Articles from:March 2022

• Community invited to virtual discussion on sustainable business practices

  Tuesday, March 22, 2022 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 22 March 2022 – R0037

  An online community event hosted by Brock University next week aims to start a conversation with Niagara organizations on sustainable business practices.

  Business Matters: Operating in a Changing Climate takes place Tuesday, March 29 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The discussion will feature panelists from different industries and aims to share proactive and practical steps businesses can take.

  This is the seventh in a series of panel talks organized by Brock’s Goodman School of Business.

  The event will be moderated by Todd Green, Associate Professor of Marketing at Goodman.

  Green, who studies corporate social responsibility, says every industry will be impacted by climate change, so it’s important to look at what businesses can do locally to mitigate it.

  “With big issues like this, sometimes people feel that there’s nothing you can do that will make a difference,” Green says. “Yet there are expectations from consumers that companies need to address climate change and make commitments to doing better.

  “This will be a proactive discussion on how we can positively mitigate the impacts of climate change in Niagara, what steps businesses can take and how they can measure and manage their progress.”

  Panelists include:

  • Jessica Blythe, Assistant Professor, Brock’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre
  • Gabriel Demarco (BSc ’13), Winemaker and Viticulturalist at Cave Spring Vineyard
  • Natalie Lowe, President of Celebrate Niagara and the Sustainable Events Forum
  • Mikayla Richards (BBA ’19), Sustainability Analyst at EcoVadis

  Following the panel discussion, the audience will have a chance to ask questions. To receive a link to the free community event, register online.

  Previous Business Matters discussions have focused on inclusive decision-making, craft businesses, women in business, innovation and music. Business Matters is supported by the Willmot Foundation and is part of the D.G. Willmot leader series.

  What: Business Matters: Operating in a Changing Climate — a conversation on sustainable business practices.
  Who: Panelists Jessica Blythe, Gabriel Demarco, Natalie Lowe and Mikayla Richards.
  When: Tuesday, March 29 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
  Where: Online via video streaming. Register to receive the link.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University [email protected] or 905-347-1970

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  Categories: Media releases

• Brock experts talk techniques for supporting Ukrainian refugees in schools

  Tuesday, March 22, 2022 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 22 March 2022 – R0036

  More than three million refugees have fled Ukraine since Russia’s invasion last month. Some will find a new home in Canada, settling into new communities, workplaces and schools.

  Brock experts say the support of teachers in K-12 classrooms is paramount for refugee students who find themselves navigating a new education system.

  Refugee students face a number of disadvantages, including overcoming interrupted schooling, adjusting to an unfamiliar education system and, sometimes, learning a new language of instruction. They may also face a range of socioemotional and mental health issues as well as challenges at home.

  “Forced displacement oftentimes leads to trauma,” says Francine Menashy, Associate Professor in Brock University’s Faculty of Education, whose research explores education in emergency contexts. “Because Ukrainian children have experienced a sudden departure due to armed conflict, their lives have been uprooted in unimaginable ways, and they may be feeling a combination of uncertainty, fear, anger and sadness. Supporting their mental health must be a priority.”

  Trauma, such as exposure to war, is associated with conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety.

  “Many refugee students, and their families, also face linguistic challenges associated with subsequent language learning,” says Snezana Ratkovic, Research Officer and Instructor in the Faculty of Education, who came to Canada as a refugee from the former Yugoslavia. “These challenges are often intensified by disrupted or non-existent schooling experiences as well as experiences of marginalization, racism and discrimination from peers, educators and community members.”

  There are several ways teachers can help students to overcome some of these challenges.

  “One easy thing to do is seek out Ukrainian literature, since ‘additive bilingualism’ suggests they will develop their English or French skills, depending on the province they come to, better if their first language is supported,” says Louis Volante, Professor in the Faculty of Education.

  Students older than 12, in particular, face a “late arrival penalty” because of how long it takes to learn a new language, he says.

  “A new language takes five to six years to learn. If a student arrives in Canada in Grade 9, they likely will still face challenges in Grade 12 when school grades have important consequences for progression to post-secondary or higher education settings,” says Volante, who is the Principal Investigator of a five-year Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council study on immigrant student achievement and education policy across Canada.

  Language barriers can also make it more difficult for teachers to identify challenges, such as learning disabilities, in students that warrant more specialized supports, Volante says. Disrupted learning and school closures due to COVID-19 have only exacerbated mental health challenges, he adds.

  As refugee students can also feel isolated in their new schools, Menashy suggests teachers helping them to make connections with other students in the school or local community who are from the same country and, ideally, who speak the same language.

  Schools can also create safe spaces where refugee students can talk about their shared experiences and express their feelings through verbal and non-verbal, arts-based engagements, Ratkovic adds.

  Volante suggests teachers engage students in conversations that promote intercultural awareness so they can effectively interact in a global, diverse and increasingly challenging world.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University [email protected] or 905-347-1970

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  Categories: Media releases