Racialized Youth and Impact of Domestic Violence 

Presented by: Andrea Jones MSW, RSW,  Archana Medhekar Certified Family Law Specialist, Accredited Family Mediator, Purnima George Associate Professor at the School of Social Work, Toronto Metropolitan University, Ferzana Chaze Professor, Faculty of Applied Health and Community Studies, Sheridan College,  and Bethany Osborne Program Coordinator & Professor of Social and Community Development, Sheridan College

This workshop will present the key findings and themes that emerge from an analysis of the real life experiences shared by the youth participants of the research project focussed on examining the Impacts of Experiencing or Witnessing Domestic Violence in Childhood from the perspectives of racialized immigrant youth.

This interactive workshop presented by inter-disciplinary presenters will include the case studies developed directly from the voices of racialized immigrant youth who had witnessed/experienced high levels of conflict/DV as children.  Through these direct insights shared by the youth through the case studies, the participants would examine how the experience of DV is complicated by intersectional identities such as race and immigration issues and highlight the complexity of such cases due to the profound impact of institutional responses.  The knowledge informed by direct experiences of racialized immigrant children would allow the practitioners to understand the gaps between their service delivery and the unmet needs of racialized immigrant children, their families, and their communities. This workshop will also analyze the Clinical impact of experiencing or witnessing DV on youth and make recommendations for practitioners.  The presenters will share the need for inter-disciplinary understanding to develop the holistic approach and coordinated response from various systems to serve the youth from diverse backgrounds.  

Learning Objectives:

1. Outline the impact of intersectional identities and culture complicating the impact of domestic violence (DV) on racialized children
2. Analyze the impact of systemic barriers on racialized children experiencing DV
3. Describe the clinical implications of DV on mental health and development of racialized children
4. Describe professional skills and best practices to be informed by the voices of the children
5. Identify early signs of abuse and trauma in racialized children experiencing DV through screening and developing holistic support plan

About Andrea Jones, MSW., RSW :

Andrea Jones is the Provincial Manager of Clinical Services at the Office of the Children’s Lawyer, Ministry of the Attorney General. In this role she directs a clinical program that offers thousands of parenting dispute assessments a year to the courts of Ontario. She has successfully launched and operates one of the largest Voice of the Child programs in Canada and has presented at various conferences and webinars on the complexities of parenting assessments. Ms. Jones is a member of the Board of Directors at the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts and works on various initiatives in the field of high conflict parenting disputes. She has dedicated her social work practice to public service and supporting families of all cultural and socio-demographic backgrounds. She has interests in issues of equity and diversity, high conflict parenting disputes, child welfare, intimate partner violence and adoption/openness.

About Archana Medhekar, B. Sc., LL.B., LL.M., ACC.FM :

Archana Medhekar is a Lawyer and accredited Family Mediator, practicing in Toronto, Canada and brings over 20 years of international experience in the field of family dispute resolution.  Archana is a Panel Lawyer for the Office of the Children’s Lawyer and has works on issues of Gender Based Violence, child abuse and child protection by primarily representing vulnerable population including immigrants, refugees, women and children in high conflict family matters who face barriers to access to justice and within the justice system as well. She believes that culturally appropriate services are crucial for families navigating in any dispute resolution process and diversity and inclusion is key to advancing peace.  Archana is the member of the leadership team of the United Nations (UN) working group of an international NGO Mediator’s Beyond Borders International, which has consultative status with the UN. She currently serves as a Board Member with the Association of Family & Conciliation Courts – Ontario. Archana's awards and distinctions include "The Volunteer Service Award" from Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, "The Champion for Social Justice Award" presented by Indus Community Services of Peel and recognition as "Trailblazer in Social Justice" by SALCO.

About Purnima George, BA, MSW, PhD :

Purnima George is an associate professor at the TMU’s School of Social Work. She brings with her previous experience in community practice that focused on grassroots organizing and activism. Prior to her immigration to Canada, Purnima was a faculty member, academic lead and coordinator of urban community initiatives at the College of Social Work, Nirmala Niketan, Mumbai, India. In Toronto, she has channeled her passion for community practice and activism into community based research on varied issues that impact racialized immigrants, specifically, South Asian communities. Emerging from the request of the South Asian communities in the GTA, Purnima has focused her research on domestic violence in South Asian communities in the GTA. Her work in this area has recently expanded to inter-disciplinary research collaboration geared towards advocacy for racialized, immigrant women and children who are involved with the justice system. Purnima is the recipient of the Award for Racial Justice offered by the Council of Agencies Serving South Asians, Toronto in 2015 and the Sue Williams Excellence in Teaching Award in 2018. 

About Ferzana Chaze, Ph.D :

Ferzana is a Professor in the faculty of Applied Health and Community Studies at Sheridan College. She has a PhD in Social Work from York University and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Toronto and the University of Mumbai. Ferzana has over 25 years of experience in social work education, research and practice.  She is deeply interested in issues related to vulnerable populations, particularly racialized immigrant communities. Her scholarship has focused largely on the experiences of immigrants in settling and integrating into Canadian society and on the unique challenges they experience on account of their intersectional identities.

About Bethany Osborne, Ph.D:

Bethany is an innovative educator and researcher with over 25 years of experience engaging and collaborating with diverse communities. She has her MA in Adult Education and Community Development in the collaborative program in Women and Gender Studies and a PhD in Adult Education and Community Development from the University of Toronto. Over her career, she has worked with non-profit organizations in both Canada and internationally as a researcher, educator and consultant, enjoying a key role in supporting community transformation through innovative and creative program and project design, grant writing, and working with leadership to develop dynamic learning communities. Her areas of research interest are the relationship between violence and learning, the impact of violence on individuals and communities, and building supportive communities and processes. Her research often includes arts-based and other creative approaches. She is currently the Program Coordinator and Professor in the Honours Bachelor of Social and Community Development at Sheridan College.

Target Audience: Allied health professionals, medical professionals, justice professionals, clinical case managers, Front-line para-professionals, education professionals, policy, management, administrative staff, justice para professionals.