{"id":96792,"date":"2024-10-24T16:49:20","date_gmt":"2024-10-24T20:49:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=96792"},"modified":"2024-10-24T16:54:39","modified_gmt":"2024-10-24T20:54:39","slug":"community-connections-building-student-leadership-by-giving-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2024\/10\/community-connections-building-student-leadership-by-giving-back\/","title":{"rendered":"COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS: Building student leadership by giving back"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the first in a monthly series of articles celebrating Brock\u2019s rich history of community engagement and enduring commitment to the mutual exchange of knowledge and resources within the Niagara community and beyond. To read other stories in the series, visit<\/em>\u00a0The Brock News<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Being a Badger means being part of a community \u2014 and Brock\u2019s Black Student Success Centre (BSSC) is creating opportunities for everyone in Niagara to thrive.<\/span><\/p>\n

Founded in 2023, the Centre supports the University\u2019s Black students and staff, assists local Black community members with the transition from high school to university and provides development opportunities for post-academic success.<\/p>\n

\u201cTransitioning to post-secondary may look a lot different for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) students who may not have several generations of folks that did it before them,\u201d BSSC Manager Monique Beauregard said. \u201cSeeing themselves reflected in their community puts students on a trajectory for success and we\u2019re showing them they aren\u2019t alone in the process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Facilitating intentional connections inspired the launch of the BSSC\u2019s Future Black Leaders (FBL) initiative this year.<\/p>\n

With Learning Services and other Brock partners, FBL provides tailored supports for Black and other equity-deserving secondary students and a one-year mentorship program between first year and upper-year Brock students.<\/p>\n

Learning Skills Specialist, Access and Inclusion Sali Moieldin (MA \u201923) knows first-hand how these supports help students in their academic journey. Meeting Black professionals who visited her own high school in St. Catharines even motivated her to now administer similar school visits in the region<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll it takes is that one connection,\u201d Moieldin said, pointing to research that those with at least one campus connection are most likely to complete their degree. \u201cThe mentor holds a lot of knowledge the mentee will benefit from whether it\u2019s tutoring, career guidance or where to get free food or personal support.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tiffany\u00a0Muhindi, a fourth-year Political Science student, is a BSSC Peer Assistant and Mentor with the FBL program. Hailing from Kenya, Muhindi wanted to be a mentor to \u201caddress a critical need for representation and support for Black students in spaces where they may feel underrepresented or unsupported.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMentorship is powerful because it offers both practical advice and emotional support \u2014 something that can be especially important for navigating systemic barriers or adjusting to new environments, like university,\u201d said Muhindi, also the student Co-Chair, President’s Advisory Committee on Human Rights, Equity and Decolonization. \u201cThe program also helps build a strong sense of community, which can be empowering, allowing students to connect with others who share similar experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

Incoming Brock students were joined by local secondary students to volunteer their time with Food 4 Kids Niagara during the Pathways to Success: Future Black Leaders Orientation this summer.<\/p><\/div>\n

To kick-start the mentor-mentee relationship, the BSSC and Student Life and Success hosted Pathways to Success: Future Black Leaders Orientation this summer as part of the LEAP program. Provided to equity-deserving students free-of-charge through the support of the Ontario Post-Secondary Access and Inclusion Program, the day served as a social orientation to the University and saw students volunteer their time with Food for Kids Niagara. It culminated with a barbecue attended by dozens of Black-identifying people across campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was exciting to bring faculty, staff and student leaders that care about students and their success together in a way that is inclusive to their unique identities, interests and needs,\u201d said Leadership Development Co-ordinator Travis Greene (BA \u201919). \u201cAdditionally, the very reason Brock exists is because the community saw a need for post-secondary education \u2014 so it\u2019s also important to show students the reciprocal value in building connections and giving back as soon as they step onto campus.\u201d<\/p>\n

To help address equity and educational gaps for youth in the Niagara community, the BSCC also collaborates with local charity Future Black Female (FBF) in executing programming like the Financial IQ program<\/a>. The initiative provides free, youth-focused financial education, such as understanding paycheques, taxation and financial planning, for those aged 16 to 26 in Niagara. The project is sponsored by the Niagara Community Foundation and executed by the FBF in collaboration with the BSSC and the Royal Bank of Canada.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is especially important for youth who may face systemic barriers to financial education and economic opportunities,\u201d said Ijeoma Michael, Girls and Women\u2019s Projects Lead at FBF. \u201cThe knowledge gained in the program can help participants break the cycle of financial insecurity and create long-term economic stability.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also said Brock\u2019s BSSC is a \u201ccrucial collaborative partner in fostering inclusive growth and providing opportunities for youth to succeed beyond the classroom\u201d through tabling events and in-person workshops that extend the reach of the charity\u2019s programming<\/a>.<\/p>\n

By intentionally committed to maintaining touchpoints along students\u2019 personal, academic and career paths, the BSSC is transforming those who once received support into the next generation of leaders in their communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe experience with FBL has connected me to something larger than myself, allowing me to leave a legacy of support and empowerment that transcends my individual journey,\u201d said Muhindi. \u201cIt\u2019s been a constant reminder that growth is cyclical: as I guide others, I too am being shaped, learning new insights that I can carry forward in my own life.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Being a Badger means being part of a community \u2014 and Brock\u2019s Black Student Success Centre (BSSC) is creating opportunities for everyone in Niagara to thrive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":96800,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9794,3319,1],"tags":[12953,159,84,703,13267,1136,13043,125,12400,13962,9075,13961,10509],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96792"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/55"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96792"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96792\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96808,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96792\/revisions\/96808"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}