Articles from:March 2022

• Brock, YWCA working together to improve the lives of Niagara women and families

  Friday, March 04, 2022 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 4 March 2022 – R0027

  After years of collaboration, Brock University and the YWCA Niagara Region are moving forward with a common goal: empowering local women and improving the lives of their families.

  The two organizations formalized their partnership by introducing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) during a virtual event on Friday, March 4.

  The YWCA, which provides emergency shelter, food and assistance to women and their families living in poverty, offers transitional housing and skills development programs to help women regain their independence and break the cycle of poverty.

  In addition to its emergency housing services, the YWCA also operates a Safer House for survivors of human trafficking and a 15-unit Home for Good program, which provides long-term supportive housing to Niagara’s most vulnerable.

  Brock Interim President Lynn Wells says the YWCA’s work is “critically important to our community” and will be further strengthened through the ongoing partnership with the University.

  “By sharing our expertise and resources, Brock and the YWCA will continue working collaboratively in support of the social and economic well-being of women and children in Niagara,” she says. “This MOU is an important example of Brock’s ongoing commitment to contributing to the well-being and vitality of our community and beyond.”

  In addition to providing experiential learning opportunities for students, the MOU will facilitate collaborative research on the impacts of the affordable housing crisis on women in Niagara, improving safe and affordable housing for women during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and equity, diversity and inclusion best practices for inclusive governance in Niagara.

  The partnership will also see the organizations explore new opportunities for professional and continuing development and mentorship programs for women.

  “This partnership has been years in the making and we are so pleased to have this formally recognized through this MOU,” said Elisabeth Zimmermann, YWCA Niagara Region Executive Director. “Working with Brock has supported our ability to tell our story to the broader community in a way that has had impact and influence.”

  Researchers in Brock’s Departments of Sociology, Women’s and Gender Studies and Political Science are among many who have worked and will continue to work with their counterparts at the YWCA on issues around poverty, gender discrimination, and equity, diversity and inclusion.

  In particular, their work has focused on the lack of affordable housing and the impact on women in Niagara, and how existing and growing challenges are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, says Ingrid Makus, Dean of Brock’s Faculty of Social Sciences.

  “In formalizing our agreement with the YWCA Niagara Region, we are thrilled to further enable researchers and students across the University to connect with such an esteemed organization that is making a recognizable difference in the lives of women and families in Niagara,” she says. “We’re delighted that our students at all levels of study will have the opportunity to engage with the YWCA and learn through experiences, placements and research about what it takes to successfully support some of the most vulnerable members of our community.”

  As part of the MOU, Brock will also host the annual Niagara Leadership Summit for Women, building on its ongoing relationship with the popular event.

  “Brock has been home to the Niagara Leadership Summit for Women since it began in 2014 and has been a critical partner in its success, as it grew to become the YWCA’s signature event,” says Julie Rorison, President of the YWCA Board of Directors. “For thousands of the Summit’s attendees, it has been their annual trip to see what’s happening at Brock, and for many others it is the first time they have ever set foot on a university campus — opening a whole new world of learning and opportunity.”

  The YWCA Niagara Region MOU is the latest in a series of commitments by Brock University to work with community partners, such as Tools of Empowerment for Success Niagara, HOPA Ports, Niagara Workforce Planning Board, Niagara Health, Pathstone Mental Health, Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold and Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre.

  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

• Following the war on social media? Brock expert advises caution

  Friday, March 04, 2022 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 4 March 2022 – R0026

  With videos about the supposed killing of Ukrainian soldiers at Snake Island, a young girl standing up to Russian tanks, and a jet on fire going viral on social media, it’s hard to know what to believe online. As images of the Russian invasion of Ukraine circulate widely, we need to approach social media carefully, says Aaron Mauro, Associate Professor with Brock University’s Centre for Digital Humanities.

  “We should approach all social media as propaganda at this point,” says Mauro. “Even messages that are true and verified, when they take on the network effects and the ability to have a viral spread they function as propaganda.”

  Network effects can be powerful; A single image of a single moment can have an outsized impact compared to the reality of what is happening on the ground. Social media is a tactical, propaganda-filled space in this war, he says.

  “We need to know all messages have a purpose, regardless of whose messaging it supports, and that these messages can be co-opted by either side,” says Mauro. “The narratives as they unfold are designed to breed suspicion or support and they are meant to play on our emotions.”

  Mauro also cautions against ‘what-aboutism’ — attempts to distract from current events and issues by pointing at similar situations elsewhere. The tragedy in Ukraine, and people’s responses to it, is being compared to other tragedies, such as Syria, Palestine and Yemen.

  “Using regional, linguistic and religious division to somehow divide and drive progressive-minded individuals into propagating a divisive message is a very effective disinformation technique,” says Mauro. “It speaks to issues of equality, access and things we’re generally concerned about in the West, but it puts in a small sliver, a moment of indecision, about whether Ukraine is just and right.”

  To navigate this, Mauro says we need to realize that freedom and democracy are not a zero-sum game.

  “Freedom and democracy in Ukraine do not come at the sacrifice of freedom and democracy for others,” he says.

  An outpouring of concern about how the conflict is being handled is part of why the West is winning the disinformation campaign.

  “It’s not about having the correct messaging; it’s about taking up space. And there are enough individuals taking up enough space that the Russian disinformation campaign can’t get enough air,” says Mauro.

  He does see a bright spot, given the successive waves of Russian disinformation Canadians saw during Donald Trump’s time as U.S. President, and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  “There is a certain capacity in the public to manage disinformation,” says Mauro. “The level of digital literacy through successive waves of disinformation from presidential elections and into the pandemic have really hardened Canadians and the West against disinformation. That’s not to say it’s not still successful, but we have become accustomed to it.”

  Mauro recommends those following the conflict on social media practise the same kind of caution they would when it comes to links and downloads in other online spaces.

  “Go slow and manage your emotions. Suspicion is good,” he says. “If we can withhold our emotions as we consume and bear witness to these events, we will be in a better position to understand the fallout post-conflict.”

  Aaron Mauro, Associate Professor with Brock University’s Centre for Digital Humanities is available for media interviews.

  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