in shock. “I was thankful, but I didn’t really know what to say,” he says. “But I can’t take full credit.”

He says friends Kate Macdonald, DeRico Symonds, Shevy Price, dad Marcus James, and many others in his community have been there with him all the way.

“I have a lot of support behind my back and it’s a great feeling to have that.”

For 31 years, the YMCA has honoured people who have made exceptional contributions to peace building in their communities with the YMCA Peace Medal.

Clayton joined other award winners across the country on Monday in being recognized for their work in, “building and rebuilding conditions of fairness, inclusion, empathy, security, and respect for diversity,” according to the YMCA’s website.

Clayton — a third-year criminology student at Saint Mary’s University, athlete, youth mentor and community organizer — says he’s been there for his community for as long as he can remember.

It was earlier this year, while attending the National Black Canadians Summit in Ottawa, though, that he began to see and speak out about how his experience of discrimination in Halifax reflects larger, systemic racism in Canada.

Through supporting youth in his community to follow their dreams and changing the systems that take those dreams from them, Clayton is making waves in Halifax and beyond.

“My community, Uniacke Square, has always been discriminated against, judged, there’s always been barriers in front of us,” says Clayton.

“I want the kids coming up to be able to do what they feel they can do and have faith in their vision and be able to see that they can be a lawyer, they can be a doctor, they can be a judge, they can be whatever they want to be.”

Amanda Rose, development co-ordinator at YMCA of Greater Halifax/Dartmouth and Clayton’s nominator, says she has seen first-hand the impact Clayton’s advocacy has had on Halifax.

“He is a very strong advocate and role model for African Nova Scotian youth in Halifax, and youth in general,” she says. “He’s very passionate about supporting young leaders in our communities and he does that by being a young leader himself.”

THE POWER OF MENTORSHIP

Last year, one of Clayton’s beloved mentors, the late Wade Smith, received the YMCA Peace Medal. Clayton says this made winning the award that much more special.

“He was a mentor, he was a leader, a true community leader,” says Clayton.

He texted Smith’s wife soon after his win. “I just said thank you for everything, this is clearly all happening for a reason and she said, ‘trust me Tray, he’s up there smiling with all teeth right now.’”

This support is what gives Clayton hope — hope that’s sometimes hard to muster with the loss he has experienced through anti-black violence committed against his friends, family and black communities. And it’s the kind of support he wants to offer other young people.

“It’s definitely a long road ahead, change doesn’t come with a blink of an eye or in one day,” says Clayton.

At a recent community conversation about street checks, Clayton says he stood up to share what was heavy on his chest.

He says he asked the panelists to recognize that black communities have been calling attention to racism in policing for years. Now, he says, government and police must be the ones to reach out to remedy the injustice and mistrust caused by anti-black racism.

Clayton says speaking up in moments that can seem incredibly difficult is crucial to building peaceful communities.

“When kids see me doing the things I’m doing, they’re like ‘oh OK, well I can do it,’” he said. “We have to break down these barriers and break down these walls.”

AMY BRIERLEY

Amy is a journalism student at the University of King's College. She calls Antigonish N.S.--and more recently, Halifax-- home. She cares a lot about communities and the things that make them fair, just and thriving for everyone.

Two SMU honourees for Royal Society of Canada

Two Saint Mary’s faculty members were honoured in Ottawa recently, during the Royal Society of Canada’s annual Celebration of Excellence and Engagement..

Dr. S. Karly Kehoe

Dr. S. Karly Kehoe, Canada Research Chair in Atlantic Canada Communities at Saint Mary’s, has served on the Royal Society’s national executive and Atlantic region steering committee for several years.

At the event, she became Vice-President of its College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, and will advance next year to become President.

The Royal Society of Canada also recognized Dr. R. Blake Brown for outstanding scholarship, naming him a member of its College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. His membership was announced in September but he was officially inducted into the College on Nov. 22.

Dr. Blake Brown

A history professor and Graduate Coordinator for Atlantic Canada Studies, Dr. Brown is one of Canada’s leading legal historians whose research tackles vital questions in the history of law and public policy.

The Faculty of Arts at Saint Mary’s now has five scholars associated with the Royal Society of Canada. Dr. Peter Twohig, Associate Dean of Arts, and Dr. Gavin Fridell, Canada Research Chair in International Development Studies, became members of the College of New Scholars in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Dr. John Reid, Professor Emeritus of History and Atlantic Canada Studies, was elected in 2004 as a Fellow of the Society’s Academy of the Arts and Humanities.