Agenda

Catholic Social Justice Community Advisory Meeting

Meeting April 1 2014

Isaiah 58:5-7 True worship is to work for justice and care for the poor and oppressed.

1. Prayer (Appendix A)

2. welcome of Committee Members –

3. Mandate and Terms of Reference for the Committee (Appendix B) (Mandate: to advise the Board on Policies, Programs and Services which close the learning opportunity gaps for school communities through the lens of Catholic Social Justice Teaching of the Church.)

4. Comments from January 29 Meeting (appendix C)

5. Five Ways Poverty Harms Children (Appendix D)

6. Small Group Discussion: Three Questions:

a) What do we view as the learning opportunity gap?

b) Where do we see the most serious gap in terms of opportunity?

c) From our collective experience and expertise what do we recommend to practically address the gap?

7. Large group discussion with respect to next steps: What more do we need to learn? What questions do we need to ask?

8. Sharing Learning Resources (Appendix E) • APT Poverty Elimination Strategy • Catholic Social Teaching

9. Next Meeting Date -April 7, 5:30

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Appendix A

Psalm 45 (2-9) The Lord of hosts is with us: the God of Jacob is our stronghold. God is for us a refuge and strength,

a helper close at hand, in time of distress, so we shall not fear though the earth should rock,

though the mountains fall into the depths of the sea.

The Lord of hosts is with us: the God of Jacob is our stronghold. The waters of a river give joy to God’s city,

the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within, it cannot be shaken;

God will help it at the dawning of the day.

The Lord of hosts is with us: the God of Jacob is our stronghold. The Lord of hosts is with us:

the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Come, consider the works of the Lord,

the redoubtable deeds he has done on the earth.

The Lord of hosts is with us: the God of Jacob is our stronghold.

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Gospel John 5:1-3,5-16 © There was a Jewish festival, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now at the Sheep Pool in Jerusalem there is a building, called Bethzatha in Hebrew, consisting of five porticos; and under these were crowds of sick people – blind, lame, paralysed – waiting for the water to move; One man there had an illness which had lasted thirty-eight years, and when Jesus saw him lying there and knew he had been in this condition for a long time, he said, ‘Do you want to be well again?’ ‘Sir,’ replied the sick man ‘I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is disturbed; and while I am still on the way, someone else gets there before me.’ Jesus said, ‘Get up, pick up your sleeping-mat and walk.’ The man was cured at once, and he picked up his mat and walked away.

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Appendix B

Terms of Reference:

Catholic Social Justice Committee

Mandate: to advise the Board on Policies, Programs and Services which close the learning opportunity gaps for school communities through the lens of Catholic Social Justice Teaching of the Church.

Report to: TCDSB Student Achievement, Religious Affairs and Human Resources Committee.

Liaison: TCDSB Nurturing Catholic Community Committee and Staff Equity and Inclusive Education Committee, Catholic Student Leadership Impact Team

Frequency : To meet quarterly.

Action:

1. Support the implementation of evidence based strategies grounded in Catholic Social Teaching that close the learning opportunity gap for school communities.

2. Create links with external partners to support the mandate and understand the alternative means by which the learning opportunity gap may be closed

3. To listen, understand and act upon student voice and community concerns.

4. Develop and/or promote learning opportunities for school communities through the lens of the social teachings of the Church

5. Develop and/or promote professional development opportunities for staff through the lens of the social teachings of the Church.

Note: It is understood that this terms of reference has been reviewed by the Catholic Social Justice Committee at their first meeting.. Any recommended substantive changes to the terms of reference will be brought back to the Board for approval.

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Appendix C

Opening comments from the January 29 Meeting

-less stigma to those living in poverty

-poverty not diminish opportunity

-poverty is not fate.

-Negative stereotypes –creating greater understanding

Poverty vs potential

-what will this board possibly do

-going beyond awareness, maximize potential

-ways in which department (ICT) can contribute

-address issues of class for students to achieve well in their being

-seen how hard the struggle is

- the role front line workers can do to support the marginalized

-how to build those schools to support

-bring the experience of a teacher to challenge of marginalization

-inequity of power struggles-how to interrogate power struggles

-represent some of the wealthiest and poorest. –bringing those communities together –one common element-their children and their success. –how do we close that gap in a way that makes an impact on those kids who are hungry and have different priorities in their homelife

-what action we take that they only limitation on a student should be their own potential not their circumstance

-what is the story, how can we have an impact –the whole community approach –the family story.

-build partnership

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Appendix D

January 8, 2014 Fifty years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a War on Poverty, and introduced legislation aiming to reduce the national poverty rate. As shown in this chart, in 1964, 23 percent of U.S. children lived in poverty. Since then, the rate has fluctuated quite a bit, but the latest child poverty rate (22 percent, for 2012) is barely lower than it was when the War began. Poverty rates for black and Hispanic children (at 39 and 34 percent, respectively) are even higher. Below, we highlight five ways poverty is harmful to children, and why it's imperative to continue this fight.

Poverty harms the brain and other body systems. How developmental science understands child poverty has changed a great deal in recent years. Poverty, for children, is not simply a matter of getting by with less of the essentials of life. Particularly at its extremes, poverty can negatively affect how the body and mind develop, and can actually alter the fundamental architecture of the brain. Children who experience poverty have an increased likelihood, extending into adulthood, for numerous chronic illnesses, and for a

shortened life expectancy.

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Poverty creates and widens achievement gaps. Children growing up in poverty, when compared with their economically more secure peers, fall behind early. Starting in infancy, gaps are evident in key aspects of learning, knowledge, and social-emotional development. When left unaddressed, these early gaps become progressively wider. Early optimal development tends to open doors to further optimal development, while impoverished development tends to close those doors. So, poor children lag

behind their peers at entry to kindergarten, in reading ability at the end of third grade, in the important self-monitoring skills often called "executive functioning," and in school attendance in eighth grade. Poor children are more likely to drop out of school, or fail to obtain post- secondary education.

Poverty leads to poor physical, emotional, and behavioral health. Even when poverty doesn't directly alter human biological systems, we know that growing up poor increases the likelihood that children will have poor health, including poor emotional and behavioral health. Poverty works in multiple ways to constrict children's opportunities and expose them to threats to well-being. Poor

children are more likely to lack "food security," as well as have diets that are deficient in important nutrients. Rates of several chronic health conditions, such as asthma, are higher among poor children. They are less likely to receive preventive medical and dental care.

Poor children are more likely to live in neighborhoods with concentrated poverty, which is associated with numerous social ills. While direct causal links between neighborhood poverty and children's outcomes are challenging to identify in research, scholars have found that growing up in neighborhoods with concentrated poverty is associated with negative academic outcomes, more social and behavioral problems, and poorer health and physical

fitness outcomes. Poor children are more likely to live in neighborhoods where they are exposed to environmental toxins and other physical hazards, including crime and violence. In the case of violence, even indirect exposure -- witnessing, or simply hearing of its occurrence -- has been linked with adverse developmental outcomes. Poor children are also disproportionately likely to attend schools in districts with fewer resources, with facilities that are grossly inadequate, and with school leadership that is more transient.

Poverty can harm children through the negative effects it has on their families and the home environment.

While the strengths of poor families are often overlooked, parents experience

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numerous challenges that can affect their own emotional well-being, as well as their children's. Poor parents report higher stress, aggravation, and depressive symptoms than do higher-income parents. Parents with scarce economic resources face difficulty planning, preparing, and providing for their families' material needs. Children in poor families have fewer books and other educational resources at home, and they are less likely to experience family outings, activities, and programs that can enrich learning opportunities. Their families are more likely to experience housing instability. Direct evidence that additional income can improve children's lives comes from several experimental evaluations: programs that increased family income showed improvements in children's social and academic outcomes.

Contributors: David Murphey and Zakia Redd For more information, please see this list of resources on child poverty, and this blog post.

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K-W-H-L –understanding the learning opportunity gap

What I Know (in relation to the learning

opportunity gap)

What I Wonder (or want to know)

How Might I learn more

What I have Learned

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Appendix E

Recommendation Report from Alliance for Poverty Free Toronto (APT) and Social Planning Toronto

E) ROLE OF SECTOR PARTNERS As members of the community, sector partners have important roles to play in addressing poverty in the city. While governments have clearly mandated responsibilities and a broad range of policy, legislative and financial tools to take the lead on this critical issue, the value of broader sector participation in the task should not be underestimated. Each sector has particular strengths, capabilities, networks and bodies of expertise that can considerably increase the effectiveness of the overall effort – particularly with regard to critical areas for action identified above. What follows is a broad outline of areas in which some key sector partners can make contributions, complementing or enlarging upon government initiatives.

School Boards

1. Require that prior to all final board policy and budget decisions, an assessment be made of their impact on low income students and communities served by the board.

2. Ensure that funding provided by the provincial government to support the education of ESL students and students living in poverty is fully protected and allocated exclusively to these students’ needs.

3. Expand nutrition programs to ensure that children from low income communities all have access to a healthy meal each day in a safe and healthy environment.

4. Facilitate school-community partnerships, working with agencies in low-income communities to provide after-school programs and summer extension learning opportunities for students from the area.

5. Re-establish teams of school-community outreach workers, particularly in low-income neighbourhoods, to build bridges into the community and strengthen relationships with parents.

6. Explore innovative ways of engaging parents in “high risk” neighbourhoods and involving them in the life of the school, drawing on the school-as-community-hub concept.

7. Initiate and strengthen board-to-board contact through a committed effort by school board trustees to meet with, and engage the community boards of agencies within their wards.

8. Promote and expand opportunities for youth from “high risk” communities to connect with and experience the working world – e.g. through field placements, arranged visits, educational tours etc.

9. Partner with colleges to provide suitable job-readiness training and placement programs for youth interested in transitioning after high school into the world of work.

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1. HUMAN DIGNITY In a world warped by materialism and declining respect for human life, the Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. Our belief in the sanctity of human life and inherent dignity of the human person is the foundation of our social teaching.

2. COMMUNITY AND THE COMMON GOOD In a global culture driven by excessive individualism, our tradition proclaims that the person is not only sacred but also social. How we organize our society in economics and politics, in law and policy directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community. Our Church teaches that the role of government and other institutions is to protect human life and human dignity and promote the common good.

3. RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES Catholic tradition teaches that human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met. Every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities to one another, to our families, and to the larger society.

4. OPTION FOR THE POOR AND VULNERABLE Catholic teaching proclaims that a basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring. In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Matthew 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.

5. PARTICIPATION AND SUBSIDIARITY All people have a right to participate in the economic, political, and cultural life of society. It is a fundamental demand of justice and a requirement for human dignity that all people be assured a minimum level of participation in the community. Conversely, it is wrong for a person or a group to be excluded unfairly or to be unable to participate in society.

6. DIGNITY OF WORK AND THE RIGHTS OF WORKERS In a marketplace where too often the quarterly bottom line takes precedence over the rights of workers, we believe that the economy must serve people, not the other way around. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected – the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to organize and join unions, to private property and to economic initiative.

7. STEWARDSHIP OF CREATION Catholic tradition insists that we show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions which cannot be ignored.

8. SOLIDARITY Catholic social teaching proclaims that we are our brothers' and sisters' keepers, wherever they live. We are one human family, whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. Solidarity means that "loving our neighbour" has global dimensions in an interdependent world.

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9. ROLE OF GOVERNMENT The state has a positive moral function as an instrument to promote human dignity, protect human rights, and build the common good. Its purpose is to assist citizens in fulfilling their responsibility to others in society. In today’s complex society these responsibilities cannot adequately be carried out on a one-to-one basis. Citizens need the help of government to fulfill these responsibilities and promote the common good.

10. PROMOTION OF PEACE Catholic teaching promotes peace as a positive, action-oriented concept. "Peace is not just the absence of war,” said Pope John Paul II, “it involves mutual respect and confidence between peoples and nations. It involves collaboration and binding agreements”. Peace and justice are linked: Peace is the fruit of justice.

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Agenda

Catholic Social Justice Community Advisory Meeting

Meeting January 29 2014

Isaiah 58:5-7 True worship is to work for justice and care for the poor and oppressed.

1. Prayer (Appendix A) 2. Introduction and welcome of Committee Members 3. Remarks from Chair Jo-Ann Davis 4. Context – Putting a face to Poverty -addressing the learning opportunity gap at TCDSB

( Aggie Nemes, Jan Murphy, Joan Tschernow, Carol Soper) 5. A brief discussion with respect to the learning opportunity gap – (Research) 6. Mandate and Terms of Reference for the Committee (Appendix B) 7. KWHL –inventory (Appendix C) 8. Small group discussion:

a. What do we view as the work before us? (consider the committee’s mandate) b. What do we need to learn to accomplish the task(s) c. How can we best organize ourselves to support the task

9. Large group discussion with respect to next steps 10. Sharing Learning Resources (Appendix D)

• APT Poverty Elimination Strategy • Agenda October 16 with notes • Catholic Social Teaching

11. Next Meeting Date

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Agenda

Catholic Social Justice Community Advisory Meeting

Inaugural Meeting October 16 2013

1. Prayer 2. Introduction of Committee Members 3. Mandate for the Committee 4. Terms of Reference for Committee 5. Context of Multi-year Strategic Plan with respect to the Committee 6. A brief discussion of the Learning Opportunity Gap – (Research) 7. Criteria for Community Group Membership on Catholic Social Justice Community

Advisory Meeting 8. Recommendation for Community Group Membership on Catholic Social Justice

Community Advisory 9. Next Steps 10. Next Meeting Date

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